I feel as if I missed out with Baoan Temple. I had a hard time
understanding the tour guide, making it difficult to remain focused. I
understood that it was an amalgamation of different religious beliefs with many
gods to pray for about different things. What I missed were the explanations
about rituals and symbolism behind the different paintings and decorations.
We did talk about Yin and Yang – the most prominent examples were the
crescent prayer blocks and the bamboo barred windows. It was really exciting to
see the religious elements we discussed in class actually used by the natives
and to understand how they worked.
I would like to return to some of the Taipei temples and learn more about
the architecture, layouts, decorations, and elements that are present. The
display was so intricate and eclectic – it would be interesting to compare
deeper to the other temples we visited in Beijing and will visit in Japan.
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