Antique Chinese Traditional Family Shrine

Antique Chinese Buddhist Shrine (Antique Chinese Traditional Family Shrine). An excellent example of a Chinese family shrine. A traditional Chinese family shrine would often hold offerings to ancestors and/or Buddha, family tablets and other keepsakes. During the Chinese cultural revolution, religion and worship were discouraged by the government. Those people who were not "discouraged" and continued to worship, often had their shrines destroyed. Therefore many people hide their shrines and thus the shrines were saved for prosperity. This family shrine is perhaps one of those hidden shrines.

This antique shrine is very ornate and features many lovely shades and hues of its original lacquer-in red, black and green. Its has a front porch, with four columns with carvings, supporting the roof. The porch opens into the shrine via eight, latticed, working doors on wooden pin hinges. Just like a full-sized temple or house, the roof is adorned with six guardians sitting on the roof and offering protection from evil spirits. The roof is painted to resemble glazed roof tiles. The back is simple.

The family shrine's foundation is a sturdy wooden base. The shrines rests on a black metal stand-specifically constructed for the shrine.

The height of the shrine by itself is 38 inches (96.5cm). When placed on top of the stand, the total height is 73.75 inches (187.5cm). Antique Asian Furniture & Furnishings: Antique Chinese Traditional Family Shrine from Shanxi Province, China.