POTD: Camouflage Commerce

Camouflage Commerce
Nanjing, China
2018

Just inside the entrance to the modern temple I was visiting, at first I thought this was just and interesting abstract sculptural piece. Then I noticed the heads behind what turned out to be the admissions desk. (Yes, they do charge admission at many of the temples in China–they are as much tourist attractions as they are places of worship. I believe I got into this one for free though cuz I’m an old fart.)

4 thoughts on “POTD: Camouflage Commerce”

  1. Well, that’s impressive design!

    I like that you got in free for being an old fart and I love that the reflection omits the human heads.

    1. While not always free, the senior discounts in China are generally more generous than in the U.S., probably averaging 50%. At least some of the European countries we’ve visited have pretty decent discounts for seniors, but they don’t apply to non-residents. I have mixed feelings about accepting senior discounts–mixed meaning I accept them but feel a bit guilty since I’m not really in need of such discounts. If it were at all workable to do so (which I don’t think it is) they should probably be needs-based somehow.

  2. Pass the Offering plate at the door! Larry, thanks for the link to the Wikopedia page. The references to the Tibetan-Muslim conflicts were new to me and instructive about the Chinese governments position on needing to permit and recognize “legal” religions. Maintaining order and tamping down conflicts between a billion people – good luck.

    1. Yeah, good luck with that is right. It seems like a daunting task and perhaps that is why China has such an intensive (and getting more so) surveillance system in place. And there is of course a fine line between maintaining order and repression. There are certainly some strong indications that with their treatment of the Uyghur people they have crossed that line.

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