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Photographer’s Note

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In southeast Beijing, they built an altar to offer sacrifices to heaven, named Temple of Heaven, completed in 1420. This temple is famous as "no nails or pegs" used in the original construction nor in the restoration after the lightning hit in 1889. I don’t know why China has another altar on Mt. Qingxiu — 5 kilometers away from the southeast of the city of Nanning, as in the picture I share with you today. Since ancient times, Qingxiu Shan (Blue Mountain Scenic Area) has been a famous summer resort and tourist attraction in the south of Yongjiang River.

I am sorry that I don’t have enough documents to confirm if they used this altar on the winter solstice and in the first month of the lunar calendar to worship, offer sacrifices to heaven, and to pray for good harvests — as in the Temple of Heaven.

Also, I am in the medical field, so all I was told about this site is about ying and yan, the five elements, hexagrams and the eight possible trigrams (bát quái) as in following:

||| Force (qián) = heaven
::: Field (kun) = earth
|:: Shake (zhèn) = thunder
:|: Gorge (kan) = water
::| Bound (gèn) = mountain
:|| Ground (xùn) = wind
|:| Radiance (lí) = fire
||: Open (duì) = swamp
The first three lines, the lower trigram, are seen as the inner aspect of the change that is occurring. The upper trigram, the last three lines, are the outer aspect. The change described is thus the dynamic of the inner (personal) aspect relating to the outer (external) situation. Thus, hexagram 04 :|:::| Enveloping, is composed of the inner trigram :|: Gorge, relating to the outer trigram ::| Bound.

- For more info, please refer to the following links:

Yin and Yang
The 5 elements
Chinese fortune calendar
More about Yin and yang
Chinese philosophers
Hai khí Âm Dương
Bát Quái

- For additional detail, please use this book:

The Book of Changes : Zhouyi A Bronze Age Document

Reading the above, I got lost than gain understanding. If you have a simplified info for me to learn, I sincerely appreciate it.

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pbernardon, ngythanh, joseelias has marked this note useful

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Additional Photos by Huy V Tran (huynt) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 854 W: 15 N: 973] (5077)
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