Page:Ningpo to Shanghai.djvu/36

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22
Sing-chong District.

Over the second story 蹟聖生三 Sam-sing-seng-cheh. Between the second and third 樓遙逍 Seaou-yun-laou, and over the fourth 天洞勒彌 Me-leh-tong-tien, whilst within, on either side of the Image are the following—佛尊勒彌 Chuey-sing-chong-mie,—嚴莊勝最 Me-le-ching-veh, (12).

On the right of the entrance to the Monastery are two caves. One of these, an aperture some 22 feet high, 30 deep and 35 wide, is dedicated to the goddess of mercy, with whose image, attended by some two dozen others, one of them a monkey, the cave is adorned. The other cave, some 40 feet wide at the entrance, is appropriated to a representation of Che-foo-tsze, and to some comfortable apartments for priests. The name of Che-foo-tsze, the founder, some seven or eight hundred years ago, of the Chinese atheistic school, from characters said to have been written by himself, is engraved on a rock outside the cave a short distance from the Monastery, On the right of the flight of steps from the hill top is another cave about 80 feet wide, 30 deep, and 16 high. No less than one thousand images line the walls of this place, mere dolls for the most part, recessed in mud daubings around a gentleman of large proportions in the centre. The priest in attendance here is an intelligent and thrifty old man, speaking with an evident sense of self merit at having been able to build a house and purchase some 25 mow of ground out of the contributions of devotees at the shrine of which he is in charge.

The antiquarian finds much to interest him in the neighbourhood of the Monastery, and does not overlook the ruins of a pavilion and tomb close by,—a horse and dragon on the latter, though still in good relief, indicating the hand of a sculptor of