Dragon, Screen Wall, Datong, Shanxi, China

This dragon is on the Nine Dragon Wall in Datong, Shanxi, built to screen a prince's palace in 1392. The palace, alas, is long gone, but the wall remains, and at 45.5 meters (150 ft) long and eight meters (26 ft) high, it is advertised as China's oldest and largest screen wall made of glazed tile.

Photographer's note: Screen walls can be tricky to shoot at mid-day. As most palaces and temples face south, the interesting side of the wall faces north. Best to get there in the diffuse morning or evening light.

Posted to Reddit and Bluesky, August 28, 2025

Screen Wall, Zhaojue Temple, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

The Screen Wall at Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu, Sichuan with a Dharma Wheel and the characters for "Namo Amituofo" (only "a" and "mi" are shown). On the other side of the wall is the character for "luck." Locals taught us a game: close your eyes, get spun around, and try to walk a straight line to "find luck." The guy on the right missed! (It's usually helpful to have a friend--with open eyes--"spotting" you to keep you from walking off into traffic beyond the wall!)

Posted to Reddit and Bluesky, July 13, 2025