Buddhism & Chinese Folk Art

I forgot to mention that yesterday we had our appointment at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou.  It was THE big appointment that our whole trip was scheduled around.  I spent quite a bit of time the day before preparing paperwork to meet the stringent requirements of our government so that Natalie will be allowed to enter the U.S. It will also allow her to automatically become a U.S. citizen upon our arrival in Chicago. Thankfully, our CCAI guides did a very thorough job of walking us through the paperwork and double checked to make sure everything was correct. We made it through our appointment with no problems.  This afternoon we will receive Natalie's Visa from the Consulate.  Tomorrow we leave Guangzhou and will take a train to Hong Kong where we will spend one night before flying home.

Our first stop during our tour today was the Liurong Buddhist Temple, home of the Six Banyan Pagoda.




A modern monk texting on his cell phone


The three Buddha statues each have their hands arranged differently.  From left to right they represent the Past, the Present, and the Future.




Mama and Baby under the Bodhi Tree




Stone carving on the temple wall


Next stop was the Guangdong Folk Arts Museum which is housed in the Chen's Ancestral Hall. The Chen's Hall is the most elaborately decorated building that I have ever seen.
















Notice the hold Natalie has on Gary's finger :)




The embroidery is exquisitely detailed and looks like it was painted




When you examine it up close you can see the individual threads which comprise these amazing works of art.


Guangdong Province is the second most famous province for porcelain.  The most famous is Natalie's Province of Jiangxi.


Bonsai tree