Structure Type: Village Temple 村廟.
Location: Hemp Earth Slope Village, Shenmu County, Shaanxi Province 陝西省神木縣麻地塄. The temple complex is on a little rise outside the village, faced by an opera stage.
Period: According to a plaque in the temple, the site was originally built in the early 20th century, but was repaired and repainted in 1993.
Artist: Tian Huren 田虎仁 and Tian Huping 田虎平. Next to them are listed the characters Jin Di 金地; this doesn’t seem like a name to me but I’m not sure what else it might be.
Mural Contents: The lower temple is devoted to something called the Water-Gaze Boddhisattva 水觀菩薩, which seems to basically be Avalokiteśvara-Guanyin 觀音 in another name.
Next to her is the Black Dragon King 黑龍王, a common deity in Shaanbei, although rare elsewhere.
Finally, the upper shrine is devoted to Lord Guan.
Other Notes: I’ve mostly put this up since it’s a very typical post-Maoist Shaanbei cave-shrine.
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