Construction continues through Winter at the Shaxi nunnery
By the end of December, it was snowing in Northwest Yunnan, but like postal carriers, our team was undeterred by temperatures in the single digits and carried on working at the Shaxi nunnery (Pear Orchard Temple. It did significantly slow our work, particularly on slippery roofs. Water in the plaster pools froze and paint took a very long time to dry in the wet cold. While originally expecting to be finished by Christmas, we extended the completion date by a month to account for cold weather delays.
Careful with that keystone! Reassembled mud-brick spirit wall
Complete floor board tear-out in the Jade Emperor shrine
Jade Emperor roofs complete. Note restored lattice screens (how did they do that)?
First, take everything apart…
…And put it back together.
Lattice screens re-installed opposite the Jade Emperor altar
Some impressive notch work, all without nails or glue
Making local-style mortar for the spirit wall
Mud brick cache for wall repairs
Spirit wall in progress
The plaster pool, thawing out in the morning sun
Spirit wall with new roof feature
removing cement from the Sakyamuni courtyard to prepare for brick pavers
Roof work detail
Dragonfish guardians and a sculpture of the three realms atop a lotus, symbolizing the Taoist cosmology are placed atop the ridge beam of the Jade Emperor shrine
Cedar trees along the temple walkway, heavy with snow from the night before
Winter wonderland in Shaxi