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Post by chefying on Aug 27, 2014 15:31:11 GMT
In the Golden Temple in Kunming, Capital of Yunnan province, there is a section devoted to Wu SanGui. One of the rooms declared the broadsword and sword used by Wu SanGui. I did not bother taking a photo of these weapons as they were clearly (at best) reproduction or more likely the production of a vivid imagination. There was also a painting depicting Li ZiCheng, who brought about the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. Next to him is a painting of Chen YuanYuan.
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Post by chefying on Aug 27, 2014 15:37:39 GMT
Wu SanGui's payoff from the Manchurians was Yunnan. Yunnan is rich in bronze, which is used as currency in China. In effect, Wu Sangui was given his own mint. Wu SanGui went on to build the Golden Temple in 1671 (he rebelled two years later), containing the biggest bronze building in China. It is actually bigger than the one up in Wudang Shan. The Golden Temple - Jindian 金殿 is located in Singing Phoenix Hill - Mingfengshan 鸣凤山 about 8 km North of Kunming, the Capital of Yunnan Province. The Golden Temple is also called Supreme Harmony Palace - TaiHe Dian 太和殿. By the way, the Chinese word, jin 金 actually means metal, not gold. Gold is called is Huang Jin, Yellow Metal. Actually, the Golden Temple refers to the temple's North Pole Hall, which was constructed entirely of bronze. The beams and pillars, and even roof tiles and doors are made of bronze.
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Post by chefying on Aug 28, 2014 15:44:45 GMT
Outside the North Pole Hall are banners - and these are made of bronze too. The temple guide told me that recently, one rich Chinese man contributed much money to have much of the bronze in the North Pole Hall gilded with real gold. This is why it is so shiny. And the temple guide was pretty too!
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Post by chefying on Sept 1, 2014 17:24:12 GMT
Prima facie, the temple was built to worship the Taoist Deity ZhenWu 真武. However, the face of the Statue of ZhenWu was said to look remarkably like Wu SanGui himself. When Wu SanGui had the statue of the deity cast, he ensured the deity complied with the prevailing Manchurian custom of a half shaven pate. So I guess the question is whether the statue is that of Deity ZhenWu or Wu SanGui?
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Post by siuyiu on Sept 1, 2014 22:46:17 GMT
The temple guide told me that recently, one rich Chinese man contributed much money to have much of the bronze in the North Pole Hall gilded with real gold. This is why it is so shiny. *facepalm*
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Post by chefying on Sept 3, 2014 15:49:18 GMT
Back to the Golden Temple... Up on the ceiling of the North Pole Hall is the figure of a dragon chasing a pearl. Guess what? The very same figure of the dragon with the pearl can be found in the same position the throne room in the Forbidden City. Small wonder the Manchurians were wary of Wu SanGui, claiming that he has intentions of overthrowing the Manchurians and taking over China for himself. The Qing Emperor Kang Xi's claim of Wu SanGui's rebellious attempts was referred to in Jin Yong's The Deer and the Cauldron, Lu Ding Ji.
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Post by chefying on Sept 3, 2014 15:51:42 GMT
When I saw these shoes Yunnan, I thought of Yang Kang taking Mu NianCi's shoe Legend of the Condor Heroes. Some people still wear them today as a matter of course.
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Post by chefying on Sept 7, 2014 16:52:50 GMT
These buildings in Li Jiang probably date back to the wuxia period - at the very least, they brought me to the wuxia period. Who needs "Doc" Brown's modified 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 to bring me back to the future. Just don't call me "chicken." This house, sad to say, was in mourning. I believe this custom had hardly changed and so would look about the same when a death befalls a member of the Mu Family in Li Jiang (re: Jin Yong's The Deer and The Cauldron - Lu Ding Ji)
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Post by chefying on Sept 7, 2014 16:55:08 GMT
I would presume the Mu Family in Li Jiang would have consulted a shaman similar to this before they go into battle. This picture is of a Naxi prayer wheel with a (person dressed as a) shaman in the background. And finally, one last picture from Li Jiang - carting the harvest home. This sight (safe for the electric wires) is unchanged from a few hundred years ago. Well, different people, obviously.
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Post by chefying on Sept 16, 2014 6:14:58 GMT
Tian Shan Sect 天山派 was mentioned in Liang YuSheng's wuxia novel Qijian Xia Tianshan 七劍下天山. I watched the movie but I did not like it. Presumably, Tian Shan Sect came from Tian Shan, which I loosely translated as Heavenly Mountain. Here are some photos from Tian Shan. Do bear in mind that Tian Shan and KunLun Shan are both mountain ranges, not one individual mountain. Below is a picture of one of the many peaks that make up Tian Shan Range - this was taken from Tian Chi 天池, aka Heavenly Pool. Spent a night there in a yurt - it was cold! The wind can actually enter the yurt if it is not too well wrapped up. Guo Jing could not have enjoyed his nights in the Mongolian Plains when he lived with the Mongolian horde. The Heavenly Pool in the morning.
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Post by chefying on Sept 16, 2014 6:16:13 GMT
Next to this Pool was a temple supposedly build under the orders of Genghiz Khan. I think it was in the other end of the Tian Chi that one would be able to find this temple. This present temple was rebuild on the same site as the old one. I think the old one just about rotted away from neglect. On the back of the rock that says "Fu Shou Guan" is a shot description of the temple. It does mention our friend, Qiu ChuJi, on the left hand side. It said that in AD 1218, Genghiz Khan had Qui ChuJi build him this temple in this site. Qiu ChuJi was 70 years old at that time. So it would seem that Jin Yong's Qiu ChuJi was a real person. And apparently, his hatred for the Mongolians (as per Jin Yong's books) ended in his later years.
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Post by chefying on Sept 16, 2014 6:20:02 GMT
This one is my shadow and my backpack at the foot of the temple. The thought of me having to walk up to the temple with my packs made me feel like I was 70 years old. Yes, I did walk up, with load stops! Ah, to be 20 years old once again! How high was it? Well, this picture was taken when I needed to stop for a breather about a quarter of the way up. As a by the by, the air up here is thin due to the altitude, so walking up was a rather tiring affair.
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Post by chefying on Sept 20, 2014 10:40:06 GMT
While in Xinjiang, China, I checked this bee for tattoos, but there were none. Looks like Xiao Long Nv is not there.... In Xinjiang, the local's features are very un-Han like. So I would venture to guess that Ouyang Feng, the Western Evil, XiDu would have rather non-Han looks. Here is one boy with distinctively non-Asian features... and another..... The people here were laying out tomatoes to be dried in the sun. The tomatoes are sprinkled with some salt, then left out for a couple of days. I tasted some of these tomatoes, and I liked them. And for all I know, they could be the descendants from Wei Xiaobao and his Russian wife. And if so, Wei Xiaobao's wive could have taught the children martial arts, and the training had continued through the generations. And thus it is possible that they are highly skilled in martial arts!
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Post by chefying on Sept 20, 2014 10:44:49 GMT
Western Venom (Xi Du 西毒) Ouyang Feng resided in the Kun Lun 昆仑 range of mountains. As far as I am aware, there is no one single peak known as Kun Lun. To enter the Central Plains of China 中原 Ouyang Feng had to cross the Taklamakan Desert, travel through Jiayu Pass 嘉峪关 along the Hexi Corridor 河西走廊. wiki's writeup on the two places are here. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiayuguan_%28pass%29en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan_DesertWestern Venom would have seen the scenery slowly turn from rivers and lush vegetation ... ... to parched landscape.
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Post by chefying on Sept 20, 2014 10:49:20 GMT
And knowing OuYang Feng, he would have probably demanded food from families like this along his way to the Central Plains of China .... ... when he was fed up with eating food supplies such as these that he carried along his journey - na'an bread. These na'an breads are pretty dry and relatively hard. Would taste great when hungry starving.
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