Legends Of Guanyin

Ling Yin Temple, Feilai Feng, Hangzhou

A magnificent contemporary frieze of Guanyin, created by the artists of the China Fine Arts Academy, is seen here. Guanyin rides on a dolphin. She is flanked by Jade Maiden and Golden Boy, two attendants who originally belonged to the Daoist pantheon but were later coopted into Buddhist worship. Their identities were further transformed, from Ming times onward, into a popular Confucian folk-tale of ideal love.

See: Interconnection through Time for a thoughtful essay about the often tangled connections that link Chinese Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian thought.