Treasures of the Sichuan Museum

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Class at the University last night went very well with a number of really good questions at the end. Post class, I made it across the river to the Shangrila Hotel to meet up with friends. I enjoyed a really wonderful grilled chiken sandwich and an Irish draft beer - Kilkenny. It wasn't a late night and I was back at the apartment by 11:20.

Today, up early and out the door. A group of us from the University were again going through the storage collection of the Sichuan Provincial Museum. It was really a lot of fun.

The art that stands out for me are the four paintings sets of Gesar Life Story (which is now published), the Panchen Lama Incarnation Set, a set of Sakya Lamdre Lineage Paintings and a set of Eighty-four Mahasiddhas in Jonang iconographic style. Only the Gesar set is complete. They of course have many more paintings. A single painting that stands out as very important is a composition of Padmasambhava and the Copper-coloured Mountain with an inscription by the 18th century scholar Katog Tsewang Norbu on the reverse side.

The museum was followed by a quiet lunch on the North side of town with my closest colleague at the University. After lunch I made my way to the Southern part of Chengdu and the comfortable teashop with great wi-fi. None of my friends were here when I arrived but soon after a single friend appeared at the door, followed soon after by several more - all unplanned. It truly is a hangout.

The day started off grey and wet but has now changed into a glorious sunny day bordering on hot. What a change from the previous few days!

I don't know how long I will be here at the teahouse. A few museum people and foriegn professors want to all go out for dinner. Friday of this week is the last day of the school year. Many people have already left to do field work or leave for summer holidays.

The other day when I posted on this site the image app was not working because of server problems, probably local, but today everything seems to be working fine. The image upload program is called Aurigma and is an iPad app.

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Photos

From the Tea House 2
The courtyards in the complex are packed with people at night. There are several small streets and three floors of businesses - all food and drink.

Bridges & Restaurants
There are dozens of restaurants and tea shops, along with night clubs. It is extremely busy at night.