Go to Zhengding for the New Year 2—Guanghui Temple, Linji Temple

Go to Zhengding for the New Year 2—Guanghui Temple, Linji Temple

Don't underestimate Zhengding. It has a long history and many cultural relics. There are 38 existing buildings since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, including 9 national security, 5 provincial security, and 24 county security. There are 264 cultural relics, and the national cultural relics rank second among county-level administrative regions in the country. It is known as "three mountains are missing, nine bridges are not flowing", "nine floors, four towers, eight temples, and twenty-four golden arches".

Now that we have arrived at Guanghui Temple, let's go to Huata, one of the four famous pagodas in Zhengding. This temple was built in the Tang Dynasty, 1200 years ago. In fact, the temple has long since ceased to exist, and today only the Hua Pagoda stands, which is very eye-catching. According to textual research, this tower was built in the Song Dynasty, and it is still exquisite and simple after several repairs.

Looking up, the Huata is composed of the main tower and the subsidiary tower, all made of bricks. A fan-hexagonal pavilion-shaped tower is attached to the four corners of the bottom of the main tower. The small towers surround the main tower.

The main tower is a pavilion-style building with a total height of 31.5 meters. Especially the fourth floor is the essence of the tower. Its height accounts for about one-third of the total height of the tower. The inner eaves of the cone are dedicated to two stone Buddhas, and the outer eaves are centered on eight sides and octagonal vertical lines. There are interlaced colored sculptures of Bodhisattvas, Hercules, beasts, lions, elephants, towers and pavilions, etc., with a wide range of themes, novel compositions, orderly arrangements, Exquisite workmanship. Like a group of sculpture art groups, although they are somewhat damaged, they are still amazing. I have seen some ancient pagodas, and this is the first time I have seen such a gorgeous flower pagoda. Liang Sicheng called it an "isolated case in China".

Then we went to Linji Temple, also known as Linji Pagoda Courtyard, which was built in the second year of Xinghe (540) of Emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty. Because it is on the side of the Hutuo River, it was named Linji. In the eighth year of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (854), Zen Master Yixuan, the founder of Linji Sect, was stationed in this temple. Linji Temple is the birthplace of the Linji School of Zen Buddhism in China and the ancestral home of the Linji School of Japanese Buddhism.

The most eye-catching thing is the Chengling Pagoda in the courtyard, which is the stupa of Zen Master Yixuan, the founder of Linji Sect. In the eighth year of Tang Xiantong (867), after Zen Master Yixuan passed away in Daming Mansion, his disciple Cunshou and others divided his relics into two, one for Daming, one for Zhenzhou (now Zhengding), Build a tower for storage. According to the information: Emperor Yizong of Tang Dynasty conferred the title of "Zen Master Huizhao" and gave the pagoda the name "Chengling Pagoda". In the twelfth year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1734), Emperor Shizong Yinjiao granted Yixuan the title of "Zen Master Zhenchang Huizhao". The temple is enshrined in the first floor of the pagoda, and the top of the round arched lintel on the front is inlaid with a stone plaque in seal script "Tang Linji Huizhao Chengling Pagoda". Chengling Pagoda, with a height of 30.47 meters, is a brick imitation wood structure with dense eaves.

The pagoda is very delicate, with a wide stone base under the pagoda, an octagonal stone pagoda base in the middle, and a brick xumizuo on top. Exotic flowers and birds are carved on the girdle of Xumizuo and the railings of the flat seat. The upper part is engraved with a three-week lotus seat. The nine-level pagoda stands in the Yanglian. Like all dense eaves pagodas, the first level of the pagoda is high, with opposite-opening false doors on all sides, false windows on the four sides, and round leaning columns at the corners. Sophisticated and unique. The above eight levels are relatively close to each other, with eaves protruding layer by layer, and the tower is supported by jumping out brackets. Each bucket arch is exquisitely designed and full of changes, and a tower brake is placed on the tower body with dense eaves. In 1985, under the auspices of Zen Master Youming, repairs were carried out to make the Chengling Pagoda exquisite and unique. People in Zhengding gave it the nickname "Qingta".

Today is the New Year's Eve, and many people circle the tower inside. In their big canteen, free dumplings are provided. I also went in and ate a few to experience it.