Ruicheng, China For aficionados of Chinese art, the murals in the Yongle Palace have a special cachet. Dating to the 14th century, they fill three halls in a Taoist temple complex with deities and scenes from everyday life, a swirling mélange of gods, demons and people. And their scale makes them awe-inspiring: Covering more than 4,300 square feet, they form the biggest single ensemble of murals in the country. "These are 200 years earlier than the Sistine Chapel and on a comparable scale," says Stephen Little, a scholar of Taoist art and director of the Honolulu Academy of Arts. But despite their repute, few people have seen the murals. The temple is almost impossible to reach without special effort. Its odd history has also added to its obscurity: It was moved from its original location to protect it from a huge dam project, but that made it ineligible for the tourist-boosting designation as a United Nations world heritage site. The upshot for those who do get here is a work of art in superb condition.[Read more...]