Lay People Chanting The Sutras

Bishan Si, Wutai Shan

Although dressed like monks, this is a group of devotional lay people (including both men and women) who have come to the temple to chant the sutras.

The area under the eaves provides enough shade for the entire group to gather comfortably; this practical consideration is an obvious illustration, if one is needed, of why such eaves are a ubiquitous feature of Chinese architecture. Visitors (and especially photographers) to traditional Chinese temples and residential compounds will notice that the area under the eaves always seems to be in shadow, regardless of the time of day or the position of the sun.