MSN's blog system sucks eggs. That's all I have to say about that.
Thankfully, Blogger is working super well!! So there!
On Wednesday, I visited the YongHe Lama Buddhist Temple. It was my first introduction to Manchu, Tibetan cultures and their long, and sometimes tenuous, relationship with the Han majority.
Definitely worth a visit, after you've done all the big stuff (Great Wall, Forbidden City etc). This place also houses one of the largest Buddha statues in the world, which I sadly, could not photograph.
A sign reads the name to one of the prayer halls in 4 different languages. Manchu, Tibetan, Mandarin and one other whose name escapes me.
Mandarin from the Hans
Tibetan
Manchu
I loved the Manchu script. It reminded me a bit of the Elvish language from LOTR. Sadly, it's a dying language that is only spoken, read, or written by Manchu scholars.
Praying for small mercies
I have no idea what I'm doing so don't ask.
Old Manchu customs are cool. I haven't personally seen them, but I was reading a part-fictional tale about the Empress Ci Xi, who was of Manchu descent. The book is titled "Empress Orchid" & the author is one An Chih Min : ) It's something I read over & over again.
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