Tag: photo of the day

photo of the day

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Yonghegong (雍和宫), Beijing, also known as the Lama Temple, a Lamasery of Tibetan Buddhism.

The yellow roof tiles signify the imperial status granted to the temple by the Qianlong Emperor in the 18th century. The various animals decorating the ridge also lend symbolism to the building. The man riding a chicken on the right is often associated with imperial buildings, while the three sea creatures at the left are meant to protect the wooden building from fire. The number of animals in between the sea creature and the man signify the importance of the building. This temple has five; the grandest hall in the Forbidden City has the maximum of nine animals.

photo of the day

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Decorative drums of the Drum Tower, Xi’an, Shaanxi province.

The twenty-four drums around the tower represent the twenty-four solar terms (节气 jiéqi) of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. Right now we are in 寒露 (hánlù), the cold dew, the first term after 秋分 (qiūfēn), the autumnal equinox. People in China are sensitive to the slight changes in weather that each term describes.