
China
by
findingDulcinea Staff
China is one of the world's oldest civilizations and the most populous. Known for its landmark inventions (paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass), its ancient written language, and its geographical diversity, China may appear a behemoth country out of reach. But thanks to technology, with a few clicks we're closer than before to understanding and appreciating its culture, natural sights and manmade landmarks.
China's Temples
Today we head to World Heritage to visit some of China's temples, like the temple of Confucius in Qufu, an area south and inland of Beijing. Confucius was born and lived in Qufu; his house was turned into the current temple after he died. So many additions to the temple have been made over the years that Confucius' old home is now the second-largest historical building complex in China, after the Forbidden City.
Source: World Heritage Tour
The Temple of Heaven, situated in urban Beijing, dates back from 1420 and represents another of China's religions: Taoism.
Source: World Heritage Tour
Explore China's Buddhist temples via, BuddhaNet, which provides images and an explanation of why China's Buddhist temples are different from those in other countries.
Source: BuddhaNet
An Academic View
In addition to being places of worship, temples make for interesting architectural studies. To learn from a more academic perspective, visit the University of Hong Kong Multimedia Temple Project. You can view photographs of four different temples and look at sketches of their architectural layout and structural elements of the temple broken down into 3-D images. A cool feature is the "Rain Simulation," where you see can simulated rain fall on roofs of temples from different dynasties.
Source: The University of Hong Kong's Temple Project
A Curatorial View
If Chinese architecture interests you, you may want to check out the Web site of the Peabody Essex Museum. It's located in Massachusetts, but it hosts the Yin Yu Tang exhibit. Yin Yu Tang is a 200-year-old Chinese home that was brought over from China and reconstructed at the museum. On the museum's site, you can take a full audio/visual tour of the house and exhibit.
Source: The Peabody Essex Museum
