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| A guardian king wards off evil and protects the temple. This one guards the Yunyan Temple in Suzhou. The fierce expression is meant to terrify ghosts, not indicate anger or evil. In his crown he wears a statue of Buddha and on his chest is the Buddha eye. He carries a sword in his right hand and his left rests on his hip. He is heavily armored and the flowered strips around his head are scarves, ribbons or pennants that blow in the wind. |
http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/shang3.html
Last update: February 2007
© Marilyn Shea 1996, 1999, 2002, 2007