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The Underworld Is Very, Very Organized
Spend a little time traveling around China and you'll recognize temple fatigue syndrome. A relative of the New York/London/Paris sensation of being overwhelmed by museums, TFS hits when you've visited far too many temples. Your surroundings should be inspiring, but instead your mind wanders. You think about what's for lunch or why tour groups wear matching hats.
In Beijing I pass temples daily but rarely venture inside. Recently however I visited a place that is highly resistant to TFS, the Dongyue Temple in Beijing's Chaowai area. The temple is nearly 800 years old and underwent a major restoration in 2002. On its grounds are dozens of stone tablets; most appear to have been damaged and repaired.
The most fascinating part of the site is the sculptures of various supernatural figures, all divided into their relevant departments. For those who are interested, there is some interesting scholarly research on the topic. I won't attempt to decipher what they all mean. The last time I dipped a toe into this realm was when I bought a ceramic statue for $1 on the street in Hong Kong. A neighbor told me that the god should be displayed if you want to have children. It promptly went into storage.
Some random photos from Dongyue Temple below:





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1
Good place to start...lets say the tongue is representative to a governments lies? Is there something for the moral coward who is superstitious of Tibetan religion; grooms bigotry and nationalism as if it were a mothers dieing wish!
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2
The same thing on Chinese and Tibeten temples is that in either temples the monk's salaries and medical insurence are all paid by Chinese tax-payers.
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3
There's a new book out entitled 'Chinese Gods' which explains a lot of the background of this imagery, and free copies are being given away this month at the publisher's blog: http://www.blacksmithbooks.com/blog/
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4
The book "Chinese Gods" is available only to people with Hong Kong and Chinese postal addresses - those who don't need the book.
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5
This is a strange report. I just don't see why Chinese want to risk getting caught as illegal immigrants, and paid large sums at that for that privilege, just to have a chance of making US$500 a month, while they can earn 10 times that easy safely and comfortably in China. This report must be a lie. But Chinese media people don't lie. Something is wrong.
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6
"Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. True peace with oneself and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace." - His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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7
The full text of the Dalai Lama's telegram to Mao in 1951:
"Chairman Mao of the Central People's Government:
"This year the local government of Tibet sent five delegates with full authority headed by Kaloon Ngapoi to Beijing in late April 1951 to conduct peace talks with delegates with full authority appointed by the Central People's Government.
"On the basis of friendship, delegates on both sides concluded the Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet on May 23,1951.
"The local government of Tibet as well as the Tibetan monks and laymen unanimously support this agreement, and under the leadership of Chairman Mao and the Central People's Government, will actively assist the People's Liberation Army in Tibet to consolidate national defence, drive imperialist influences out of Tibet and safeguard the unification of the territory and the sovereignty of the motherland. I hereby send this cable to inform you of this."
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8
This summer I thought I had seen one too many temples until we had a chance to visit the Fu Xi temple in Tian Shui Gansu. I was shacked to be able to see the ~5,000 year old stone tablets and artifacts. It is only when we think we have seen everything that we are surprised by the hidden treasures in this world.
@johnflurry -
9
johnsmith,
You are welcome to help digest the China's most ignorant peasant population, like Uighur militants from Guantanamo. You can call them whatever you desire, dissident or human right exiles or freedom fighter. I'm pretty sure all of them will break in tear when seeing Lady Statue which symbolize one thing: dollar. How about 10 shiploads of this gabbages a month?
However I just wonder why as many as 60,000 "freedom and democracy loving" Yanks insist on staying in China and prefer the rule of "commie", quite some of them even go as far as applying Chinese green cards and bribing Chinese cops for visas. Sure you'll never be one of them since you dont need to worry and CIA even pay more handsomely in this sheitest time in your empire's short history. -
10
No way China's most ignorant population is anything like peasants. The most ignorant population in China lives in Zhongnanhai. But they are way too greasy for my taste. And they are all contaminated with chemicals from their hair dye.
We all know that free range chicken taste better then caged ones. Low life like laohong who don't want to have rights and freedom are tasteless. But US guts is too good a burial ground for them. They are way to contaminated to qualify for any American garbage dump.
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11
People like laohong may no want to have its rights, but some Chinese actually defend their right to have a seat rigorously:
http://tinyurl.com/ch8xum -
12
Professors in Chinese universities expanding their rights to private properties: http://tinyurl.com/dbfyqn
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13
johnsmith,
You are welcome to help digest the China's most rascally ruffian, like the "laohong" from the Beijing Nazi Concentration Camp, who has been cruelly torturing and excruciating Gao Zhisheng, China's most respectable human rights lawyer, and other warriors, with the dirty words "丫(鸭)的" frequently spit from his smelly mouth. See how his "丫(鸭)的" worked on Gao, and then uncontrolledly bolted out here:
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gao-02082009211313.html
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14
laohong: Rest assure that China will never have democracy, and Chinese will never have human rights and freedom. Only countries and people who wants these things and willing to fight for them will get them. Too many Chinese are like yourselve, wanting to live like chickens in cages, and getting fed regularly, instead of living as free human beings, making decision for themselves, and be their master. Too many Chinese love to be cattle being lead to the slaughter houses, as sacrifice to their master, instead of becoming the master and governor of their own country. Chinese don't need democracy. Chains and cages are fine with them. And US love to see China stay that way. There is no way US can compete with 1.3 billion of freed Chinese. Staying chained, Chinese will never be half decent competitors of Americans.
Don't worry about American officials talking about human rights, democracy and freedom for Chinese. This is just for show. It is for consumption of their own voters, not Chinese. They are much happier if Chinese stay in cages, and produce cheap goods for Americans at slave labor wages. And Chinese people are extremely happy to receive that slave wages, as it was the best they can get out of the CCP in the last several decades.
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15
Johnsmith,
Let me enlighten you self-important boy:
Only an helpless id*ot will laughably think he is free and nobody in this world really is, since government knows the color of your panty.
The world is controlled by few politicians, bankers and organizations while everybody is living in their design and “decision” as you called it. In this respect, your Big Brother is bigger than China's. When accusing China, you only show yourself to be a pot calling kettle black stuff, since you forgot how you passed “Patriot Act” which give you the pleasure to be bugged and tortured or, in your case, to bug and torture others.
This my-money-is-better-than-your-money attitude also show what a narcissist you truly are, like many Yanks who feel themselves as handsome as Richard Fool Gere while having a green tongue. Though it is understandable that the flattering of some FLG or Tibeten lazy-bones here help you consolidate the illusion, but even a movie star will not like the funs, since funs are all just losers. If I were you, I'd rather be castrated like america in 911 than to be wooed by an ugly girls like that ignorant peasant boy conscienceinchina, lol! -
16
John:
I well understand you who considering Chinese people with somewhat a sense “being sad for their adversity, being angry for their surrender (哀其不幸,怒其不争) ”, or “hating the iron which is unable to be steel(恨铁不成钢)”, because sometimes I have the same feeling too. Generally many people here abominate the corruption and tyranny of the communist, as well as dislike the “western democracy” which has been distorted and smeared, thanks to more than 60 years' brainwashing, threatening and slaughtering. Even some kids will tease “American bandit(美国鬼子)” when they hear someone talking America.
But the awareness and consciousness of democracy and human rights are rising now.
The soaring figure of the so called “mass incident(群众性事件)”,which can reach tens of thousands of a year now according to official statistics, is the best demonstration of this trend. And that most of the participators of such protests are “peasants”, who have been frequently fouled by the “laohong”. The CCP started their business depending on the “peasants”, then abandoned and suppressed them when seized power. Now the peasants have to start “uprising” once again, so they are enemies to the communist, and to the “laohong”.On the contrary, most Chinese long for democracy, human rights and freedom definitely! Some of them have been pursuing their ideal of free China without caring about their own gain and loss, safety, and even lives, such as Gao Zhisheng(高智晟), Guo Feixiong(郭飞雄), Hu Jia(胡佳), Shi Tao(师涛), who have all been encaged by the red tyranny.
So, I think you and many westerners have been affected by the confusing of the five-jiaos flooding everywhere who are always “fighting democracy”. That's why I hate them so much!
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17
conscienceinchina country boy,
---some kids will tease “American bandit” when they hear someone talking America?
So what? You really remind me of a little girl reporting to her teacher: "that fattie just put his hand under my skirt."
To somebody like you with redneck potentials and full of anger and hatred, Lady Statue might mean as a symbol of freedom, but not to most of others. Here is a prove, something for you to cry for tonight:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/04/10/iraq.soldiers.killed/
You know what? You are just one of them frogs under a well. Only difference you have which you feel proud of is: you managed to have climbed on the top, only for a short glance of outer world, before falling back down, bang, into the deep well again, lol! -
18
The five-jiao “laohong” want me to translate his wonderful performance into English days ago. Let's see the elephant first:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(laohong Says:
Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 8:31 amConscienceinchina:
孙子,把你鸭气成这样,我干吗要装看不懂?
你鸭对中共的刻骨仇恨一定和哪位不争气的党员黑夜高粱地里日了你有关,以致于你破罐破摔,卖身洋人,达赖和你主子李洪志。那天碰见你,你鸭一定把下半身的猪圈味洗干净。别不高兴,许他们弄你,艾滋都不怕,也让同胞老子试试。
至于你昨晚梦见的“揪出老子的日子不会长了”,看看下面能让你鸭长大成人,明白中共和你亲爸爸达赖和李洪志谁活的长。
http://www.greenlaw.org.cn/enblog/?p=90
好了,现在倒是你“最好装作看不懂,装龟孙子就可以了”。有种把上面你我的帖全翻成英文,当然,挨操打呼噜,也不乏是个保面子的办法。哈!)--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously it's a Chinese-ruffian-style tone, accurately a north ruffian. Though it's head-to-toe rascally dirty words , we can still find some hints to dig his meaning and purposes:
1. 指责别人“对中共的刻骨仇恨” (condemning others who hate the CCP bone-deeply);
2. 给别人戴“卖身洋人,达赖和李洪志”的高帽子 (wearing others a tall paper-hat of “betraying oneself to foreigners, Dalai and Li Hongzhi”);
3. 挑衅性地断言“中共”比“达赖和李洪志活的长”( affirming defiantly that the CCP must be long-lived much more than Dalai and Li Hongzhi).
Now I try to respond his viewpoints one by one:
1. My “bone-deep hatred” toward the CCP originates from its despotism, autarchy, totalitarianism, tyranny, corruption, destruction, massacre, cheat and hoodwinking. So where is your love to the CCP from?
2. You forgot other “tall paper-hats” that should be worn on my head: I am also “betraying” myself to the heroes fighting your masters, and the countless Chinese miserable people.
3. I don't care whether Dalai and Li Hongzhi will live long, but every human being will be concerned about how long the CCP will live. Not only is a giant autocracy a terrible disaster to Chinese people, but a great danger to the rest world. Please send words to your master: If it want to last long, embark on the real democratizing reform please, instead of the violence-plus-lies. Otherwise if unfortunately a violent revolution would erupt, their fates should be expectable!
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19
conscienceinchina,
Wow! you did it, you hate boy! After a long week during which you must sleep hot on frying pan.
But where is the my favorate part, like my guess that "a corrupted CCP offical must screw you in rice field at a dark night" and my advice that "you'd better wash away the pigsty smell of your lower part"?
As to your "violent revolution" to topple CCP, I have to tell you that you are just not bright, not to mention smart. Maybe it is a good idea that you made a united front with Daliar and sect leader Li Hongzhi and rapist Harry Wu, well, how can I forget freedom fighter Chen Shuibian? Anyway it's much easier and safer than a "revolution" which you type stand no chance, just like you stand no chance with me, since the "revolution" will fail only because of you, a slow and dumb Chinese redneck who will trade the vote the very moment a free election begins.
Well, now forget your pig and chickens and have a nice weekend. Do remember to keep yourself well-oilled, I'll see you on monday, lol! -
20
so, comrade “laohong”, just got off work? Seems you five-jiaos have a good income and welfare being given the two-day weekend and increasing jiaos, no wonder you are all working harder and harder.
You really need to have a good rest and sleep then review how about your situation now. You should be an ambitious youth when you “was fighting for democracy some 30 years ago in China”, but now it's really a pity that you have come down to such a guy throwing the handle after the blade(破罐子破摔), who has allegedly aged to a pensioner but still been behaving like a hooligan. Now seems the CCP has decided to add your pension, maybe you might embark on considering if you should give up your jiao's job.
I am also waiting for your presence eagerly, dear comrade. See you sooner!
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