Locally designed and built eco-friendly toilets promote sustainability in Shaxi From the time we began work on the temple, we knew we would have to completely rebuild the temple public toilets, which were no more than a hole in the ground. The main challenges were that we would need permissions from the village to increase … [Read more…]
Begin with the end in mind – our Yunnan temple project nears completion In the home stretch, this week our Yunnn temple project began installing lighting after nearly a month of wiring the entire temple for electric for the first time in its history. Every room has multiple power points, lighting fixtures and switches, as well … [Read more…]
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 … [Read more…]
One of the largest Shaxi temples undergoes major restoration If you want to restore a crumbling Chinese temple, start with the understanding that it would be cheaper to build a new one from the ground up. This restoration project total investment is now over $100k USD and we’re far from done, though about half of the major … [Read more…]
The upper shrine of The Pear Orchard Temple is devoted to the Jade Emperor (Yu Hang Ge 玉皇阁) the Taoist deity who oversees the three realms of heaven, earth and hell. Housed in the same building below the Jade Emperor is the Sakyamuni Buddha and two arhats (saints or apostles) at his sides. In this … [Read more…]
In October, we stopped work due to heavy rains, as we still needed to replace the top most roof for the Jade Emperor shrine. In the meantime, we put in the new flooring and pavers in all other buildings and courtyards and replaced all broken window frames. We still have work to do on restoring … [Read more…]
The Pear Orchard Temple has undergone many repairs in its 300 year history, and most of them have been made by the people in Diantou Village, who look after the temple. Unfortunately, funding for repairs relies on small donations from the families of Diantou, so over the years there has been an emphasis on cost-saving … [Read more…]
We are in the final stages of restoration, refinishing wood and replacing mud wall rendering with our special sauce that replicates the original plasters. We have also taken out ad-hoc concrete and begun finishing work on doors, beams and windows.
Mr. Yang’s team is now working amazingly quickly to finish major restoration work by June 1. We then begin interior details to get ready for guests by the end of June. The interesting thing about this team is how they work with an intuitive understanding of the temple’s buildings, because they are built on the … [Read more…]
During my last visit in April to the work site, Mr. Yang, Mr. Wu and I decided to take the walls and floors of secondary buildings in the temple complex down to their original earth layer, removing all concrete and plaster. After we level and tamp the floors, we will be adding brick and stone. … [Read more…]