The Water God's Temple of the Guangsheng Monastery ― Cosmic Function of Art, Ritual and Theater

Although they once were found in every Chinese agricultural community, the 14th century dragon king temple in Southern Shanxi is the only known temple to the Water God that is still intact. In this study, Jing (Asian art, Michigan State U.) analyzes the murals found in this temple and considers their relationship with ritual and theatrical performances that were conducted there. He also compares Chinese rainmaking magic with similar practices in India. The volume contains an extensive section of b&w plates of the artwork. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Anning Jing, Ph.D. (1994) in Art History, Princeton University and post-doctoral fellow, Columbia University, is Associate Professor of Asian Art at Michigan State University. He has published extensively on Chinese painting.