Lijiang Murals

Lijiang's murals are works of the Ming Dynasty,chiefly created from the Hongwu to the Wanli eras.They were originally distributed among the Juexiansi Temple and twelve others,nine of which fell to ruins.The remaining four temples have altogether 55 murals,with a total area of 139.22 sq.m.The biggest of them is in Dabaoji Palace.the figures depicted in it amount to 100,all disposed naturally and reasonably,with life-like miens expressing a variety of postures the whole gamut of emotions.The murals contained in the glazed chamber of the Dabaoji Palace are provincial cultural relic under enhanced preservation.

The murals in Dabaoji Palace are anonymous.According to the research of Lijiang's artists for many years,they might be regarded as the collective creation of the Ming painters during several hundred years,and is a crystal of are which mergres the painting style of the Naxi,Tibetan,bai and Han people.One of the distinctive features is the mixing together,in one mural,of the classic stories of Buddhism that came from Tibet(Lamaism) and the local people's own Buddhism adopted from India as well as Taoism. The paining technique is characterized by delicate and exquisite strokes containing the elements of condensation and compactness of the inland and Tibetan paining as well as the elements of boldness and dynamism of the Dongba painting and the Tibetan Lamaist painting.They are marked by strong contract of colours,vividness and truthfulness of features,plumpness of figures and elaborateness of production.

                                              Dongba Culture

The Dongba hieroglyphs,the Dongba scriptures,and the Dongba painting,music and dance compose in the aggregate the Dongba culture.The Naxi people are and ancient civilized people.As early as over one thousand years ago,it brought into being a polytheist it primitive religion called the Dongba,which created the hieroglyphs and a whole system of Dongba culture.The latter has been handed down to the present time and has become a precious cultural legacy of Chinese people.

The hieroglyphs,or the Dongba script,consists of more than 3,000 words in addition to some 700 simplified hieroglyphs.The Dongba Scriptures are a voluminous and substantial Naxi encyclopedia.The more than 20,000 volumes of  the book series contain ancient legends and tales,narrative epics,folk poem,proverbs and description of the Naxi populace's life in olden times and its relationship with other people.It is therefore a precious source material for the study of Naxi people's religion,history,social development,life customs and language.Related to Dongba primitive religion much influenced by the Bon Sect of the Tibetan Lamaism are the Dongba painting,Dongba music and dance.It is reported that a volume of dance notation called"Cuo Tang",which records the Dongba dance,is the only hieroglyphic choreography hitherto discovered in the world,and is held in high regard by the scholars of the world.

                               Lijiang Black Dragon Pool Introduction

Lijiang Black Dragon Pool was built in Qing dynasty,around three hundred years old,the local people  believe  there is black dragon live this pool,protect  local people,so called Black Dragon Pool,

The shape of Black Dragon Pool is  eight diagram(bagua),Deyue Pavilion is yang,was biult in 1963,the bridge is taiji,Yiwen Pavilion is ying,so it is good for Chinese fengshui,.

At the north end of the park there is Five Phoenix (wufeng) Pavilion,was built in 29th year of Wanli era of the Ming Dybasty(1601).it is the main building of Fuguosi Temple,with a height of 20m,and in the style of flying cornices,the threefold overlap.Since the ground floor has octagonal flying cornices,the threefold overlap make up 24 angles;so from every viewpoint the pavilion looks like five phoenixes spreading their wings for flight,hence its name.The structure is built on a noble scale,with elaborate carvings,redolent of antiquity and a strong local flavor  as well as distinctive ethnic colour.

The pavilion was originally built on a mountain far away from the town,for the convenience of visitors,it was moved to this park and constructed by the side of Deyue pavilion,to the mutual enhancement of their splendour.its reflection in the clear water of Jade dragon snow Mountain make the view all the more exquisite,In the 12th year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty(1639),the famous traveler  Xu Xiake came here on his tour and stayed for eights days i the pavilion,which he took a fortune.