Ep. 119: The South Gate of Heaven
Ep. 119: The South Gate of Heaven
Putuoshan's Nantianmen
When I had arrived on Putuoshan Island two days earlier, I had been rushing to my hotel, and hadn't had time to explore the area around the docks. So on my last afternoon, I went back to see what I had missed.
Near the docks are several grand gateways, and some wonderful statuary. My favorite was the statue of Shancai (Sanskrit: Sudhana), the male attendant to Guanyin. He is in a dynamic posture reminiscent of kung fu.
Passing this and the others, I reached a small walkway with a bridge linking the main island to a much smaller one, merely a pile of boulders, really. Three of these boulders are positioned like the standing stones at Stonehenge--two upright, and one across the top--but on a much smaller scale, the opening between them being about one meter.
This is the famous Nantian Men, "Gate of the Southern Heaven," and it leads into the fore-courtyard of a very small temple, Daguanpeng Si (the guan in the center is the same as in Guanyin).
While the temple itself was charming, the real attraction is the dramatic way man-made construction is adapted to nature. Also, the rocks are covered with inscriptions, another interesting juxtaposition of nature and art.
After watching the sunset over the mainland, I returned to my nearby hotel to fetch my bags.
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Until next time, may you and your loved ones and all sentient beings be well and happy.
Adios, Amigos!
GET MORE:
Find this and all past issues of the Newsletter online at Substack.
There are a few more pictures of this visit at the end of the article on Fayu Temple.
The Shenzhen Daily article at the core of this Episode.
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