Temple Preserves Precious Pictures
Deities Parade Across Dazzling Ancient Frescoes

Avalokitesvara (pinyin) or Guanyin (sanskrit) with moon in water.

Words: Andy McEwen & Li Mingxia

Hidden in a remote hill in the western suburbs of Beijing is a temple of fading Buddhist beauty and precious cultural importance that has somehow survived the ravages of revolution and other popular acts of vandalism in Chinese history.

Today at Fahai, there are no longer the enshrined statues of Ka'syapa, Sakyamuni and Maitreya, Mahakala and Litong, a eunuch of the Ming Dynasty. All were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

The replacements are all modern replicas. But amazing murals in the hall were bravely hidden and preserved. The four frescoes of dazzling invention and sadly, fading glory, were completed in 1443 by 15 imperial court painters including Zhang Ping, Wang Yi, Gu Xing, Li Yuan and Xu Fu.

To an amateur viewer, it seems striking how the detailed brushwork in some ways echoes similar moves towards realism and color in Renaissance Europe. There are unusual elements of a three-dimensional perspective.

Although in desperate need of restoration and without a useful word of English language explanation, the frescoes still represent a remarkable find and merit a visit armed with a torch and as much background information as possible. Here's a few pointers we hope might make a visit more worthwhile.

Most Buddhist deities do not come in convenient gender packages or easy-to-translate names. Entrance fee is 10 yuan for Chinese and 20 yuan for foreigners. Beijing This Month has complained.

How to get there?

Taxis wait outside the Pinguoyuan subway station. Ask to go to "Fahaisi". The fare is 10 yuan. You probably won't find a ride back from the temple. It's about a 15-minute walk back downhill to the main road afterwards.

Avalokitesvara (pinyin) or Guanyin with moon in water

If Buddha is the boss, then this deity, Guanyin (pinyin) or Avalokitesvara (sanskrit), could be described as one of the more hands-on managers of our realm. According to the Chinese mythology, Guanyin was previously a man, but adopted the feminine form to make it easier to convert women. It is said he/she can hear prayers of ordinary pious folk.

One of 33 styles of Avalokitesvara, all are related to water and the moon. The "moon in water" imagery refers to the illusory material world, meaning all worldly phenomena are unreal.

The Guanyin picture of this temple is behind the three Buddha statues in the main hall. It faces north, 4.5 meters high and 4.5 meters wide. Guanyin has a crown, and there is a small Amituofuo (pinyin), Amitabha (sanskrit) --a Buddha --statue on the crown, meaning Guanyin is both Amitabha's attendant and successor.

Details:
1). White gauze clothing: Guanyin wears white gauze, symbolizing purity. The cloth is very delicate, and the small six-petal flowers in the clothes are made up of about 48 silk threads.

2). Jin Sun (pinyin) or sometimes Suan Ni (pinyin). This golden legendary animal is Guanyin's preferred mode of transport. Jin Sun looks like a dog. It is especially fierce and eats people. When it fights against a dragon, fire shoots out of its mouth. It is inadvisable to get too close to this picture.

3). Shancai Tongzi (pinyin) Sudhana-sresthi-daraka (sanskrit)
To the lower right of Guanyin is assistant Shancai Tongzi. The name means child of jewelry, so named as jewelry accompanied it at birth.

4). Weituo, the Guardian god of the temple is said also to guard Guanyin. It has a strong body and looks mighty and brave. The childish face conveys the fact that it still has the pure heart of a child.

5). Parrots are popular in Buddhist scripture and there are many writings about them. For example, Amituofuo once changed itself into a parrot to aid in converting people. Another old story tells how after a forest caught fire, the parrot was so concerned it carried water to try and put out the flames. The ruler of heaven was so moved upon seeing the parrot's act, that he sent rain to put out the fire.

Bei Fang Duo Wen Tian Wang (pinyin) or Vaisramna (Sanskrit) or the North:
One of the four Tian Wang, it lives at Shuijingchui (legendary god realm) in the north. In Indian myth, it is the guardian of all wealth. When Buddhism was founded, Vaisramna was regarded as the guardian of the north.

Nan Fang Zeng Zhang Tian Wang (pinyin) or Virudhaka (Sanskrit) of the south:
One of the four Devarajas (sanskrit) or Tian Wang (pinyin) --heavenly gods --who lived at the bottom of the six levels of heaven and closest to human beings, according to Buddhism.

These fierce-looking fellows are the first four status you tend to see upon entering any temple.

It is said that the center of the world is a Xumi mountain. Halfway up Xumi is another mountain Jiantuoluo, with four peaks pointing four directions. They are guarded by four heavenly gods, each with 91 sons and eight generals.

Zeng Zhang Tian Wang (Virudhaka) leads the ugly, hungry ghosts guarding the south. It can make people kind and guard Buddhism.

The sword in its hand can cut through troubles and evils, and lead the way to kindness.