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China: "Wutai Dreams, Shanxi" Jay Dunn 28 images Created 12 Apr 2008

China, Shanxi, 2002. Wutai Shan, or "Five-Terrace Mountain," as it is known, is one of China's four major monastic communities. Spared destruction during the Cultural Revolution, in part due to its remote Shanxi location, modern-day Wutai Shan is still a wonder of religious history, home to a national treasure of more than forty Buddhist temples set among some of North China's most rugged alpine scenery.

At 3,000 meters, Yeduo Feng reigns over the valley. Northernmost of the five peaks ringing the village of Taihuai, it is often snow-capped far into the summer. For the most devout of Tibetan and Mongolian pilgrims, every one of Wutai Shan's temples is a spiritual destination - for the tourist and traveler, who often come only in the warmth of high season, a poignant reminder that in today's hectic cities the spiritual world can sometimes feel far, far away.

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Humanitarian Issues & Cultural Tradition Worldwide
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Undaunted by the freezing temperatures, a woman takes her time reciting prayers in the main courtyard of Wutai Shan's TayuanTemple.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Nanshan Temple, in the foreground, straddles a ridge of Yangbai Mountain, one of the valley's most beautiful locations. In the background due south is one of Wutai's Five Peaks.
    China.02.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Hundreds of monks from all over China line up to pay their respects. Some will receive new robes and meet old friends at Tayuan Temple's annual lunar calendar celebration in April.
    China.03.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. A detail of the Tibetan script and elaborate painting that ornaments the pagoda at Longquan Temple south of Taihuai town.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. An elaborate Buddhist ritual designed to promote meditative powers. Novices and monks alike walk a precisely outlined rectangle.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. A tiny decorative bell graces this peeling column along a walkway of Xiantong Temple, a vast Wutai monastery with over four hundred rooms.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. One of the valley's entrepreneurial residents welcomed visitors to town, acting as a liaison and guide to the numerous sights of Wutai Shan.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Framed by the Tibetan-style pagoda of Tayuan Temple, women prepare to receive new robes, symbol of spring before winter's chill has left the valley.
    China.08.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Ablaze with strong winter sunlight, a golden dragon atop Xiantong Temple's roof seems to roar its warning to intruders.
    China.09.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Female monks maintain a steady rhythm as they walk and chant together. Buddhist practitioners are welcomed into this community.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Some of Buddha's many incarnations line this lavishly decorated pagoda outside Zhenhai Temple, far above the twisting mountain roads below.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. A monk takes in the February sun. Wutai is at a significant altitude, which makes it frequently inaccessible and subject to unpredictable weather.
    China.12.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. A palaquin fit for royalty awaits customers at the bottom of Pusa Ding Temple's 108 stone stairs. Emperors Qianlong and Kangxi once stayed in this magnificent temple in the center of Wutai Shan.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. In Wutai Shan, isolation can also mean poverty, in the case of this lonely temple far from the summer crowds, who fund better known places with ticket sales and contributions.
    China.14.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Over 50 meters high, the Tibetan-style pagoda of Tayuan Temple is the symbol of the valley. On a windy day, the 250 bells atop this Ming-dynasty structure can be heard from far away.
    China.15.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Consumed by flames, offerings from Buddhist visitors on a holy day fill the winter air in front of Tayuan Temple, centrally located in Taihuai town.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Suspended as if in the air, a pair of pilgrims shut out the world and concentrate on their thoughts in the main courtyard of Tayuan Temple.
    China.17.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Multi-colored silk scarves, given as a mark of respect, adorn an ancient pine tree outside the main gate of Zhenhai Temple.
    China.18.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Initiates to an order of female Buddhists stand immobile in the sun, their red cheeks testament to the freezing temperatures of March.
    China.19.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Spring blesses a stone and mortar house on the outskirts of Taihuai town, the center of the valley and of the Wutai Shan community.
    China.20.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Taihuai town, around which Wutai Shan's many temples are built, is too big to be a village, and too small to shed its country roots.
    China.21.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Young boys of varying ages practice their concentration outside in the warmth of midday. Wutai's many Buddhist orders attract devotees of all types.
    China.22.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. The full glory of spring hits the cherry trees planted years ago in the main courtyard of Tayuan Temple, one of Wutai's most influential.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Serious thoughts seem to single out this Buddhist novice. Each year there are new nitiates to Wutai Shan's many orders.
    China.24.JDUNN.dreams.jpg
  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Taihuai, in the center of Wutai Shan, balances traditional farm practices with a dedicated local industry. Somewhere in the valley, there is always temple construction or maintenance to be done.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Discussing matters fine, two monks share the quiet of a country road to have a heart to heart talk.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Otherwordly in their ceremonial robes, an order of monks on their way to a festival crosses a creek under nominal guard by PLA soldiers.
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  • China, Wutai Shan, 2008. Every day since he arrived in Wutai Shan, this monk has prostrated himself before each of the hundreds of steps to the top of Dailuo Ding Temple.
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