Our rule of thumb has always been to take no photographs within a temple. Our understanding is that taking pictures of Buddhas or other holy images is definitely forbidden. It's less clear to us whether taking pictures of architectural details within the temple is likewise forbidden. If so, with this photo, we may have doomed ourselves to be reincarnated as rats. Deb and I were on a mezanine level, with the monks chanting below us, when we both took pictures of these fabric, lantern-like hangings.

This is a picture we definitely shouldn't have taken. (Once again, we both took photos, so Deb and I may be reunited in the next life as maggots.) But there were no monks at all at this shrine, and we could not resist making a record of these dyed yak butter sculptures. The round, flower-like images are all constructed out of small pieces of butter, used like clay, and assembled like a mosaic. I don't think it ever gets warm enough here for the butter to melt.

OK, no more transgressions, this picture it completely legit. The town of Xiangcheng, where we found this, is itself sometimes closed to foreigners, but not this monastery, which is still under construction. Because there were no monks living here, we were free to travel to all parts of the building. One of the workers spoke slow, clear Mandarin, so thanks to Deb, we were able to ask lots of questions. We learned for example, that the work had been going on for 7 years, with the last 5 devoted to painting. They expect to be finished in another year or two, and all of the work is done without pay. I felt like I was watching the construction of a medieval cathedral.

That's all there is, until our next trip to China. Click here to go back to the home page