(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on January 16, 2012.)
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| The Nantian Men (南天门), the "Gate of the Southern Heaven" on Putuoshan in Zhejiang (浙江, 普陀山), is a natural gateway made of two standing stones with one across the top. These lead into a small temple area. |
August 21, 2009 - 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. A quick shuttle to the ferry; a long, frantic cab ride across Zhoushan Island; another ferry (last of the night); and another cab took me to my friends' house in Ningbo's Beilun area, where we laid plans for tomorrow's adventure.
GPS Info:
- 29.972769, 122.386027
Map:
(This may look blank, but it works--I promise!)
GALLERY
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| Old gateways on Putuoshan Island, from the days when the old dock was being used |
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| Dynamic statue of Shancai, Guanyin's male attendant, greets arrivals from the docks |
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| Footbridge joining to the jumble of boulders where the Nantian Men is located |
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| The Nantian Men, "Gate of Southern Heaven," on Putuoshan Island |
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| Another view of the Nantian Men (postcard above) |
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| Temple and inscribed rocks after passing through the Nantian Men |
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| View of the temple and boulders near the Nantian Men, which can be seen just to the left of the gate (postcard below) |
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| Daguanpeng Temple (大觀蓬寺) is inside the Nantian Men (南天门) on Putuoshan. It's an interesting example of how a temple can be fitted into the natural landscape. |
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