No. 70: Dizang Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on August 26, 2013.)

This was the first of several odd, barrel-shaped stupas (塔) I saw near Fuzhou, Fujian
(福建, 福州市). This one is at Dizang Temple (地藏寺), one of the oldest in Fujian.

October 22, 2011 - My next trip took me to the area of Fuzhou in northern Fujian Province. From the airport, I took a bus into town and a taxi straight to my first temple--even before checking in at the hotel!

Dizang Temple was named for Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva, who promised to save all six kinds of beings from their respective levels of hell. Typically for a temple dedicated to this "savior of the dead," many of the halls in this small temple functioned as a mausoleum.

No. 57 & 58: Dizang and Banruo Temples, Changchun, Jilin

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on May 27, 2013.)

The small Dizang Temple (地藏寺) in Changchun, Jilin (吉林, 长春市), was under
construction when I visited (and there wouldn't have been much to see even if
it were complete!) Anyway, this bell hanging in the driveway was attractive.

August 25, 2011 - After my brief visit to Haerbin, a southbound train took me to Changchun. The capital city of Jilin province is home to two temples on my list, one very small and one fairly large.

Little Dizang Temple, named for Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva, is so small that the staff of the hotel where I stayed just a few blocks away didn't even know of its existence.