Structure Type: Village temples 村廟.
Location: East Great Cloud Village, Yu County, Hebei Province 河北省蔚縣東大雲疃村. The temple to the Three Officials and Avalokiteśvara-Guanyin is located outside of the old fort, to the south-west. The Temple to the God of the Five Ways is located on a street-corner in the center of the old fort.
Period: Undated. The Temple to the Three Officials and Avalokiteśvara-Guanyin is 19th century in style; there is a stele on the courtyard but the date is not legible to me. The Temple to the God of the Five Ways seems probably early 20th century.
Artist: Unknown.
Mural Contents: The Temple to the Three Officials and Avalokiteśvara-Guanyin is one connected complex. The north-facing hall to Avalokiteśvara-Guanyin displays that deity enthroned on the north wall and the arhats 羅漢 on the two side walls. My favorite figures here are two nuns who have great personality.
The rear hall, which is slightly larger, holds a shrine to the Three Officials. Here we see the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water enthroned with a large body of attendants, including among others the Perfected Warrior 真武, Tianpeng 天篷, the Horse King 馬王, and Lord Guan 關公 (?). The side-walls show what appears to be hagiographies of the Three Officials, a relatively rare theme.
The Temple of the God of the Five Ways is located within the old village fort, at a crossroads near the center of the town. This building is now used to store fodder, and thus it’s impossible to completely see the murals. Nevertheless, what is visible shows an elaborate western-style mansion on one wall and an exorcistic procession on the other.
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