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Quanzhou Empress-of-Heaven Palace

The Quanzhou Tianhou Palace is located near the southern gate of Quanzhou City in Fujian Province.

The palace was built in 1196 during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) for worshiping the sea goddessMa-Tzu. According to historical records, Ma-Tzu, originally named Lin Moniang, was born in 960 during the early Song period. A smart child, Ma-Tzu could cross the sea on foot alone. With such an
extraordinary ability, she saved a lot of fishermen from drowning. On September 9, 987 (a lunar year), Ma-Tzuascended to heaven and became immortal on the Meiyu Peak of Meizhou Island. Locals erected a temple — the ancestral temple of all otherMa-Tzu temples around the world– on the peak that
year in her honor. Legend has it that Ma-Tzu, or the Goddess of Straits, continued to protect ships at sea even after her death. Past emperors haveconferred titles of nobility onMa-Tzu, calling her the Princess of Heaven and Empress of Heaven. Chinese people at home and abroad haveerected temples
to Ma-Tzu called thePrincess-of-HeavenorEmpress-of-Heavenpalaces along the coast.

The Quanzhou Empress-of-Heaven Palace was originally a gathering place for seafarers. In 1415 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zheng He was ordered to rebuild the temple. From then on, all Ming envoys to Southeast Asian countries held sacrificial ceremonies in the temple. In 1680, having
recaptured Taiwan, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) conferred the title Empress-of-Heaven Palace on the temple. Managing to retain their former grandeur, the present temple constructions include the main hall, back hall, wing pavilions and the east corridor. The front hall is three
rooms wide and four rooms deep with a double-eaved gable and hip roof. Two Brahmanic-style stone columns stand in the back hall.

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Liaoyang White Pagoda

The Liaoyang White Pagoda sits in White Pagoda Park in Liaoyang City of Liaoning Province.

Although the exact year of its construction cannot be traced, judging from its construction style, which is similar to the pagoda of the Daguangji Temple in Jinzhou City and the Twin Towers in Beizhen, it was probably built during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).

Assuming an octagonal shape, the brick pagoda has 13 storeys and multi-layered eaves. It is 70 meters high with a double-layered base that was slightly damaged. Its body rises from the bottom to meet the top, layer by layer. Each of its eight sides has a niche carved into the wall with a sitting
Buddha statue built inside. An attendant stands on each side of the Buddha with acanopy and a flying Apsaras above. Brick-carved dougongs (wooden square blocks inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam) are built beneath the eaves on the ground floor, while wind-bells and copper mirrors
hang under the eaves on the other floors. The mast, pearl and wheel were placed on the top. The solidly constructed Liaoyang White Pagoda has survived a severe earthquake that struck Haicheng of Liaoning Province in 1975. Its design and partial carvings reflect a high artistic standard.

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Fanmin Statue and Stone Tablet

The Fanmin Statue and Stone Tablet are located in Modong Village, two kilometers south of Lushan County in Sichuan Province.

Fan Min, born in Fanjiasi of Lushan County, lived between 120 and 203 in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and served as deputy governor of Yongchang County. The statue of Fan Min, which was built in 205, later collapsed, but the left side of the statue was restored in 1958. There are two
well-preserved stone beasts standing in front of the statue, Tianlu and Bixie. The top of the statue is lined with five ridges and a carving of Hercules with both hands held up high. Under the eaves are embossments of the dragon and his nine sons; the dragon, with raised head and tail, is carrying
nine sons on his back.

Standing next to the statue is the 2.5-by-1.7-meter Fanmin Tablet. A line of seal characters is engraved at the center that reads: the Tablet of Sir Fan, Late Prefect of the Han Dynasty. An epigraph is inscribed beneath it.

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