Seen the same day as my visit to Jinci Hotel - cold writing hand, but no camera.
Not being an architect or carpenter it took a while to figure out why there are metal posts and frames holding things up. If the structures were built as far back as 1100AD of course the wooden posts will have rotted! The cast iron statues before the Offering Hall are not as old as the temples - but they are ingenious in how they were made to stand. Tree limbs hold the pieces together. Not sure about the one from 1913 - it must have replaced one; there are four, I believe to protect the four directions.
Drum and bell - opposite each other at an unattainable entrance. I can just imagine how quickly these would disintegrate or tarnish and lose engravings otherwise. They are still in the elements though - covered in coal dust. I wonder if they are cleaned for the New Year offerings held here.
Tiny dog sentries - just like many pet dogs found in China. These are even smaller. Rather vicious looking. Maybe made out of marble or granite; really do not appear to be granite, but then I do not know my stones. Beautifully carved. People need to stop and see.
Twisted, gnarled, striated trees. How old are they? Some appear to be a type of pine; the others perhaps shade trees. Definitely not the plane trees brought by the French. Oh for my camera! First these marvelous trees. Now, stunning, fearsome dragons wrapped around posts, daring anyone brave enough to enter. Just read that these are the only ones in existence now - 1100 years old! There are iron rings on the rafters above - must have been for lanterns. They cannot dare use real lanterns now - everything is as dry as a tinderbox - FWOOM! How can these ancient, important beauties be saved? I am awed at the sartistic ability of the early dynasties.
I had read that the carvings in the main temple are all female, but there are two in the foreground which must be male because of their hairstyles. These poor women have been neglected, are faded, forgotten, frozen, shrouded in shoulder drooping black coal dust until they too become dust. Outside...talk about a tree falling on your house! A common enough occurrence in Sooke that I could not help but notice. Fortunately these trees have fairly heavy duty supports, making them just barely skim above the ancient roofs. They look like dragons attempting to shift shape - entangled limbs, necks and bodies trapped between dragon and tree state for eternity. During a strong wind it would be amazing to encounter. Perhaps. These trees must be of some importance - two guided groups have stopped to be extolled about something to do with the trees and the main temples under their gigantic branches. (Two trees; two temples). A third tree, not a pine, has lost most of its limbs sand trunk. Perhaps the dragon trees are cypress. I was right - the trees I just mentioned are called Longevity Cypress.
My first cave! Chaoyang Cave - Face the Sun; boy, am I out of shape. Where the sun first shines every rising. These are pretty fancy caves. It would help if I were not afraid of heights. There are more caves higher up; however they appear to at another gate - so most likely more money. I do not have time to see everything even in this section of the park in one shortened daylight afternoon.
**I wrote a slightly different piece on Trip Advisor about Jinci Park. It has captured what I neglected to say here. I nearly forgot to say that the peacefulness and stillness, from the cold, nearly brought me to tears. Partially due to the cleaner air, partially the quiet, but also the spirit of the place. Not a religious spirit, more along of what had been including theatres, so a joyousness.
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