No. 77: Nangshan Cishou Temple, Putian, Fujian

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on October 28, 2013.)

This new hall (殿) at Nangshan Cishou Temple (囊山慈寿寺) in Putian, Fujian (福建, 莆田市), shows a very
high standard of workmanship. Note the open doorways, where the doors haven't yet been installed.

October 28, 2011 - My only full day in the city of Putian, across the straits from Taiwan, would be a busy one. I hoped to see three temples in the day; but as all were located in or near the city (none were in the far-off mountains) I was pretty sure I could do it.

Following my practice of visiting the farthest temple first, I took a taxi the 15 kilometers or so north to Cishou ("Compassionate Life") Temple. The temple was beautifully situated on a mountainside, but there was a huge amount of construction going on. I'm sure by now it's magnificent, as this was two years ago today (two-and-a-half as I edit this for the website).