Layout of LungShan Temple  

(11MB)

(Layout of LungShan Temple)

Before a temple is ever built, a lot of preparatory work must be done. A fengshui expert must check the lay of the land and determine the proper orientation of the structure. The Chinese pantheon, furthermore, has a set hierarchy that any modern-day civil service functionary would find quite familiar. What is more, and the size of the temple as well as the number of its doors depends on the “rank” of the god to whom the temple is dedicated.

Lungshan Temple has three pavilions: the front hall, the main hall, and the rear hall. The main hall stands by itself in the center of the courtyard, which is enclosed on the left and right by a row of buildings on either side. This layout is common to Buddhist and Confucius temples of all sizes.

Lungshan Temple is dedicated to Guanyin, a boddhisatva who ranks very high in the Buddhist pantheon. According to an ancient Chinese tradition, temples dedicated to Guanyin can be oriented on a perfect north-south axis, with the front gate pointing to the south, but Lungshan Temple has been rotated about two degrees off true north as a sign of humility.

We Chinese care a lot about the fengshui implications of a structure’s orientation, especially when it comes to buildings.  For example, our geography textbook says that a building with the front door pointing south is well protected from the cold northwest wind during winter. It is warm in winter, cool in summer, and you also get a lot of good natural light. According to Chinese tradition, each of the four cardinal directions is represented by a different beast. East is a green dragon, west a white tiger, south a red phoenix, and north a creature that is half-tortoise and half-snake. A tortoise stays low to the ground, and is thus a symbol of stability. When our ancestors turned to agriculture thousands of years ago, they started living in fixed settlements. Because they didn’t move around very often, they needed solid homes. When a building has its back to the north, we say in Chinese that it is “sitting on the north,” and since the symbol of the north is the ultra-stable tortoise-snake, “sitting on the north” is thought to be a very good thing. Meanwhile, when the front entrance faces  south, it is facing in the direction of the phoenix, whose red color is for the Chinese a symbol of good fortune and happiness. When you open your door to the south, you’re opening it up for good fortune to come in.

What is the orientation of your home? Does the front door face south?