Fahai Temple
Ming-dynasty Buddhist hall famed for gold-embossed murals painted over four years by imperial court artists.
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About this audio guide
This guide to Fahai Temple in Beijing centers on Li Tong, a Ming court eunuch with no children to carry his name forward, who by 1439 spent his fortune hiring court painters and folk artisans to cover this hall in mineral pigment and gold leaf. They spent roughly four years grinding lapis lazuli, azurite and cinnabar into pigment, then puffing powdered gold through fine mesh onto wet plaster. Guides here still sweep a cold-light flashlight low across the walls to catch the gold without damaging it.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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