EXTRA: Zhihua Temple, Beijing

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on May 13, 2013.)

Roof brackets inside one of the dilapidated halls (殿) of
Zhihua Temple (智化寺) in the alleys (胡同) of Beijing (北京)

July 15, 2011 - Because my flight out of Beijing was late in the day, I had a little extra time on my hands and decided to spend it viewing a curiosity.

Zhihua Temple lies hidden in the famous hutongs (alleyways) of Beijing, in the eastern-lying Dongcheng District area of the city. There are several unique attributes of this Ming-period temple, the most notable of which is that has been blatantly sacked by collectors. The central panels of the decorated ceiling in one hall were sold by the monks to the Nelson Museum of Kansas City, Kansas, back in the 1930s; and a number of the main statues are missing.