Wutai Shan is the abode of the bodhisattva Manjushri, who brandishes the sword of wisdom (at least in Tibetan images of him). At Wutai Shan, I was surprised to discover another, wholly different image of Manjushri, in which he appears more like a Taoist immortal with an imperial pose and grand beard. We saw both styles of iconography there. A Curious Mix Indeed, Wutai Shan contains a curious mix of Tibetan and Chinese architecture, ritual forms, and images. Though the temples are for the most part Chinese, one can see Tibetan chorten dotting the landscape, statues of Tsongkhapa (founder of the Geluk sect) displayed inside temples, and prayer flags hanging in the breeze. Some temples feature the Chinese form of Avalokitesvara—the benevolent female figure of Guanyin—while others displayed the Tibetan form of Chenrezi with 11 heads
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