According to inscribed marble tablets found during restoration, the history of the original Shaxi Pear Orchard Temple dates back over 400 years. Since that period the temple has survived earthquakes, fires and the destruction of the “Smash the Four Olds” of the Cultural Revolution. It has been rebuilt numerous times, most recently in 2012 as … [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…]
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…]
Reconstructing a centuries old folk temple requires a local expertise that few in China have. We are lucky to have a great team of local Bai builders who have years of experience building local rammed earth houses and gabled roofs, which serve as the fundamental vernacular styles of the Pear Orchard Temple. The team began … [Read more…]
In late March we received a delegation of Provincial and Country Tourism leaders to review our progress and learn about our upcoming projects in Shaxi Valley.
After extensive consultations with county, town and village leaders, this February we have received official approval to begin renovations on the Pear Orchard (Ci Yin An) temple. When completed at the end of 2014, the temple will include a visitor’s center, vegetarian restaurant meditatiin rooms, classroom and activity space and a tea garden. Ginkgo project … [Read more…]
In this photo is Mayor Zhang on the left facing me, with a village leader and other township officials in the doorway of the main hall. Note the notices posted everywhere and the skerret (a popular local tuber) drying on the terrace. When I first visited the temple, this area was occupied by old men … [Read more…]
Now that we have submitted out proposal to the Heritage Bureau, we needed to take the officials on a tour to explain where we want to make changes, and there are a lot. We’re upgrading electric, adding windows, skylights and removing cheaply constructed recent additions and adding a public toilet. The response from Jianchuan Heritage … [Read more…]