We began our work on Ci Yin An (慈荫庵) – Sheltered Mercy Nunnery, (the Pear Orchard Temple) in thanks for the birth of our daughter. As we planned our work, we realized that the Elders of Diantou Village had stories about the temple which were the only records of what the ancient Shaxi temple used to … [Read more…]
Shaxi temple restoration project nears completion This month, I’m so pleased to write that after nearly two and a half years, all structural work on the Sheltered Mercy Nunnery (Pear Orchard Temple) is complete. All that remains are the details of decorative painting. Some big improvements that we made in the past month were a functioning water … [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 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.