Archive for category Cultural Relics
Ghost City Fengdu
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Cultural Relics on June 23, 2009
Fengdu City
What happens to the spirit when people die? Ancient Chinese believed that when people die, their spirits will gather in the ghost city and then receive judgments there. Fengdu, known as the Ghost City to Chinese, is located in Fengdu county, Sichuan province, China. Built 1800 years ago, it was modeled after the Chinese Hell in Taoist mythology.
In hell, a sprit would go through a whole and complete administration of a government to get the final judgment. The good spirits would be rewarded and the evil would be tortured for crimes they did when they were alive. They would be punished with ample torture facilities and different punishment would be given to different crimes.
Reincarnation Bridge
the Court of Yanluo, the King of Hell
18th Storey of Hell, the Lowest Depths of Hell
the Great Emperor of Fengdu
Feitian：Flying Deva
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Cultural Relics on April 6, 2009
Feitian, which was found in Chinese ancient temples and grottos, is an imagined flying god. This kind of image from Mogao Caves (also known as the Mogao Grottoes or the Caves of A Thousand Buddhas) embodied the flourishing age of Chinese mural.
The countenance of Feitian there looked solemn and revere with pure loving smile on their face. A ribbon fluttering elegantly and beautifully, they displayed a moving scene that a group of girls were flying and dancing freely in the sky.
An artist painted these flying apsaras in his own style. The images are damn charming with the compromise of Chinese and Western styles. Let’s appreciate them together.
Ever-Burning Lamps
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Cultural Relics on April 3, 2009
Ever-burning lamp, which was considered as a part of the divine fire, was found all over the world.
In ancient China, people believed that after death, they would get brand new lives and live in another world. Therefore, ancient Chinese, especially emperors paid much attention to their tombs, namely the houses they lived in that world.The requirement for the brilliant light in the tomb caused the appearance of ever-burning lamps.
However, how did the lamp stay lit at that time? The ancient technology is still a mystery to today. Based on relevant records, one source form the oil for the lamp was extracted from a kind of fish. A drop of that special source may support the burning for several months.
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