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| The roof beams of the Mountain Gate, on the right, are decorated with the swastika 卍, a symbol of good fortune and well being brought to China with Buddhism. In Chinese the symbol is a character and pronounced wàn.
In this instance, it moves clockwise in the opposite direction to the swastika adopted by the Nazis. Both clockwise and counterclockwise forms are used in Buddhist decorations, depending on the area. Hinduism uses the counterclockwise form. |
http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/beijing2.html
Last
update: October 2009
© Marilyn Shea, 2009