Yufeng Temple
Qing-era lamasery courtyard shading a five-hundred-year-old camellia grafted from two entwined trees.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Yufeng Temple near Lijiang centers on Nadu Lama, a Naxi monk who spent his final years guarding not scripture or statue but a single ancient camellia tree in the temple courtyard. It traces the lamasery's decline from nine linked courtyards under the Qing Kangxi emperor to the gate tower, one hall and two courtyards left standing after a brutal mid-twentieth-century era for religious sites across Yunnan. You'll hear how the tree already predated the temple by roughly two centuries, and the Naxi belief that its blossoms can talk grieving young lovers out of despair. Look closely at its canopy and see if you can tell it's actually more than one tree grown together.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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