written in front
"Look at Beijing for 1,000 years of culture, Shanxi for 3,000 years of culture, and Shanxi for 5,000 years of culture". There are too many traces left on the land, the Taihang landscape, the Yellow River civilization, and the ancient rhyme of the Great Wall, there are too many relics waiting for us to explore slowly. Arriving in Shanxi for the second time, I walked on this thick land with heavy steps, walked through Jinci Temple, walked through Niangziguan, walked through Wutai Mountain, walked through Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, walked through Hengshan Hanging Temple, and finally arrived in Datong Yungang Grottoes. In this classic route, explore the civilization of Shanxi.
Practical information
eat in Shanxi
There are many delicacies in Shanxi. This trip to explore the secrets of Shanxi is also a trip to gourmet Shanxi. You can eat all the way and feel Shanxi with the tip of your tongue. "World noodles are in China, and Chinese noodles are in Shanxi." In Shanxi, noodles are a must. However, it was only when I came to Shanxi that I realized that noodles are far more than a staple food. Noodles can be seen everywhere in cold dishes, hot dishes, soups, fried, fried, boiled, and stir-fried. During this trip, I ate a lot of noodles, but the most impressive thing was at the Shanxi Noodle Museum, where I learned about Shanxi noodle culture, marveled at Shanxi noodle skills, tasted authentic Shanxi delicacies, and enjoyed Shaanxi folk performances at the same time.
Apart from pasta, the most distinctive thing to eat is the mind. Brain is a well-known breakfast unique to Taiyuan City. There is a saying that "the famous Chinese food is the first to recommend Brain". It was invented by Fu Shan, a famous literati and medical scientist in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. , rice wine, distiller's grains, and sheep tail oil. The taste that the locals love so much, as tourists, we may not be used to it, but we still need to taste it.
Live in Shanxi
As a major tourist province, Shanxi has sound infrastructure and may not have too many luxury hotels, but there are more choices of hotels in various places with high cost performance. Shanxi Junchen Hotel in Taiyuan is not the most luxurious hotel in Taiyuan, but it is close to Taiyuan Airport and South Railway Station, and not far from Shanxi Jinci Temple. The transportation is convenient, the facilities are complete, and the rooms are spacious and generous. It is a good place for business travel choose.
in Shanxi
Shanxi Province is located in the central part of China, close to Beijing, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Xi'an, Shijiazhuang and other cities, with convenient land and air transportation, railway, highway and aviation three-dimensional transportation network coverage, and convenient access. Shanxi has a vast land and rich resources, and there are many tourist attractions. After arriving in Shanxi, it is recommended to drive or charter a car. You can freely choose the tour route and experience the different customs of Shanxi.
Shanxi Jinci Temple, the earliest surviving royal garden in China
"The victories of the three Jin Dynasties, Jinyang is the most; and the victories of Jinyang are all in Jinci." When I came to Shanxi for the second time, I finally entered the earliest royal garden in China, the legendary Jinci, in ancient buildings, Between statues, plaques, inscriptions, cypresses, and springs, it has traveled through thousands of years. Jin Temple, originally named Tang Shuyu Temple, was built to commemorate Tang Shuyu, the founding prince of the Jin Kingdom. After Shuyu's son Xiefu succeeded to the throne, the name of the country was changed from "Tang" to "Jin" because of the Jin River flowing in the territory, and the ancestral hall was also renamed "Jin Wang Temple" and later "Jin Temple". After that, with the passage of time and the change of dynasties, the Jinci Temple has undergone many reconstructions and expansions, constantly changing its appearance.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Emperor Wenxuan Gao Yang overthrew the Eastern Wei Dynasty and established the Northern Qi Dynasty. He designated Jinyang as the other capital, "built up towers and temples, and built ponds" and expanded the Jin Temple. During the reign of Emperor Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty (581-600), a relic tower was built in the southwest of the ancestral hall. In the 20th year of Tang Zhenguan (646), Emperor Taizong Li Shimin went to Jinci Temple and wrote the inscription "The Inscription and Preface of Jinci Temple". Zhao Guangyi, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, built a large-scale construction project in the Jin Temple during the period of Taiping Xingguo (976-983 A.D.), and carved a stele to record the events when the repair was completed. During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty (1023-1032), Zhao Zhen named Tang Shuyu the King of Fendong, and built a large-scale Notre Dame Hall for Tang Shuyu's mother Yijiang. Afterwards, the iron man was cast, and the dedication hall, bell tower, drum tower and water mirror platform were added, and the central axis buildings with the Notre Dame Hall as the main body were completed successively, gradually forming the current pattern.
▼The landscape of Jinci Temple, witnessing the time
Jinci Temple is located at the foot of Xuanweng Mountain in the southwest of Taiyuan. According to the "Shui Jing Zhu" written by Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty, "The mountain of hanging urns, the water of Jin comes out..., the mountain on the west side of the marsh is surrounded by water, there is Tang Shuyu Temple, there is a pavilion beside the water, and a flying beam is formed on the water." Compared with Jin Temple The more ancient mountains and rivers have witnessed the passage of time in the Jinci Temple. The mountain of Jinci Temple is majestic. "In spring, the mountain is full of yellow flowers, and the path is fragrant and far away; in autumn, the grass and trees are sparse, the sky is high and the water is clear." It is the natural barrier of Jinci Temple. The water in Jinci is flowing. "The flowing water of Jinci is like jasper", which adds a bit of aura and movement to the solemn Jinci. The trees in the Jinci Temple are vigorous, with "twigs and branches leaning against the lonely clouds", and the old body has written the vicissitudes of the years.
The water in Jinci Temple flows very far. "Shuyu Temple is divine, and the land is better than Jiaquan. One source is clear and quiet, and it is gurgling after a few steps." The Jiaquan in Fan Zhongyan's poem is the source of Jinshui. Difficult to grow old is commonly known as Nanhaiyan, and it is said in the "Book of Songs" that "drinking wine in Pan, and drinking the wine, it is difficult to grow old in Yongxi", which is "the first spring in Jinyang". , and because there are many fish in it, it is named "; Shanli, which comes from "Laozi" "The highest kindness is like water, and water is good for all things without fighting." Fish Marsh and Shanli flow sometimes dry, while Nanlaoquan flows out continuously all the year round. The Nanlaoquan is guarded by the Nanlaoquan in the Northern Song Dynasty. The plaque of "Nianlao" hanging on the pavilion was written by Fu Shan, a famous scholar in the Qing Dynasty. It is one of the three famous plaques in the Jinci Temple.
Among the mountains and rivers, ancient trees still exist. "The spirit of the earth is still moist, and the cypresses are full of smoke." The ancient cypresses in Ouyang Xiu's poems are still vigorous, leaning on the left side of the Notre Dame Hall, with branches and leaves covering the temple, guarding the Jinci Temple. According to legend, the ancient cypress was planted in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and together with the Nanlaoquan and the statue of a maid in Song Dynasty, it is known as the "Three Wonders of Jinci Temple". The other ancient trees other than Zhou Bai have also stood for thousands of years, and they have grown old together with the Jin Temple.
The majestic mountains, ancient springs, and vigorous trees have been in Jinci for thousands of years, and together they have written the swan song of Jinci. Since the Northern Qi Dynasty, the landscape of Jinci Temple has attracted many scholars and bureaucrats. Hu Lujin, the Prime Minister of the Northern Qi Dynasty, who "loves mountains and rivers and often visits Jinci Temple", is here; Li Bai, who "loved the mountains and rivers of Jinci Temple in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, was the one who visited the longest time" is here; "Ouyang Xiu came... Countless literati and poets came here, leaving poems, proses, and couplets between them. "The majestic crown covers the sun, the scenery is beautiful, the scenery is graceful, the scenery is spiritual, Jinyang is unparalleled; when it is mixed with the original spring, it is clear and rippling, clear and straight, clear and rippling, on the right side of the mountain Famous in the first district." Hanging above the gate of Jinci Temple, this couplet made by Liu Dapeng, a native of Crouching Tiger Mountain, is the most authentic portrayal of Jinci's landscape.
▼Jin Temple architecture, through ancient and modern
However, the beauty of Jinci Temple is beyond nature. Those buildings and sculptures thousands of years ago, through ancient and modern times, carry meanings beyond nature. Master of prose, Mr. Liang Heng, described in detail the beauty of landscape and architecture of Jinci Temple in his article "Jinci Temple". I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Liang several times, and was given a book by Mr. Liang. An article in the book elaborated the beauty that Mr. Liang discovered and expressed when he wrote "Jinci". The Jinci in his eyes is a kind of natural and social The beauty of synthesis and art. The beauty of this social art lies in the buildings, statues, plaques, and inscriptions of the Jin Temple, as well as in the preservation of the ancients. There are hundreds of ancient buildings in the Jinci Temple. From the Northern Qi Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they have been rebuilt, abandoned or revived for thousands of years, and it is difficult to count their ages. In just half a day, I didn't get to know them one by one. I just strolled in Jinci Temple, stopped in front of the "three wonders" of ancient buildings, and touched the splendid culture and art thousands of years ago.
The Hall of the Holy Mother, one of the three ancient buildings of Jinci Temple, was built in the reign of Tiansheng in the Northern Song Dynasty. It is the main hall of Jinci Temple and the oldest existing building in Jinci Temple. The Notre Dame Hall is 19 meters high, with double eaves on the top of the mountain, seven rooms wide and six rooms deep, with yellow and green glazed tiles trimming, carved ridges and beasts, corridors around, and eight wooden dragons carved on the pillars in front of the hall. The interior of the hall adopts the method of reducing columns to expand the space. It is a large-scale Song Dynasty building in China.
The Song Dynasty clay statues of the Madonna, maids, and female officials in the Hall of the Virgin are the treasures of the existing Song Dynasty clay sculptures in my country. Except for the small statues on both sides of the Madonna, which were added later, the rest are original sculptures in the early Song Dynasty. The main statue of the Virgin sits in a wooden shrine, and the rest of the maids line up on both sides of the altar. The Virgin has a phoenix crown and a python robe, with a dignified demeanor. The statue is vivid and natural, but unfortunately, for better protection, a fence has been erected, and it can only be viewed from a distance outside the hall.
The second of the three unique ancient buildings in Jinci Temple is the wooden carved dragon on the pillar in front of the Temple of the Virgin. This is the earliest surviving carved dragon column in my country. It was carved in the second year of Song Yuanyou (1087). Eight wooden dragons each hold a porch column, with glaring eyes and sharp claws, lifelike.
The Fish Marsh Flying Beam between the Hall of the Holy Mother and the Hall of Dedication was built in the Song Dynasty and is the third of the three unique ancient buildings in the Jinci Temple. The fish marsh flying beam is built on the fish marsh. The ancients said that "the bridge is empty, if it flies", "the flying beam is a stone, and the mausoleum crosses the waterway", so it is named Feiliang. Uonuma Flying Girder is a cross-shaped bridge with a wide east-west bridge deck connecting the Hall of Dedication and the Hall of the Virgin. Mr. Liang Sicheng once praised, "This type of stone pillar bridge is occasionally seen in ancient paintings, but the real thing is only an isolated example, which is very valuable."
There are many couplets and plaques in the Jinci Temple. Behind each plaque, there may be profound connotations or touching stories. I have not explored them one by one, but I have focused on "Shuijingtai", "Dueyue" and "Difficult to grow old" Three plaques of Jinci Temple. The "Water Mirror Platform" is closed for maintenance, and it is impossible to see the true face. "Never old" hangs in the difficult old pavilion, guarding the difficult old spring. "Duiyue" was proposed by Gao Yingyuan, a Juren in Taiyuan County, who said in the "Book of Songs" that "Dueyue is in the sky, and the horse is running in the temple."
The Jinci Temple is too old and heavy. It took half a day to swallow the jujube and record the real Jinci Temple with the camera, but it is impossible to describe the Jinci Temple in my heart with words. Fortunately, "the victory of pavilions, trees and stones must be entertained by celebrities, and poems and essays will be rewarded for passing on." And I was also able to know a Jinci Temple with flesh and blood and soul from the couplets of poems and essays of the predecessors.
Niangziguan, the ninth pass of the Great Wall
You can’t say that the Great Wall is not a hero, so have you been to Niangziguan? Niangziguan is located in Pingding, Shanxi. This Xiongguan ancient castle was built in the late Sui Dynasty and early Tang Dynasty. It guards the Taihang mountainside. It used to be the throat of Shanxi and Hebei. It has the reputation of the ninth pass of the Great Wall.
Niangziguan is said to be the place where Princess Pingyang gathered generals to defend against the enemy. Princess Pingyang, the third daughter of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, married Chai Shao, a knight in Guanzhong. In 617 A.D., Li Yuan planned to rebel against the Sui Dynasty in Taiyuan, and sent people to secretly summon Chai Shao. Chai Shao was eager to go, but worried, if he took the princess with him, he would expose his target; if he left the princess, he was afraid that something might happen if she was alone. In order to relieve Chai Shao from worrying about his future, the princess urged Chai Shao. After her husband left, she immediately sold her property from the seller and went to the countryside to call on the farmers to unite against the rule of the Sui Dynasty. The villagers responded one after another, and soon gathered hundreds of people. Soon, she sent someone to say that she would surrender several rebel armies nearby, forming a coalition, and her reputation was greatly shaken. In September of the same year, the princess sent more than 10,000 elite soldiers to join forces with Li Shimin. At this time, Chai Shao also led his troops to meet up. The princess established her own shogunate under the banner of "Women's Army". In memory of Princess Pingyang, the local people called the place where Princess Pingyang led the uprising Niangziguan. The four characters "Gingji Fanping" on the forehead of the gate show the prominent status of Niangziguan in the past. However, today's Niangziguan, like other passes in the Great Wall, has long lost its military function, but it carries the heavy history of the Great Wall. Climb to Niangziguan, watch a sunset on the castle, and dream of a war.
"The ancient garrison at the head of the building and the border of the building, the green mountains outside the city and the river under the city", Niangziguan not only has dangerous mountains, but also flowing water, lakes, waterfalls, and people on the water. There are many springs in Niangziguan village under Niangziguan, and the accumulated streams form streams, along the streets and alleys, and through houses and houses, forming a rare "small bridge, flowing water, and people" in the north. People wash their clothes and vegetables in the running water in front of the house, and every bit of life is related to the spring water.
Mount Wutai, the first of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China
"Golden Wutai, Silver Putuo, Bronze Emei, and Tie Jiuhua", Chinese Buddhism has always been known as the four famous mountains, and Mount Wutai in Shanxi ranks first among the four famous Buddhist mountains. It is the most prominent, so it is named unique.” At the same time, Wutai Mountain is as famous as Lumbini Garden in Nepal, Sarnath in India, Bodh Gaya, and Kushinagar, and is one of the five holy places of Buddhism in the world. This time, I came to "Golden Wutai" not for pilgrimage, but I still went forward piously.
Mount Wutai is the dojo of Manjusri Bodhisattva. Mount Wutai is not one mountain, but five surrounding peaks. It is named because the peak is flat and broad like a platform. On Wanghai Peak in the east, there is Guanhai Temple, dedicated to "Wisdom Manjusri"; on Guayue Peak in the west, there is Falei Temple, dedicated to "Lion Roaring Manjusri"; on Jinxiu Peak in the south, there is Puji Temple, dedicated to "Wisdom Manjusri"; On Yedou Peak in the north, there is Lingying Temple dedicated to "Wugou Manjusri"; on Cuiyan Peak in Zhongtai, there is Yanjiao Temple, dedicated to "Ru Tong Manjusri". Pious pilgrims will walk all over the mountain roads of Wutai Mountain, visit Wutai, and worship the Manjusri Bodhisattva on the top of the five platforms, commonly known as the "Great Chaotai"; ". And our trip was only to the monasteries in Taihuai Town, looking at Wutai from the foot of the mountain.
▼Buddhist scriptures record that the earliest temple was built
Mount Wutai is the only famous mountain among the four famous mountains that is clearly recorded in Buddhist scriptures. It is recorded in the Huayan Sutra translated by the eminent monk Buddha Tuobaduoluo in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "There is a place in the northeast called Qingliang Mountain. Among them is the speech." In the Buddhist classic "Manjushri Treasure Dharani Sutra", the World Honored One clearly pointed out, "After I passed away, in the northeast of this Nanfangbu Prefecture, there was a country named Dazhenna, and there was a mountain in the country. , The name is Wuding. Manjushri boy parades and lives, and speaks for all living beings.” According to the Buddhist scriptures, the world-honored Chrysostom proclaimed that Manjushri Bodhisattva should transform into Wutai Mountain in China and speak the Dharma for all living beings.
Mount Wutai is one of the earliest places where Buddhist temple buildings were built in China. Since the tenth year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the eminent monks Zhu Yemoteng and Zhu Falan came to Luoyang, China with a white horse. The next year, when they left Luoyang and came to Qingliang Mountain, they found that this was not only the teaching and residence place of Manjusri Bodhisattva, but also the place where Manjusri Bodhisattva lived. There is a stupa of Ashoka Buddha, and the mountain shape is very similar to the Lingjiu Mountain in India where Sakyamuni Buddha practiced and preached the Dharma. Therefore, Emperor Han Ming was asked to build a large-scale Lingjiu Temple here. The word "Dafu" was added, which created the predecessor of Xiantong Temple, "Dafu Lingjiu Temple".
Xiantong Temple is the "founding temple" of Mount Wutai. Since then, more and more temples have been built in successive dynasties, and Mount Wutai has gradually become a holy place for Buddhism. Large-scale temple complexes were built during the Northern Wei Dynasty. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, there were more than 200 temples in Mount Wutai. In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, there were more than 360 Buddhist temples inside and outside Wutai. After the "Huichang Extermination of Buddha", there were still 72 temples in the Song Dynasty. It reached 104, and reached 112 in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.
With the passage of time, there are still 47 monasteries inside and outside Wutai. Although they are not comparable to the heyday, they are still large in scale and should not be underestimated. Standing in Taihuai Town, no matter where you look, you can always see temples, either at the foot of the mountain, hidden in the mountains, or placed on the top of the mountain. I couldn't walk into the temples one by one, but just stopped in front of the Tayuan Temple. The magnificent temple, the exuberant incense, and the devout believers allowed me to stop my steps and rest my mind.
▼Coexistence of Han and Tibetan, complete sects
Wutai Mountain is the only famous mountain in China where Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism coexist. Han, Tibetan, Mongolian, Manchu, Tu, Miao, Korean and other multi-ethnic monks and laymen live together on the mountain. Zen and Pure Land sects are promoted together, unique and sacred.
In the Tang Dynasty, it was spread in Tibet that Mount Wutai was a "land on earth", and Tubo sent envoys to ask for a picture of Mount Wutai. Legend has it that Songtsan Gampo once sent people to build a temple on Mount Wutai. In the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan's emperor Basiba and his disciples were stationed in Xiwutai Mountain and introduced to the Sakya sect. In the Ming Dynasty, Sakyamuni, a disciple of Tsongkhapa, also lost the Gelug Sect of the Yellow Sect to Mount Wutai, and the Bodhisattva Peak and Vajra Cave became Gelug Sect temples. The emperors of the Qing Dynasty even promoted the Yellow Sect in Wutai Mountain, and repaired the Bodhisattva roof with the same specifications as the royal buildings. Mongolian and Tibetan living Buddha believers, princes and relatives flocked in an endless stream, and Tibetan Buddhism flourished for a while.
Today, a large number of living Buddhas and believers of Tibetan Buddhism still make a special trip to Mount Wutai every year to worship. In front of Tayuan Temple, I met a master from Sichuan Seda Buddhist Academy. From Se to Wutai Mountain, because of the faith in my heart, the pilgrimage road has become no longer far away.
As a sacred place of Buddhism, Mount Wutai has welcomed many eminent monks and great virtues to visit and preach the Dharma for thousands of years. Master Facong of the Northern Wei Dynasty propagated the "Four Parts Law" in Wutai Temple; Master Qingliang Chengguan, the fourth patriarch of the Huayan School of the Tang Dynasty, wrote the "Huayan Sutra Shuchao" in Wutai Mountain; Hong Chuan "Maha Zhiguan"; Master Kuiji, the great disciple of Master Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty, built a jade statue of Manjusri in Wutai Mountain and wrote the "Great Prajna Sutra"; Bukong Sanzang, one of the three great masters of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty, built gold in Wutai Mountain Pavilion Temple; Master Fazhao, the fourth patriarch of the Pure Land Sect in the Tang Dynasty, also advocated the practice of reciting Buddha in Wuhui in Zhulin Temple; in the late Tang Dynasty, Zen Master Congjue of Zhaozhou visited Wutai nine times to visit good teachers.
In the past, every year from the sixth day to the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, a large-scale "big vow meeting", commonly known as the June meeting, was held, where eminent monks from home and abroad gathered. During the Linde period of Tang Dynasty, Master Shakyamita of Shizi Country (now Sri Lanka) went to Mount Wutai to pay homage to Manjusri Bodhisattva; in the first year of Yifeng, Master Buddha Poli, a monk from North India, went to Mount Wutai, and then returned to China to fetch the Dharani Sutra. ", engraved in the scriptures. Masters such as Lingxian, Ennin, and Diaoran, famous Japanese monks, all went to Wutai Mountain to study and pay tribute. Not a devout Buddhist, after entering Mount Wutai, he doesn't want to go any further. He just wants to smell the incense of the temple, walk forward on the mountain road, and climb to the top of Wutai. As a result, when riding a car and turning over the mountain, I still keep looking back, looking back at the temples in the mountains, looking back at the ravines in the mountains, and looking back at the past of Wutai.
Yingxian wooden pagoda, the first wooden pagoda in China
Finally came to Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, this architectural miracle that once made architect Liang Sicheng "out of breath for a long time", the tallest existing wooden structure ancient building in the world. I only have a superficial understanding of ancient buildings, but when facing the wooden pagoda of the corresponding county, I have a pilgrimage-like solemnity in my heart. Together with the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it is also known as the "Three Great Towers in the World"; it was certified by the Guinness World Records as the tallest wooden tower in 2016, and Austria, Norway and other places have only begun to build taller wooden structures since 2017 Building, using modern technology to break the record of wooden pagodas in Ying County.
However, what really entered my heart was not these tall labels, these world-renowned glory, but the wooden tower itself that stood in front of me for nearly 1,000 years. Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is located in Fogong Temple in Yingxian County, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province. Its original name is Shakya Pagoda, but it is a common name of "Yingxian Wooden Pagoda", which is better known. The wooden pagoda in Ying County was first built in the second year of Liao Qingning (1056), and it was completed in the sixth year of Jin Mingchang (1195). Craftsmen 1,000 years ago took 140 years to build a wooden tower equivalent to a 20-story modern high-rise building with 3,000 tons of wooden components and 3,000 tons of wooden components without using a single nail.
▼Standing for thousands of years, the wind and rain will not fall
Buildings with pure wood structures can easily be wiped out in thousands of years due to natural disasters or man-made disasters. The wooden pagoda in Yingxian County has not fallen down by earthquakes, destroyed by wars, or burned by lightning strikes. In the millennium, it has gone through hardships and still stands, standing erect as a miracle in the history of architecture.
In April of the ninth year of Yuan Dade, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.5 occurred in Datong, 80 kilometers away from the wooden pagoda. A strong earthquake of magnitude 9 occurred in Lingqiu area, and the houses collapsed, but the wooden pagoda 120 kilometers away was not damaged at all; in modern times, several major earthquakes in Xingtai, Tangshan, and Datong all affected Ying County, and the wooden pagoda swayed greatly , but after the strong earthquake, the wooden tower remained the same.
According to the "Historical History of Yingxian Wooden Pagoda", in 1926, Feng Yuxiang's army fought against Yan Xishan's army here. In this war, Muta was shot more than 200 rounds and suffered great trauma. When Ying County was liberated in 1948, the Kuomintang army guarding the city set up a machine gun position with the wooden tower as the commanding height, and the wooden tower was hit by 12 artillery shots. Miraculously, every shell passed through the tower without exploding in the tower. Thousands of years ago, the craftsmen of the great country wrote the legend of Yingxian Wooden Pagoda with exquisite craftsmanship and pieces of wood. In the past thousand years, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda has experienced more than 40 earthquakes, more than 200 gunshots and bombardments, countless lightning strikes and lightning strikes, and countless wind and rain, but it is like a god, and it is as safe as yesterday.
▼Wood World, Dougong Collection
The reason why the wooden pagoda in Yingxian County can stand for thousands of years with its whole body of wood, not because someone put it in the protection circle, but because of the interaction between the rigidity and softness of the wooden pagoda structure and the brackets. The wooden pagoda has five floors on the outside, but nine floors in fact. There is a dark layer between each two floors. From the outside, it is a bucket arch flat seat structure, which is very decorative; from the inside, it is a solid structural layer. These dark layers are built with a large number of diagonal braces to ensure the rigidity of the structure. The closed wooden frame composed of stigma squares acts as a ring beam, and the structural system of the wooden tower is like a very rigid octagonal sleeve, in which the bucket arches play a key stabilizing role.
There are 54 types and 480 dougongs used in Yingxian wooden pagodas, which is the most existing ancient buildings in China and can be called the "Dougong" museum. Dougong is made of multiple small wooden blocks, which can connect the upper and lower, connect the columns, beams, and squares of each layer, and can also overhang the eaves. When strong winds and earthquakes come, the dougong is like a spring that can be loosened or tightened, which can absorb kinetic energy and protect the main structure from damage.
Wandering outside the world of wood, I was shocked by the ingenuity and exquisite skills of ancient craftsmen, and also understood why Liang Sicheng, who saw the wooden pagoda in Yingxian County for the first time, described the wooden pagoda in this way in his letter to Lin Huiyin, " Today I officially went to visit the Pagoda of the Fogong Temple. It was absolutely overwhelming, so amazing that I couldn't breathe for a long time. This pagoda is really a unique and great work. If I don't see this pagoda, I don't know how possible the wooden structure is. I admire it very much, I admire the era when this tower was built and the unknown great architects and unknown craftsmen in that era."
▼Wooden tower plaque, calligraphy grand view
In order to better protect the wooden pagoda, the interior of the wooden pagoda has been closed. As a tourist, you can't walk into the wooden pagoda step by step, and you can't see the Buddha statues and murals of the Liao Dynasty inside the wooden pagoda. A regret, for the wooden tower, we would rather keep this regret. And the plaque hanging on the wooden tower is something we can look up and look up to. There are 48 plaques on the tower, which hang impressively on various parts of the tower body.
These plaques were proposed by emperors, generals, literati, and Buddhist figures who came to watch and worship in the past dynasties. No matter the exquisite calligraphy or the meaningful meaning of the text, they are all excellent. Among these plaques, some praise the wooden pagoda and promote Dili by borrowing the Buddha's power and wonders; some praise the majestic appearance and exquisite architectural art of the wooden pagoda; Among these plaques, there is no shortage of fine calligraphy, which has earned the reputation of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda as the "Pagoda of Calligraphy".
The three-character plaque "Shakya Pagoda" under the eaves of the third-floor pagoda is the oldest and most precious one among the wooden pagoda plaques. Written by Wang Wei in the Jin Dynasty, it is rich and plump, and it is the best product in the body. It has a history of more than 800 years. Under the five-story eaves of the wooden pagoda in Yingxian County, there is a plaque of "Junji Shengong" hanging. This plaque was inscribed by Zhu Di during his Northern Expedition in the fourth year of Yongle (1406).
Hanging Temple, one of the top ten most dangerous buildings in the world
In 2010, the United States "Time Magazine" selected the top ten most dangerous buildings in the world, and the Hengshan Hanging Temple was on the list. In fact, the Hanging Temple is also a peculiar place worthy of deep study in the hearts of Chinese people. It occupies a small area and hangs on a cliff. Feeling that it is not enough, I added a little more, and the traveler Xu Xiake also praised it as "the world's great spectacle".
I have heard too many legends about it and seen too many photos about it. This time, it finally arrived. Walking in a hurry, when I came to the Xuankong Temple, it was already sunset, there was no sunlight in the canyon, but my mood was excited, like a long-cherished wish for many years, I finally got to taste it. Looking at it from a distance, watching it up close, and then walking into the temple step by step. I, who has never been afraid of heights, did not have any abnormalities when I walked up the skywalk, but I had to marvel at the dangerous building that hangs on the cliff.
▼Precipitous and dangerous buildings, hanging but not falling down
The Hanging Temple is located at the foot of Mount Heng, on the cliff of West Rock in Jinlong Gorge. The temple was built in the late Northern Wei Dynasty and was rebuilt many times in later generations. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the architecture reached its peak. Today's Xuankong Temple is mostly the relics of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
In 398 A.D., Kou Qianzhi, the Taoist priest of the Northern Wei Dynasty, left a legacy to his disciples before his death, and built a temple in the air to achieve "the upper reaches the sky, and the lower one floats". After Tianshi passed away, his disciples carefully selected the site, and finally settled on the thousand-foot cliff of Mount Heng. After 43 years, construction started. The danger of its site selection is the original legend of Xuankong Temple.
The site selection of the Xuankong Temple is not purely in pursuit of danger and excitement, but has another deep meaning. The temple is located in a deep mountain canyon, surrounded by mountains, which reduces the time of sunlight exposure; the narrow mouth of the valley softens the strong wind outside the Great Wall, and at the same time ensures that the temple is ventilated and dry. Hanging on the cliff, when the mountain floods below the mountain, it is protected from being washed away. The protruding part of the cliff top is like an umbrella, which protects the temple from rain erosion. The natural barrier has made the Hanging Temple less exposed to the sun and rain for thousands of years.
The Xuankong Temple is small in size, with more than 40 large and small halls, arranged along the cliff, lined up, and gradually increasing in height. "The Hanging Temple is half a day high, with three horsetails hanging in the air." The horsetails are the red standing trees that connect the pavilions and walkways to the rocks. There are a total of 30 standing trees, which are divided into three groups, which are respectively set under the two pavilions and the plank road. At first glance, the Hanging Temple seems to be supported on the cliff by the standing trees of the three ancestors. In fact, the real stress point of the Hanging Temple is on the wooden pillars protruding deep into the rock under the plank road. These wooden pillars cleverly use the principle of mechanics, cleverly use the hidden support of the rock, so that the real center of gravity is supported in the hard rock. The strangeness of its architecture makes the Hanging Temple "hanging" without danger.
The temple architecture is different from the central axis of the Pingchuan Temple, which is symmetrical from left to right. It is also different from the pattern of mountain temples that gradually rise according to the mountain. It is adapted to local conditions and goes with the flow. free. Walk into the Hanging Temple, climb the hanging ladder, fly over the stack, walk through the grotto, drill the skylight, walk on the roof, in the three-dimensional space, on the hanging cliff, change the scenery step by step, measure with your feet, explore with your eyes, hang in the air The structure of the temple is ingenious.
It has been more than 1,500 years since the Xuankong Temple was built. During the millennium, with the siltation of the river bed and the uplift of the ground, the Sanjiao Hall, the commanding height of the whole temple, which was originally 90 meters above the ground, is now only more than 50 meters away. However, even if it is not the original height, the shock it brings us is enough.
In the millennium, many high-rise buildings can be erected, and many high-rise buildings collapsed and disappeared in the dust of history. However, the Hanging Temple, a precipitous and dangerous building, has experienced landslides, earthquakes, and thousands of years of wind and rain, but it still stands tall. This is not an accident of history, but a spectacle of architecture. The Hanging Temple spans the torrent of time, with one tree and one rafter, in the most three-dimensional and vivid form, showing the ancient Chinese architectural culture.
▼Three religions in one, inclusive
In addition to the suspended buildings, the unique "three religions in one" of the temple is also a religious and cultural spectacle. The original name of Xuankong Temple is "Xuankong Temple", "Xuan" comes from the teachings of Taoism, and "kong" comes from the teachings of Buddhism. Although the Xuankong Temple is named "Temple", it is a temple that combines Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism in ancient China, and it is also the only remaining temple in China that combines the three religions.
The Hanging Temple is divided into three floors, all of which are of wooden frame structure. The temple has both Buddhist halls and Taoist halls. The Three Buddha Hall, Sakyamuni Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, Avalokitesvara Hall, and Jialan Hall of Buddhism; Taiyi Hall, Three Palaces, and Chunyang Hall of Taoism; Guandi Hall where Buddhism and Taoism coexist, where Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism coexist in one room The Temple of the Three Religions. There are no obvious boundaries and barriers, and the three religions of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism merge here. The highest point is the Sanjiao Hall. The so-called three religions are Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
In the Hall of Three Religions, Sakyamuni, the Buddha, sits in the middle, Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, is on the left, and Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, is on the right. The ancestors of the three religions lived together in one room, enlightening the world and enlightening life. Buddhism "pursues all living beings", Confucianism "peace is the most precious", "the benevolent loves benevolence", and Taoism's thoughts of "immeasurable people, etiquette first" are integrated and sublimated in this suspended temple. I have heard many stories about Buddhism and Taoism competing for mountains, but this is the first time I have seen an example of the integration of the three religions. Although the sparrow in Xuankong Temple is small, it has a big belly and can accommodate thousands of people.
Among the more than 80 statues of gods in the temple, there are also Yao, Shun, Yu, and Guan Yunchang. They each represent different beliefs, but they coexist harmoniously here.
The Hanging Temple can survive for 1,500 years in the wilderness of time, in the place where the frontier ethnic groups merged, and in the gold and iron horses of the wars of the past dynasties. Perhaps, in addition to the wisdom of the building, it is also because of its "three religions in one" Tolerance, the boldness that encompasses the whole world.
Yungang Grottoes, one of the four major grottoes in China
The last stop of this trip came to the long-famous Yungang Grottoes. Yungang Grottoes is one of the four major grottoes in my country. It is located at the south foot of Wuzhou Mountain, 16 kilometers west of Datong City, Shanxi Province, on the north bank of Shili River. The grottoes are excavated on the mountain, stretching for one kilometer from east to west. There are 45 existing main caves and 209 subsidiary caves, with a carving area of more than 18,000 square meters. The highest statue is 17 meters and the smallest is 2 centimeters. There are more than 1,100 niches and more than 59,000 statues of different sizes. The Yungang Grottoes have a history of 1,500 years. It is the first time after Buddhist art was introduced to China, it is carved by a nation with a dynasty. It is a treasure house of royal style Buddhist art. It represents the superb grotto art achievement of China in the 5th century AD. .
The original name of Yungang Grottoes was Wuzhou (Zhou) Mountain Grotto Temple, and it was renamed Yungang Grottoes in Ming Dynasty. Li Daoyuan, a geographer of the Northern Wei Dynasty, recorded in "Shui Jing Zhu", "Wuzhou River flows southeast again, and there are stones on the side of the water. There are only Huanshe and various caves, where the bhikkhunis live. The water turns east to the south of Lingyan. Shikai Mountain, because of its rock structure, is truly majestic and majestic, rare in the world, with mountain halls and water halls, smoked temples facing each other, forests and abysses with brocade mirrors, dazzling new views."
Yungang Grottoes can be divided into early (460-465 A.D.), middle (471-494 A.D.) and late (494-525 A.D.) periods according to the excavation time. The grotto statues in different periods have different styles.
"Tanyao Five Caves" are the first five caves excavated in Yungang Grottoes, and they were named after the excavation under the guidance of the eminent monk Tanyao. The plane of the cave is horseshoe-shaped, with a dome, modeled on the thatched cottage of ancient India. Each cave has a door and a window. The central Buddha statue is tall and occupies the main part of the cave. The outer wall is full of thousands of Buddhas. Very rare in engraved tradition.
The images of Yungang Grottoes record the historical track of the development of Indian and Central Asian Buddhist art to Chinese Buddhist art, and record the process of the gradual secularization and nationalization of Buddhist statues in China. In the middle period, Yungang Grottoes gathered excellent talents from all over the country, and with the guarantee of their national strength, they carved out more prosperous and exquisite statues of Yungang Grottoes. The Sinicized style of the grottoes developed rapidly. The grottoes are square in plan, usually with front and rear chambers, and the wall layout is divided into upper and lower layers, divided into left and right sections. The Chinese palace-style architectural carvings that appeared in the middle period, and the Chinese-style Buddhist niches developed on this basis, were widely used in the construction of grottoes in later generations.
In the late Northern Wei Dynasty, when the capital was moved to Luoyang, the large-scale excavation activities of the Yungang Grottoes ceased. More than 200 small and medium-sized caves were excavated by the relatives, noble officials, local people and believers. , reflecting the continuous deepening of the "Sinicization" of Buddhism.
Half a day in Yungang, walking into caves, lingering in the lifelike statues, once again marveling at the uncanny workmanship of ancient craftsmen, feeling the splendor of Shanxi civilization. In the afternoon, on the way back from the Yungang Grottoes, the body has moved, but the heart still stays in the grottoes, wanting to listen carefully and know the stories behind each statue.
