Note: These are paintings produced in the last fifty years by an artist who is presumably still alive. I do not have copyright in any way over this artist’s work. I’m reproducing them here because (a) these images are of ethnographic interest, (b) I’d hope that shining more light on contemporary mural and scroll painters will ultimately be good for their trade, and (c) frankly, these people seem unlikely to sue me. To that last point: It’s possible to commission murals and scrolls relatively easily in northern Shaanxi. If you’re interested, email me and I’d be happy to give you the contact information of several painters we met.

Structure Type: Village Temple 村廟.

Location: Xiang Family Rise Village, Shenmu County, Shaanxi Province 陝西省神木縣項家塔村. The two temples are located away from any houses, on a little rise at the mouth of a small valley.

Period: Undated, 1990s or early 2000s. A pre-Revolution stele outside gives notice of the repair of the temple in the sexagenary year ding si 丁巳, probably 1917 or 1857.

Artist: Unknown.

Mural Contents: There are two temples. The lower one is devoted to the Horse King 馬王, and shows him processing out and back above the herds. The upper one is devoted to the Dragon Kings 龍王, and show them riding out with the Gods of the Five Ways 五道神 to dispense rain and capture the evil Willow-Tree Spirits 柳樹精 and Fox Spirits 狐狸精. Both the upper and the lower temples have little shrine-boxes devoted to the God of the Earth 土地神 and the God of the Hills 山神.

Other Notes: I put this up as an example of one of the thousands of little shrines like this that dot northern Shaanxi province. Although these murals are ugly, the basics of the pre-Revolution themes and styles have survived here.

Full Gallery