Sunday, March 07, 2004
THIRD TIME LUCKY AT THE BEIJING ART MUSEUM
See photos of the Beijing Temple Art Museum grounds.
This museum, which is better known to taxi drivers as the Wanshou Si (Temple), caught our interest many months ago when we first read about it in one of our guidebooks. In its former life, it was an important Buddhist temple, supported during the Ming and Qing dynasties by the Imperial family. The first time we tried to visit, we took a taxi from the eastern bus route which takes us into BJ from Huairou. It was a long taxi ride on the Third Ring Road across the city, and cost us 30Y -- one of the more expensive fares we’ve had in our many trips around BJ. We were quite excited to finally arrive, pay the taxi and buy our admission tickets. But we were greeted by a guard who explained to Keyan that the buildings were closed for renovations. We were very disappointed but vowed to come again.
The second time we came on our own, assuming that the renovations would be finished and the buildings open for viewing. The guard had told us the museum would reopen in December. Once again we pulled up in front of the red painted walls with their official gate entrance, paid the taxi driver and walked up the steps. We should have noticed the closed double doors, but it was a cold day and we thought the doors were closed to keep out the chilly winds. Wrong! No admission, renovations still underway.
By now, we had learned two things: completion dates for renovations rarely mean anything (as true in China as anywhere) and never let the taxi go until you’ve investigated the availability of the destination reached! We also had developed this great determination to see the BJ Art Museum - a small quest of sorts in our ongoing exploration of this interesting city.
On a recent Friday, we decided to try again. And amazingly, the gate doors were open, there were people milling about, a busload of school kids had recently arrived and the Museum was open for business.
Still called the Wanshousi, The Temple of Eternal Longevity, the site is a wonderful example of the traditional Buddhist temple plan, a long rectangle enclosed by a high wall painted a deep red, topped with clay roof tiles. The major buildings march down the central axis, separated by paved courtyards planted with pines of considerable age. Additional buildings line the sides of the rectangle. Each building is the same deep red with white around doors and windows, crowned with elaborately painted bracketed eaves, clay roof tiles and decorative figures riding the roof beams. One of the central buildings, still under renovation, had been stripped of its paint, displaying the honey coloured wood beneath. In such a highly decorated environment, this building was a pleasant rest for our eyes.
Inside the hall which housed a representation of the Buddha, we approached the large sculpture through semi-darkness, soon discerning rows of arhats (teachers) which lined the side walls. Each of these figures was twice life size, and the Buddha loomed large above us. The accumulation of dust in the folds of the figures’ gowns was somehow appealing, an emphasis on the age of the temple as well as on the eternal sifting of particles of sand and soot which are a part of life here.
As we walked back through this large compound, we came to a constructed rockery of considerable size, in which nestled three small round buildings with decorative screened windows and colourful eaves. The laid up stones were designed to be three miniature mountain landscapes and to reflect the history of the buddhist preaching. The buildings are reached by stone bridges built across gullies in the rocks. Several pines had also been planted here many years ago, providing some colour and softness to the huge pile of grey rocks.
The entire compound was peacefully quiet and empty. A few guards wandered by, swinging their plastic lunch bags; a man walked his bike past us; two women carried trash bags to a storage area. A single elderly woman paused to sit on a bench while she admired the building in front of her. Obviously few others on this day were on the quest that we were!
This temple compound was used by the imperial family as a stopping place on their way to the Summer Palace, north west of here. In front of the site runs the Changhe (the Chang River) used in the past as a waterway for travel. Now this river is squeezed between two roads along its length and several overpasses carrying 6 to 8 lanes of traffic, and from our observation carried only a slight trickle of water. Empress Dowager Cixi -- remember The Last Emperor? -- especially enjoyed this temple’s precincts on her way to the Summer Palace, pausing for meals and a chance to refresh herself. During the turbulence in China at mid-20th century, this compound fell into disrepair, to the point where officials considered pulling it down. However, in the 1990’s it received government support and is now a very well kept facility.
Only recently has it also become an art museum, housing several displays of jade, ivory, porcelain, gold, paintings and calligraphy from various historical dynasties. The displays are very well arranged, the captions are in English as well as Chinese, and the examples on view are truly exquisite, although there aren’t a lot of them. Very sharp-eyed (but friendly!) attendants watched over the displays, and were quite emphatic that no pictures be taken. We especially enjoyed the porcelain pieces, ranging from the familiar blue and white glazes to the families (vert, rose etc.) to especially exquisite pieces of peacock blue and iridescent green. It was here that we encountered that bus load of students, who walked the length of the gallery in a flat two minutes, looking neither left nor right, busy chatting with their friends, and then they were gone, leaving us to agree that kids on a field trip are the same the world over!
We saved the paintings and calligraphy until the end because we are both very fond of these disciplines. But try as we could, we were unable to wish away the padlock that decorated the immense double thick wooden doors of the building housing the exhibition. We assume that the renovations are still incomplete. Are we destined to return yet again to this site?
Like many cultural sites in BJ, the BJ Art Museum is as noteworthy for the buildings and the site as it is for the contents of exhibitions kept here. It once again highlighted to us the all-pervasive influence of official Buddhism in this part of China. From the moment we passed through the portal with its 100 Fu bats on the ceiling, we were quickly transported back in time, and enjoyed the experience of wandering through this timeless temple precinct.
See photos of the Beijing Temple Art Museum grounds.
This museum, which is better known to taxi drivers as the Wanshou Si (Temple), caught our interest many months ago when we first read about it in one of our guidebooks. In its former life, it was an important Buddhist temple, supported during the Ming and Qing dynasties by the Imperial family. The first time we tried to visit, we took a taxi from the eastern bus route which takes us into BJ from Huairou. It was a long taxi ride on the Third Ring Road across the city, and cost us 30Y -- one of the more expensive fares we’ve had in our many trips around BJ. We were quite excited to finally arrive, pay the taxi and buy our admission tickets. But we were greeted by a guard who explained to Keyan that the buildings were closed for renovations. We were very disappointed but vowed to come again.
The second time we came on our own, assuming that the renovations would be finished and the buildings open for viewing. The guard had told us the museum would reopen in December. Once again we pulled up in front of the red painted walls with their official gate entrance, paid the taxi driver and walked up the steps. We should have noticed the closed double doors, but it was a cold day and we thought the doors were closed to keep out the chilly winds. Wrong! No admission, renovations still underway.
By now, we had learned two things: completion dates for renovations rarely mean anything (as true in China as anywhere) and never let the taxi go until you’ve investigated the availability of the destination reached! We also had developed this great determination to see the BJ Art Museum - a small quest of sorts in our ongoing exploration of this interesting city.
On a recent Friday, we decided to try again. And amazingly, the gate doors were open, there were people milling about, a busload of school kids had recently arrived and the Museum was open for business.
Still called the Wanshousi, The Temple of Eternal Longevity, the site is a wonderful example of the traditional Buddhist temple plan, a long rectangle enclosed by a high wall painted a deep red, topped with clay roof tiles. The major buildings march down the central axis, separated by paved courtyards planted with pines of considerable age. Additional buildings line the sides of the rectangle. Each building is the same deep red with white around doors and windows, crowned with elaborately painted bracketed eaves, clay roof tiles and decorative figures riding the roof beams. One of the central buildings, still under renovation, had been stripped of its paint, displaying the honey coloured wood beneath. In such a highly decorated environment, this building was a pleasant rest for our eyes.
Inside the hall which housed a representation of the Buddha, we approached the large sculpture through semi-darkness, soon discerning rows of arhats (teachers) which lined the side walls. Each of these figures was twice life size, and the Buddha loomed large above us. The accumulation of dust in the folds of the figures’ gowns was somehow appealing, an emphasis on the age of the temple as well as on the eternal sifting of particles of sand and soot which are a part of life here.
As we walked back through this large compound, we came to a constructed rockery of considerable size, in which nestled three small round buildings with decorative screened windows and colourful eaves. The laid up stones were designed to be three miniature mountain landscapes and to reflect the history of the buddhist preaching. The buildings are reached by stone bridges built across gullies in the rocks. Several pines had also been planted here many years ago, providing some colour and softness to the huge pile of grey rocks.
The entire compound was peacefully quiet and empty. A few guards wandered by, swinging their plastic lunch bags; a man walked his bike past us; two women carried trash bags to a storage area. A single elderly woman paused to sit on a bench while she admired the building in front of her. Obviously few others on this day were on the quest that we were!
This temple compound was used by the imperial family as a stopping place on their way to the Summer Palace, north west of here. In front of the site runs the Changhe (the Chang River) used in the past as a waterway for travel. Now this river is squeezed between two roads along its length and several overpasses carrying 6 to 8 lanes of traffic, and from our observation carried only a slight trickle of water. Empress Dowager Cixi -- remember The Last Emperor? -- especially enjoyed this temple’s precincts on her way to the Summer Palace, pausing for meals and a chance to refresh herself. During the turbulence in China at mid-20th century, this compound fell into disrepair, to the point where officials considered pulling it down. However, in the 1990’s it received government support and is now a very well kept facility.
Only recently has it also become an art museum, housing several displays of jade, ivory, porcelain, gold, paintings and calligraphy from various historical dynasties. The displays are very well arranged, the captions are in English as well as Chinese, and the examples on view are truly exquisite, although there aren’t a lot of them. Very sharp-eyed (but friendly!) attendants watched over the displays, and were quite emphatic that no pictures be taken. We especially enjoyed the porcelain pieces, ranging from the familiar blue and white glazes to the families (vert, rose etc.) to especially exquisite pieces of peacock blue and iridescent green. It was here that we encountered that bus load of students, who walked the length of the gallery in a flat two minutes, looking neither left nor right, busy chatting with their friends, and then they were gone, leaving us to agree that kids on a field trip are the same the world over!
We saved the paintings and calligraphy until the end because we are both very fond of these disciplines. But try as we could, we were unable to wish away the padlock that decorated the immense double thick wooden doors of the building housing the exhibition. We assume that the renovations are still incomplete. Are we destined to return yet again to this site?
Like many cultural sites in BJ, the BJ Art Museum is as noteworthy for the buildings and the site as it is for the contents of exhibitions kept here. It once again highlighted to us the all-pervasive influence of official Buddhism in this part of China. From the moment we passed through the portal with its 100 Fu bats on the ceiling, we were quickly transported back in time, and enjoyed the experience of wandering through this timeless temple precinct.
All text and photography © copyright Harkaway, 2003 - 2004
