Xian Baxian'an 西安八仙庵

Created 13-Mar-07

Modified 13-Mar-07

11 photos

Photographs of the "Eight Immortals Abode" (Baxian'an 八仙庵), the main Daoist temple in Xian 西安, Shanxi province, China. As can be seen from these images, the site was just in the process of being "reclaimed" for Daoist practice and worship.

Photographs taken in the summer of 1985.

Kodak slides, scanned to TIFF with an Epson 4990 scanner. Images converted to lossless JPG and individually postprocessed for color and contrast adjustment.

Thomas H. Hahn
Ithaca, NY

Stone tablet with name and "status" designation on the provincial register of monuments

The entrance to the offices of the (to-be-formed) Daoist Association of Shanxi Province.

The "Eight Immortals Abode" is a site with generous dimensions

There were surprisingly many families with children still living here

Daoist monk, going about his business among the construction

Gift deposited with the abbott's office by grateful worshippers and pilgrims

A whole wall of inscribed gifts in the abbott's office, donated by grateful worshippers and pilgrims

Tent outside the premises, selling incense and brief prayer texts