Lu Dongbin has his sword to slay evil. Tian Hou altars appear in many Daoist temples. But as you say, Mazu was a real person in that area so especially beloved there. The "eight immortals crossing the sea" happened at Penglai - you should go to Penglai, up in Shandong!! The colour on the dragons and the eaves in one of those photos is amazing!! Beautiful old pictures at the end of the article, by the way. Oh, and the photo of the view of temple and city wall - I overheard it. :) Very cute typo there :)
You would LOVE Penglai. I'm sure its easier to get to now - it was quite a trek when I went, a long rural bustrip through the wilds of northern Shandong. The people there were so refreshingly lovely. When i asked someone did they literally believe in the story of the eight immortals crossing the sea they looked at me like i was rather odd and said "of course, Lu Dongbin is our ancestor." Ancestor Lu lived in Penglai Ge.
That’s how this project has gone, I started with the Daodejing, find Confucius, HanFei, started travel writing, HongYi, it keeps going and I’m quite happy with that. ☺️🙏
Really, that's so interesting! I know of temples in Taiwan, Mazu is probably the biggest there, and there is also a temple in Tianjin, because it is a coastal city. I visited and will write about that in a few months. You will love Fujian, and Quanzhou is a perfect place to start.
I love the boat of Immortals. Of course, the romantic poet had a sword, looking for lovely places to sheath it, perhaps, or maybe just a sharp wit. A fun read, Paul.
Absolutely in love with the detailing! This is the beauty of Asian temples, no corner, no stone is left bland....details are an important part.
We could really see people invested in their beliefs in this person/saint. 🙏
Lu Dongbin has his sword to slay evil. Tian Hou altars appear in many Daoist temples. But as you say, Mazu was a real person in that area so especially beloved there. The "eight immortals crossing the sea" happened at Penglai - you should go to Penglai, up in Shandong!! The colour on the dragons and the eaves in one of those photos is amazing!! Beautiful old pictures at the end of the article, by the way. Oh, and the photo of the view of temple and city wall - I overheard it. :) Very cute typo there :)
A typo?😮 unintentionally cute 🙂↔️
yeah i think you had "overheard" rather than "overhead" :). I rather like the concept of an 'overheard' view :)
Wonderful, Thank You for the tip! Penglai is on my list now. We have a lot to talk about! 😉🙏
You would LOVE Penglai. I'm sure its easier to get to now - it was quite a trek when I went, a long rural bustrip through the wilds of northern Shandong. The people there were so refreshingly lovely. When i asked someone did they literally believe in the story of the eight immortals crossing the sea they looked at me like i was rather odd and said "of course, Lu Dongbin is our ancestor." Ancestor Lu lived in Penglai Ge.
That’s how this project has gone, I started with the Daodejing, find Confucius, HanFei, started travel writing, HongYi, it keeps going and I’m quite happy with that. ☺️🙏
Fascinating! Growing up, I have always heard my grandparents talked about and prayed to mazu. Really hope I can visit Fujian and Quanzhou someday.
Really, that's so interesting! I know of temples in Taiwan, Mazu is probably the biggest there, and there is also a temple in Tianjin, because it is a coastal city. I visited and will write about that in a few months. You will love Fujian, and Quanzhou is a perfect place to start.
I love the boat of Immortals. Of course, the romantic poet had a sword, looking for lovely places to sheath it, perhaps, or maybe just a sharp wit. A fun read, Paul.
It is fun, what a diverse group of heroes to launch a franchise. Yes, the sword is really subtle. 😂
Thank you! 🙏