Haoqing Xu

The stone lion, blindfolded by red cloth, symbolizes that even as part of the Buddhist realm, it cannot escape the fate of being adorned and embellished by people—perhaps mirroring the role of its observers in today's restless society.

The photograph was taken at the renowned Great Buddha Temple in Xinchang, China. Within a mountain cave, a colossal reclining Buddha lies here, with only its feet visible in the image. At the very center of the image, tables and cushions are set up for the constant stream of visitors to kneel and pay their respects. In the far reaches of the cave, a dense swarm of bats waits silently. One wonders if they are aware this is a sacred Buddhist site, just as the countless tourists passing through may not know the history and significance of this place.

Often we remain unaware of the individual differences between Buddha statues. Why is this one golden while another is silver? Why is this one so large while another is so small? Or what rules govern their order of placement? When I stand before them, the number of questions in my mind may far exceed their actual number...

People are always drawn to things that seem just out of reach... even when they don't know what it is... Photographers are no exception... So why is that?

After planning the entire itinerary, I spent roughly two weeks exploring various locations along the expressways within China's Zhejiang Province. The primary reason for selecting approximately 30 temples of varying sizes in this region stems from my roots here. I possess a stronger sense of identity with this province and an understanding of what Buddhist sites on this land typically look like. I cannot guarantee that the information I gathered represents all other provinces in China. At the same time, the chosen locations are not widely known major attractions, but they must possess distinctive local religious characteristics.