(5) China Trip 2007: hometown religions (5) 二○○七年中国行：家乡的宗教

The predominent religion in my hometown is Buddhism. So, except for the last two picture below, all pictures show temples of different kinds, in different places that I happened to be. For a very long time, people were not free to worship. Temples were confiscated and festivals and celebrations were not openly allowed. Now there is a new rivival, with old temples restored and renovated, and new ones being added. A freer society is a better society.

Taiwan, Hongkong, and Mainland China, 2007

Hometown visits: Longhai and Zhangzhou

Hometown Buddhism | Hometown Church

我的家乡人大都是拜佛的。所以，这页的照片，除了底下最后二张，就都是寺庙--我正好看到的寺庙。有很长的一段时间，国内是没有宗教自由的。寺庙被封存或被占用。逢节庆也不许民众公开崇拜祭奠。现在，原有的寺庙都已开放并装修一新，也出现了新的庙宇。这已经是一个比较开放，比较自由的社会。

二○○七年台湾、香港、大陆游

龙海漳州家乡行

家乡的佛教 | 家乡的礼拜堂

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I know little about Buddhism, so am putting them here without a description. There are very many more temples in my hometown. What I put here is just what I happened to be.		我对佛教所知甚少，所以，无法对这些建筑、塑像和器物做作什么说明。石码镇的庙宇到处都有。这里只是我碰巧所看到的。




These are the grave money and offering to be burned for the deceased and the supernatural. The woman here is making them, by pasting a thin piece of shining tinfoil onto a piece of raw paper. Shima long has had workshops like this, and sell the product far and wide. When my maternal grandma was widowed, she raised her five children (my mother among them) by making such grave money.		这是“寿金”，是用来供奉或祭奠用的。石码历来出产“寿金”，都是家庭作坊出的。当我外祖父去世，留下外祖母和五个孩子(包括家母)时，外祖母就靠做“寿金”活下来的。把一张很薄的锡箔裱糊到一张粗纸上，再上色，就成了“寿金”，如图中的妇女。


This church was renovated just a few years ago. It's the only Christian church, has a long history (first built in 1927), and quite a good standing.		这是石码的基督教堂，是前几年才改建翻新的。历史相当悠久(首建于1927年)，会众也有不少。