Tao Te Ching inscribed on temple wall, Hong Kong

What it is

This is a 2007 photograph, by a photographer named Chong Fat, of a long black stone wall. Rows of small gold-colored characters are inscribed on it. The wall sits beneath an orange-tiled roof with green and gold trim, above a stone balustrade with carved panels. The Commons record gives the title as 蓬瀛仙館太上道德經壁, which names the Taoist text of the Daodejing. The record does not give the date the wall was carved.

Why it matters

The Daodejing is traditionally attributed to Laozi, and this wall shows the text being kept as a sacred object in a place of worship. Carving it in stone turns a short book into a public monument. The photograph reveals how later Taoist communities have honored the text, rather than how it was first written.

Look closer

• Why might someone choose to carve a religious text on a large wall rather than print it in a book?
• Who would read this wall, and how would they have approached it?
• What does the photograph not show about the text itself, such as its wording or translation?