No. 113: Kaifu Temple, Changsha, Hunan

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on November 17, 2014.)

Another form of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, this Thousand-Armed Guanyin
(千手观音) is at Kaifu Temple (开福寺), Changsha, Hunan (湖南. 长沙市).

August 12, 2012 - Having moved my base to Changsha, I visited Kaifu Temple, formerly the site of a king's palace. Ma Yin declared himself King of Chu far back in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which followed the glorious Tang Dynasty.

No. 121: Guanyin Cave, Wutai Shan, Shanxi

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on February 16, 2015.)

This small Guanyin Cave (观音洞) is on the side of a mountain on Wutai Shan, Shanxi (山西, 五台山).

August 25, 2012 - The driver who brought me back from Jinge Temple dropped me directly in front of my next destination, a temple named Guanyin Cave, on a road that was torn up for the repair of its drainage. Though summer is high tourist season, it's also the time to make repairs in areas heavily snowed-in in winter.

No. 132: Chongshan Temple, Taiyuan, Shanxi

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on May 18, 2015.)

Thousand-Armed Guanyin (千手观音), Chongshan Temple (崇善寺), Taiyuan, Shanxi (山西, 太原市)

August 31, 2012 - Chongshan ("Esteeming Virtue") Temple is squeezed into the alleyways east of the river and not far from the railway station in Taiyuan, capital city of Shanxi Province. It is just north of the city's well-preserved Confucian Temple, and the pleasant streets around hold plenty of surprises. My visit was during the huge Ghost Festival ceremonies, so the narrow lane in front of the gate was crowded with vendors and beggars.

No. 87: Kaiyuan Temple, Chaozhou, Guangdong

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on February 10, 2014.)

This Thousand-Armed Guanyin (千手观音) at Kaiyuan Temple (开元寺), Chaozhou,
Guangdong (广东, 潮州市), is the centerpiece of a hall filled with Guanyin (观音) images.

January 22, 2012 - From Shantou, on the very cold day before Chinese New Year I took a day trip up to beautiful Chaozhou to visit the largest Buddhist temple in the city. Kaiyuan Temple was built in the Tang Dynasty in 738 C.E. Although sources say that most of the current buildings date back 200 years or so, there was construction going on when I was there, and I suspect that soon most of the buildings will be brand new.

No. 75: Yongquan Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on October 14, 2013.)

This Guanyin (观音) stands behind the Abbot's (方丈) Reception
Room at Yongquan Temple (涌泉寺), Fuzhou, Fujian (福建, 福州市).

October 26, 2011 - My friend the monk, Venerable Deru, came from a family that had made its living picking tea. His brother was still in the tea business in Fuzhou. So the day after our tour of Fu'an, I met Deru's brother Chen Hui at "Haixi Tea City," a tea sales area in Fuzhou, and we took a bus to Gushan ("Drum Mountain"), site of Yongquan ("Gushing Spring") Temple.

No. 72: Linyang Temple, Fuzhou, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on September 9, 2013.)

One of many statues showing the forms of Guanyin (观音) in a rear
hall at Linyang Temple (林阳寺), Fuzhou, Fujian (福建, 福州市).

October 24, 2011 - Once again, reaching a mountain temple--this one named Linyang Temple--was a challenge, perhaps the greatest I had faced on my pilgrimage so far. My friend at the front desk of my hotel saved the day again!

No. 68: Gaoming Temple and Zhizhe Tayuan, Tiantai Shan, Zhejiang

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on August 12, 2013.)

This stunning figure of Guanyin is carved into native rock on a bluff overlooking
a valley to the east of Gaoming Temple, Tiantai Shan, Zhejiang (浙江, 天台山).

September 15, 2011 - In another expensive taxi, Mr. Deep and I took the long way around to Gaoming ("High Bright") Temple, as a road closure had eliminated the usual direct bus route.

No. 13: Yufo Temple, Shanghai

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on March 19, 2012.)

The Yufo Temple (玉佛寺) in Shanghai (上海) is famous for the Jade Buddha after which it was
named, but there are several more jade figures there, including this one of Guanyin (观音).

August 26, 2009 - On my last day in Shanghai (and the last day of my first, nine-day pilgrimage) I went from Jing'an Temple up to nearby Yufo Si (Jade Buddha Temple), wherein reside several magnificent (you guessed it) jade Buddhas.

No. 9: Chenxiangge, Shanghai

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on February 20, 2012.)

The last hall (殿) at Chenxiangge (沉香阁) in Shanghai
(上海) has a statue of Guanyin (观音) made of an aromatic
wood called agarwood--"chenxiang" (沉香) in Chinese.

August 25, 2009 - After visiting Ningbo's Qita Temple, I spent a full day traveling to Shanghai. Then, the next morning, I visited one of the prettiest little temples I've seen, the Chenxiang Ge.

EXTRA: Nanhai Guanyin Area, Putuoshan, Zhejiang

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on December 19, 2011.)

This giant statue of Nanhai ("South Seas") Guanyin (南海观音) is
20 meters high on a 13-meter base--a total of 33 meters, a number
sacred to Guanyin. The statue dominates the southeast area of
Putuoshan in Zhejiang (浙江, 普陀山).

August 20, 2009 - The day after my return from Hangzhou, I went to Mt. Putuo, one of the "Four Buddhist Mountains" of China. (The others are Mt. Emei in Sichuan, Mt. Wutai in Shanxi, and Mt. Jiuhua in Anhui. I haven't been to any of these yet!) [Note in March of 2014: only Emei Shan remains!]