The Underworld Is Very, Very Organized

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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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