D1-11.8: Shanghai - Taiyuan
D2-11.9: Taiyuan-Pingyao, visit the ancient city of Pingyao
D3-11.10: Visit the Wang Family Courtyard, continue to visit the ancient city, and enjoy "Seeing Pingyao Again"
D4-11.11: Pingyao-Datong, visit the ancient city of Datong
D5-11.12: Visit Yungang Grottoes, Datong-Taiyuan
D6-11.13: Visit Jinci, return
Looking back at the five thousand years of Chinese civilization history, Shanxi is the second, no one dares to say the first, Shanxi is the root of Chinese culture, coincides with the second half of 2020, Shanxi also has a big gift package for tourists from all over the country, all in the province A-level and above scenic spots are free for tourists from all over the country on weekdays. You must know that tickets for scenic spots in Shanxi are expensive, and free tickets can save a lot of money. Why not take advantage of the low tourist season in November. Yungang Grottoes can be booked through the official account of "Yungang Grottoes", and Pingyao Ancient City, Wang's Courtyard, Jinci, etc. can be booked through the WeChat mini-program "Travel Shanxi".
November 8
When we arrived in Taiyuan, it was late in the evening. The hotel was booked near the lively Changfeng Street. In the evening, we went to try Shanxi sliced noodles. There are five major noodle dishes in China: Shanxi knife-sliced noodles, Henan stewed noodles, Sichuan dandan noodles, Beijing fried noodles, Wuhan hot dry noodles, and some people think that Lanzhou noodles and Shaanxi biangbiang noodles should be included, but no matter which one is said, knife-sliced noodles are ranked first Yes, Shun Liu Sliced Noodles is a Shanxi specialty chain noodle restaurant, quite famous, and the noodles are very strong.
November 9
Accompanied by the cool air in the morning, we went for a walk in the nearby Fen River. The Fen River runs through the urban area of Taiyuan from north to south. It is the life river of Taiyuan. Now the Fen River has been treated and glows with different vitality. The river is clear and sparkling Yan, the water and the sky are the same color, there are many high-rise buildings on both sides of the bank, the promenade on the bank is full of people who get up early to exercise, and tall bird's nests can be seen everywhere among the golden trees.
After breakfast, depart for Taiyuan South Railway Station, and take the high-speed rail to Pingyao. The high-speed rail stops at Pingyao Ancient City Station, but it is actually 8 kilometers away from the ancient city. The ancient city of Pingyao has a history of 2,800 years, and it still retains the basic features of the county in the Ming and Qing Dynasties relatively well. It is also known as the four most well-preserved ancient cities in China together with the ancient city of Huizhou, Langzhong, and Lijiang. It is the only ancient city in my country. It is one of the two ancient cities that successfully applied for the world cultural heritage. Many people like to compare Pingyao with Lijiang. Someone once left such a comment: "Lijiang is a pure and beautiful girl with a watery aura that is compelling; Pingyao is Pingyao. Gone with the Wind, who has a profound background, has experienced wind and rain without being surprised."
I contacted the inn in advance and said that they would pick us up at the east gate of the ancient city, so at the east gate, we saw two mini eDonkeys, carrying us and our luggage like this, wandering into the city, walking through the streets and alleys. A house with a high plaque appeared, which should be the Zhongshuyuan Inn where we stayed. Zhongshuyuan Inn is located at the highest position in the ancient city. It is the first courtyard of Southeast Mentou Street. It was originally the residence of Juren in the Qing Dynasty. In contrast, the towering corners perfectly show the ancient architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. No wonder Lafayette also "favored" this place, and lights up lights at night to add splendor.
We can enter 22 small scenic spots free of charge, and you can scan the code to enter with the reservation code. Let's start from the nearest ancient city wall! There are six gates in Pingyao City Wall: Yingxun, Gongji, Taihe, Yongding, Qinhan, and Fengyi. Yingxun Gate is the south gate. The inner gate is the main city gate, the outer gate is the Wengcheng Gate, and the middle of the two gates is the Wengcheng Gate, which is temporarily closed due to maintenance. Climb up the ancient city wall from Yingxun Gate and look far away. Below the city is the lively South Street. The ancient city wall was built in the Ming Dynasty. It is the best preserved ancient city wall in China. It has a history of more than 600 years. Tour along the city wall Walking, you can see the life of the ancient city in your eyes. The sculptures on the city wall reproduce the scenes of ancient military service, shooting and bowing, and there are even officials standing on high places to point out the country, but someone pranked him and offered a cigarette in his hand. , is really funny! When I was wandering, I met a cat with injured eyes, and somehow fell in love with me, let me caress, follow all the way, never leave...
The traffic network of Pingyao Ancient City is composed of four main streets, eight small streets, and seventy-two alleys. South Street, also known as Ming and Qing Streets, is the central axis of the symmetrical pattern of Pingyao Ancient City. During the Qing Dynasty, Nandajie once controlled more than 50% of the country's financial institutions, and was known as "China's Wall Street". In the distance is the ancient city building, the triple eaves wooden frame pavilion, the tallest building in the ancient city, and the nearby streets of the ancient city full of people. On both sides of the street, there are a large number of ancient residential buildings with a unique Ming and Qing style that are more than a hundred years old. Lianyang fast food KFC, The Internet-famous Luckin Coffee also does as the Romans do. The storefronts are quaint, but there are only a few pink shops selling dried pork. Every family has a small fragrant pig in the store to attract everyone's attention. This is indeed a bit out of tune with the atmosphere of the ancient city.
We were attracted by the warm invitation of Hongwuji Hotel, and we tasted it inside. It really deserves its reputation as an Internet celebrity restaurant. The inn in the backyard is also very stylish. We were sitting by the window. The warm sunshine was shining on the table, and the view outside the window was first-class , the local auntie waiter has been chatting with us about the homework, and also thoughtfully delivered sea buckthorn juice. There are various flavors of local vinegar on the table for tasting. The yellow rice cold cake is springy and refreshing, and the beef stewed with aged vinegar is the signature of the store. The beef is soft and chewy, and the finishing touch of aged vinegar will whet your appetite.
The fame of Pingyao is inseparable from Shanxi merchants. In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, with the rise of "ticket numbers", Pingyao became the financial and commercial center of China at that time. At its peak, the total number of ticket numbers accounted for more than one-third of the country. Founded in 1823, it was headed by Lei Lutai, a famous Shanxi merchant. It was the first bank in China and the first private financial institution in China to specialize in bank exchange, deposit and loan business. It was the first of its kind in China's national banking industry. The economic lifeline of the entire Qing Dynasty in the 19th century, its semicolons spread over more than 30 cities across the country, as far as Europe, America, Southeast Asia and other countries. A glorious history of banking.
Synergy Qing was founded in 1856, and it is also one of the top ten bank accounts in Pingyao. Legend has it that the Empress Dowager Cixi passed by Pingyao when she escaped from disaster, and she mentioned money here, and passed down an oral order. The most worthwhile place to visit in the entire Synergy Celebration is the largest underground vault in Pingyao under the ticket yard, which stored a large amount of gold and silver back then, as well as the treasure of Pingyao’s town—the Dragon Pillar carved from camphor wood during the period of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty. , when everyone came to the underground vault, they would scramble to touch this divine dragon pillar, praying for blessings to keep their wealth. Although the scale of Synergy Qingpiao Bank is not as large as that of Rishengchang, its cave-style "underground bank" is more distinctive than the silver cellar-style bank. In the center of the square treasury stands the "Shenlong Baozhu", a treasure treasure, surrounded by four-hole silver kilns. It is used to store a large amount of gold and silver ingots, and it is kept intact, which is a must (some pictures borrowed from the Internet).
Huiwulin was originally the former residence of Wang Lun, a famous Baguazhang boxer in Pingyao in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period. It is a platform to promote Chinese martial arts culture and education. The martial arts hall enters the courtyard three times, and the golden plaque "Hai Na Bai Chuan" hangs on the main room. After bypassing the main room, there is the martial arts field. The playground is flat, and there is a Tai Chi picture embedded in the middle of the ground. I am in the martial arts field myself, and I really want to practice Taijiquan and learn from the masters of the rivers and lakes!
Try Pingyao bowl tray at night. It is said that it was created by famous chefs in the late Qing Dynasty. Crystal bright, chewy noodles, smooth and delicious to eat, suitable for cold salad in summer and stir-fried in winter, cat's ear is also a traditional Shanxi noodle dish, named for its shape like cat's ear after twisting, it tastes smooth and delicious.
Under the night, when the lights are on, all kinds of bars are competing to flash neon lights, but the doors are still deserted. The ancient city still exudes the vicissitudes of life. The old buildings with blue bricks and black tiles have experienced wind and rain, witnessing the prosperity for thousands of years And decline, how many sad and joyful stories are buried in the deep courtyard soaked by time, and how many amazing brilliance of Shanxi merchants are written... Pingyao, like an old photo album covered by time, is waiting for people to brush away the years Dust, in the ancient house with carved beams and painted buildings, in the red lamp hanging high in the courtyard, looking for the past time that has long passed away.
November 10
The inn helped us make an appointment in advance for a round-trip carpool to the Wang Family Courtyard. We can pick you up in the ancient city before 8:00 a.m., get up early, and we will go to Jinzhong by car. Shanxi merchants not only created the honesty-based Shanxi merchant culture, but also created the courtyard culture that represents the characteristics of northern dwellings. The most representative one is the Wang family courtyard, which lasted more than 300 years from the Jingsheng Wang family through the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was built, including a street of five lanes and six castles, with a total area of 250,000 square meters, which is larger than the Forbidden City in Beijing. Now it is only open to one-fifth of the former. It is incomparable to other courtyards. The Wang Family Courtyard is more like a city. It is a master of residential buildings in the Qing Dynasty. It is said that the Wang family will not look at the courtyard when they come back, and the first house of Chinese folk houses".
Walking through the ancient Jingsheng Confucian Temple, I saw the word "Yinbo" written on the top of the tall Zhengcheng Tower, which means "the purple air comes from the east", and the original meaning of the owner is "respectfully welcome the sunrise". After passing through the east gate, you will come to the Gaojiaya building complex. The lengthy family motto is impressively displayed on the outer wall. It was built by Wang Rucong and Wang Rucheng, two brothers of the Wang family, in the early years of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty. It is an "irregular" castle with two three-story buildings. The entrance-style courtyard, with tall and thick walls, still retains the form of a cave dwelling. The front hall and the rear bedroom in the courtyard have a rigorous layout, revealing the patriarchal and ethical characteristics of the feudal era everywhere, and finely carved architectural artworks can be seen everywhere inside and outside the courtyard. , whether it is the subject matter or the carving technique, it can be called a fine art. The most talked about is the "three carvings": brick carving, wood carving, and stone carving, which can be called the "three wonders" of the royal family. , otherworldly. The Wang Family Courtyard also preserves many treasures, such as the imperial decree of Emperor Jiaqing and the complete picture of the Qing Dynasty's ten-thousand-year unification of the world, which are rare in the world.
Opposite the Gaojiaya complex is the Red Gate Fort complex. The Red Gate Fort was mainly the place where the royal family lived for generations. The two forts are connected by a bridge. It is a typical northern fully enclosed castle complex. From the north to the south, there is a main street paved with large river pebbles, which is called "Longlin Street". The main street connects the west courtyard It is divided into east and west areas, and there are three horizontal alleys in the east-west direction. The horizontal alleys divide the west compound into four rows in the north and south. Climb to the top of the city wall, turn around and overlook, and you can have a panoramic view of the inside of the fort and the scenery of Jingsheng Ancient Town.
Rather than saying that the Wang Family Courtyard is a group of residential buildings, it is better to say that it is an architectural art museum. It brings the architectural culture of residential buildings to the extreme and embodies the essence of northern residential buildings. The representative of culture, the Wang Family Courtyard inherits the beliefs of the Shanxi Merchants family. If you don’t visit the scene, you can hardly imagine that there will be such a compound comparable to the imperial palace on the loess high slope. With its huge influence in the Qing Dynasty, the Wang Family Courtyard, which has experienced hundreds of years of vicissitudes, has increasingly exuded unique charm with its exquisite architectural art and profound cultural heritage, leaving it for future generations to comment on.
In the afternoon, we returned to the ancient city of Pingyao by carpool. The car parked outside the west gate, and we slowly returned to South Street. First, we went to the "People in the North" restaurant recommended by the inn to try the beef and copper hot pot. The store kindly invited us to drink their homemade oil tea, but I am not used to it . The guys in the store are super enthusiastic about their service. I heard that they are all trained by Haidilao. When the beef copper hot pot is served, it is gurgling and steaming. It is especially delicious and relieves greasy. After eating it, the body is warm, and there is still a lot of stewed vegetables hidden under it, potatoes, tofu, Chinese cabbage, and vermicelli. The portion is very large, and it is super delicious hot. The pot directly feeds two people (some pictures borrowed from the Internet).
Unexpectedly, in Shanxi, vinegar is so miraculous that anything that is dipped in vinegar will make people elated. Eating hot pot with vinegar, eating noodles with vinegar, and eating meat with vinegar, this kind of acid is not a kind of sour taste, but has a considerable The layered sense of sour makes people have endless aftertaste and greatly increases appetite. The traditional cognition of vinegar’s sourness has been completely subverted. In Chinese kitchens, the arrangement and combination of sour and "five flavors" and other brothers and sisters is always Bring new surprises to the tip of the tongue, Shanxi vinegar has the power to turn decay into magic. Next door to the restaurant is its own vinegar shop "Niangjia Vinegar Shop". I thought it was an online celebrity shop in a tourist attraction, but I was deeply impressed by it when I walked in. Attractive, the warm yellow lighting tone in the store, the red lanterns hanging high, all kinds of vinegar altars and wine vats are lined up, all here are purely hand-brewed, as the saying goes, making vinegar is like being a human being. Fragrance, honey vinegar, apple vinegar, imperial concubine vinegar, jujube vinegar, hawthorn vinegar, wolfberry vinegar... Niangjia Vinegar Workshop's research on vinegar is deep, and all of them are available in different flavors. Among them, imperial concubine vinegar has the best taste, which combines Red dates, roses, wolfberries, lilies and other nutritious materials can be drunk directly, and the taste is endless. The two of us who hate shopping in scenic spots fell into the vinegar shop and bought ten catties of vinegar in one go (apple cider vinegar & imperial concubine vinegar), it is really rare, go home and drink vinegar every day to keep healthy.
The Pingyao County Government Office was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, which has a history of more than 600 years. Today, the buildings preserved are mainly from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The entire government office faces south and is arranged in an axial symmetry. The master and slaves are orderly and scattered. Well-organized and reasonable in structure, it can be called the epitome of the imperial palace in terms of architectural layout and function setting. There is a pavilion built on the street in front of the county government gate, which is the wind and rain building of the county government. This building was built in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. One side of the building The hanging plaque is "Tingyu Tower", and the plaque on the other side is "Guanfeng Tower". In the county government, there is said to be the only preserved Qing Dynasty prison in China, and the only surviving Yuan Dynasty building - Daxian Tower. The fox fairy enshrining the seal of the protective official on the upper floor is unique to the Pingyao County Government.
Pingyao Confucian Temple is known as the "Little Forbidden City". It was built in the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. It is the oldest and best-preserved Confucian temple complex among the existing Confucian temples at all levels in China. The Dacheng Hall was rebuilt in the Jin Dynasty and has maintained its original appearance. There is a circle of living water around it. Constantly, there are yellow nameplates for studying and praying for blessings everywhere. There is a dragon gate between Minglun Hall and Dacheng Hall. What the students most want to achieve should be the carp jumping over the dragon gate and the title of the gold list, right? Why don't you come here and jump into the Dragon Gate yourself! On the back wall of Dacheng Hall, there is a huge character "kui", which means "to win the first prize at one stroke". The character "kui" was written by Wen Tianxiang, the number one scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty. Made by copying Wen Tianxiang's original characters, it has been preserved to this day and is very precious.
There is a Nine-Dragon Wall in the northeast corner of the Confucian Temple, which was built in the early Ming Dynasty. It was originally the screen wall of the mountain gate of Taizi Temple. It is one of the only four Nine-Dragon Walls in China. Nine-Dragon Wall, Pingyao Nine-Dragon Wall looks a little dull, this is because the rare torrential rain in Pingyao in 1977 caused the collapse of a large number of ancient buildings and city walls in the city, including the Nine-Dragon Wall. before.
Not far from the Confucian Temple is the Pingyao Town God's Temple, which was first built in the Northern Song Dynasty and rebuilt twice in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Art is the biggest feature. The colored glaze covering the roof of the temple is mainly blue and green, with yellow and white. The blue and cold colors formed show a mysterious artistic conception. An outstanding representative of glazed crafts.
"Seeing Pingyao Again" is a large-scale indoor situational drama created by the well-known director Wang Chaoge's deep integration of Pingyao's history and humanities. The whole performance lasts 1.5 hours. He lost his fortune and went to Tsarist Russia with 232 bodyguards from the Tongxing Public Escort. Seven years later, Zhao Dongjia himself and all the bodyguards died on the way, and the story of the continuation of the Wang family's blood was performed. The courtyard, market, Nanmen Square, Shanxi pasta, and the spirit of Shanxi merchants are all integrated into the plot, telling a blood legend with integrity, and let us understand this thick Shanxi merchant spirit more deeply. The audience enters different scenes one by one and interacts with the actors face to face. The audience is both an audience and an actor. ", "Heart to Hometown" and other clips, especially "Soul Going Home", made full use of the sound and light effects, set up many secret doors in the background curtain, and vividly showed the souls of the bodyguards coming out of the body, the scene was very touching , I also cried several times (some pictures borrowed from the Internet).
Look at China for pasta in the world, and Shanxi for Chinese pasta. A bowl of "Acacia Noodles" can best relieve the nostalgia of wanderers. The deep love and nostalgia for the bowl of noodles from the ancestors from generation to generation, when the last scene of "Heart to Hometown" performed the noodle show, the flour was flying, and everyone sitting at the scene could smell the smell of flour, and the whole performance reached its climax, and the dancers talked about it face to face , the scene is both shocking and touching, making people unable to separate from the story for a long time (picture borrowed from the Internet).
November 11
I am about to leave the ancient city of Pingyao. I felt the "see Pingyao again" last night. Today I must go to the "Tongxing Public Escort Bureau" again. As the security industry in early China, Escort provided a splendid historical platform for the prosperity of Escort with the rise of Shanxi merchants. After the rise of Pingyao ticket office in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, Pingyao business also began to enter the golden age, and Escort became a cold weapon era. Shanxi merchant amulets, but later with the decline of Shanxi merchants and the progress of the times, the Escort declined and became history. Tongxing Public Escort Bureau was one of the famous Escort Bureaus that shocked the whole country in the Qing Dynasty. It was founded by Wang Zhengqing, a martial arts master in the fifth year of Xianfeng in Qing Dynasty. As a result, the dart flag business flourished. The surname of the chief bodyguard is written on the flag of the bodyguard. Famous bodyguards are rarely robbed by bodyguards. As a high-risk occupation, bodyguards are most abstained from martial arts flowery displays of boxing and embroidered legs. There is a Tai Chi Yin Yang Eight Diagrams trough. Pulling the ball back and forth with both hands can practice arm strength. The stone locks on the ground are heavy. It is said that in the past, escorts had to lift them over their heads 100 times a day, and there were also sandbags for Sanda practice, etc.
Aged vinegar yogurt, I thought it would taste weird, but I couldn’t help being curious and wanted to try it. The result was unexpectedly delicious. The store will adjust the sweetness and sourness to your satisfaction. It’s not too sour, slightly acetic acid and yogurt The sweetness and sweetness are skillfully blended together, the taste is really good, absolutely not against the harmony.
On the way to the high-speed railway station, we passed Shuanglin Temple. This is one of the ancient temples included in the "World Heritage List". The painted clay sculptures of various dynasties from the Qing Dynasty are all rare treasures, and they are the essence of the painted clay sculptures of the Yuan and Ming dynasties in China. The statue of Avalokitesvara on the east side is the statue of Avalokitesvara, a classic painted sculpture of Shuanglin Temple. However, the Bodhisattva's limelight was taken away by Wei Tuo beside him. This statue of Wei Tuo, less than half a meter tall, is known as the best in the world. Wei Tuo is the pinnacle of painted sculpture works in the entire Shuanglin Temple and even in the whole country. It is known as "the crown of Wei Tuo in the whole country".
Take the high-speed rail from the ancient city of Pingyao to Datong. It was originally the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It strangles the throats of Jin, Hebei and Inner Mongolia. In a city with unlimited energy, the air quality has been improving year by year in recent years, and it has a "Datong Blue" that is completely different from the impression of the "Coal City" in the past. The ancient city wall of Datong was first built in the fifth century A.D. during the period when the Tuoba clan of the Northern Wei Dynasty established the capital. After spending a lot of money to rebuild, the rebuilt city wall lost its original flavor.
When you arrive in Datong, naturally you can’t miss the siu mai at Fenglin Pavilion. Fenglin Pavilion is definitely a restaurant with a story just by listening to its name. Datong’s famous Internet celebrity shop, as early as the Ming Dynasty, Datong Shaomai was very famous, especially Fenglin Pavilion. Wheat is the best. When the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled west to Datong. The local officials served them meticulously. They ordered the chefs in Fengling Pavilion to steam a unique siu mai based on the traditional siu mai. The chefs steamed nine cages of siu mai with different tastes and shapes, stuffed with nine kinds of meat such as chicken, duck, fish, and shrimp, and squeezed out nine flower shapes such as peony, lotus, peony, and autumn chrysanthemum. The flower-shaped juice symbolizes the long-term prosperity of the Qing Dynasty. Empress Dowager Cixi, who was in exile, was full of praise after tasting it, and she was very pleased. She praised it as Baihua Shaomai, and Datong Shaomai was named after it. It has won the reputation of "the first cage in the world". When Baihua Shaomai comes out of the cage, it is fragrant, the pleats are like blooming plum blossoms, the skin is as thin as jade, and the meat is fresh and tender, exquisite and translucent. The non-greasy soft and glutinous taste makes people never get tired of eating it. If it is dipped in Shanxi old vinegar and chili oil, it will have a special taste.
November 12
Among the three major grottoes in China, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes focuses on murals flying, clay sculptures and scripture caves; Longmen Grottoes is the follow-up work of Yungang, focusing on statue inscriptions and steles. Unlike the first two, Yungang Grottoes have gone through multiple dynasties It was excavated, but it was built by the Xianbei people in the Northern Wei Dynasty, representing the highest level of stone carving art in the world 1600 years ago. The Yungang Grottoes are about one kilometer long, with 254 main caves and more than 50,000 statues. The carving area is 18,000 square meters. The stone carvings are majestic, majestic, and varied in various poses. They belong to the typical royal style of magnificence and splendor.
On the ridge of the main gate of Yungang Que Gate, there are sun god birds and three-legged crows worshiped in the Northern Wei Dynasty. At the entrance stands a statue of monk Tan Yao who presided over the excavation. Thirteen pairs of "four-sided pillars riding elephants" are arranged on both sides of Lifo Avenue. , passing through the avenue of worshiping Buddha lined with sacred pillars, you can see two opposite umbrella-shaped relief walls of royal worshiping Buddha. In the center of the embossed wall, there is a golden leaf bodhi tree praying for the world. Lingyan Temple is built on the island in the middle of the lake. The central stone-carved square statue tower is as high as 5 floors, and each floor has 12 main Buddha statues on all sides There are hundreds of small Buddha statues around the pillars and niches.
After passing through Lingyan Temple, there is the real gate of Yungang Grottoes. The stone carving on the wall is "The Record of Bhikkhuni Tanmei Statue". The original stone carving was found in the accumulated soil in front of the cave when Yungang Cave 20 was being renovated in 1956. , the script is said to be the early style of Wei Bei, the source of Chinese Wei Bei calligraphy.
The Yungang Grottoes mainly experienced three periods:
The first is the start-up period (16-20 caves, also known as Tanyao Five Caves): the eminent monk Tan Yao presided over the digging of the majestic Tanyao Five Caves, which opened the prelude to the excavation of Yungang Grottoes. The five caves are magnificent in scale and magnificent in decoration. Skilled in technique, rigorous and unified in layout design, it is a classic masterpiece of the first peak period of Chinese Buddhist art. In order to show the unlimited power of the emperor in the Northern Wei Dynasty, huge statues of Tathagata Buddha were carved in the center of the five grottoes of "Tanyao Five Grottoes". Among the five emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the big Buddha in Cave 20 is 13.7 meters high. It is said that it represents Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The representative and symbol of grotto carving art is also an unprecedented masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist carving art. Due to the collapse of the outer rock wall due to the earthquake, it became the only open-air Buddha statue and unexpectedly became the most famous image spokesperson of Yungang Grottoes.
The second is the peak period (1-13 caves): it is the heyday stage of Yungang Grottoes carving, and it is also the most stable and prosperous period in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Yungang Grottoes has gathered outstanding talents from all over the country. The more prosperous and exquisite large cave statues are produced. The sculpture art features of complex content and exquisite carvings are quite different from those of the early grottoes. .
The third cave is the largest cave in Yungang. The fifth and sixth caves are a group of double caves. In front of the caves, the majestic and towering five-room, four-story wooden pavilion with winding corridors was built during the Shunzhi period of the early Qing Dynasty. It is called the eaves building. It plays the role of protecting the grottoes, preventing the grottoes from being exposed and being eroded, and also beautifies the grottoes. According to experts' research, there are eaves in front of the big grottoes of Yungang Grottoes, but most of them were destroyed by war or other factors. The glazed tile roof, tall and straight, and extraordinary momentum, is the "Yungang Moyun" among the eight sceneries of Yungang in the Ming Dynasty. The Buddha sitting on the north wall of the cave is 17 meters high. It is the tallest Buddha statue in Yungang Grottoes. contemporary style.
The sixth cave is rich in carvings, known as "the first grand view in Yungang". There are more than 30 pictures of Buddha's biography. These story pictures are carved with reasonable structure and simple techniques, which are precious. Many sculptures have been weathered and their colors peeled off or faded after more than a thousand years of ups and downs, but they still show the exquisiteness of the year. Its splendor makes people admire and sigh. Buddha statues, bodhisattvas, arhats, flying apsaras, donors, auspicious birds, animals, flowers, etc., are like a bustling, crowded and dazzling Buddhist world, representing the highest state of traditional grotto art in the Northern Wei Dynasty .
The seventh and eighth caves are the earliest double caves in Yungang. The roof of the caves imitates the flat algae wells in the wooden buildings, 24 pairs of flying apsaras dance gracefully around the blooming lotus, and there is the only toothy smiling Bodhisattva in the grottoes. The Thirteenth Cave is commonly known as "Wuhua Cave", and it is extremely gorgeous because of the mud painting of later generations (some pictures are borrowed from the Internet).
The third is the period of decline (mainly distributed in the west of Cave 20): after the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, although large-scale excavation activities stopped, the trend of digging caves and statues spread among the middle and lower classes, and a large number of small and medium-sized caves were excavated. The styles are varied, and the art of Chinese Buddhist statues is becoming more popular and secular in an all-round way, and it has become a sample of the excavation of Longmen Grottoes.
The fifteenth cave is mainly about the theme of thousands of Buddhas. It used to be called "Thousand Buddha Cave". There are more than ten thousand statues in the cave, so it is also called "Ten Thousand Buddha Cave". The composition is rigorous; Cave No. 39 is the largest cave in the late Yungang Grottoes. The architectural components of the pagodas and columns are carved accurately and are well preserved. They are important materials for studying early Chinese pagodas.
There are sparse or dense holes on the walls and Buddha statues of Yungang Grottoes. The explanation of the scenic spot is as follows: In the Qing Dynasty, Yungang Grottoes carried out many large-scale renovations and repairs of clay sculptures. The methods of embedding wooden pegs, wrapping hemp, painting mud and painting, the craftsmen drive wooden piles into the Buddha statues and fix them, and cover them with clay sculptures and painted paintings. Although this method has a certain protective effect against weathering, it has caused great damage to the stone carvings. In the later period, the mud skin fell off, and the wooden piles withered, and now it has become so riddled with holes.
Before leaving Datong, let’s come to a bowl of noodles. Xijindao is a high-end noodle restaurant under the famous Fenglin Pavilion. The legendary noodle restaurant Hermès has a Japanese-style interior layout. The decoration is industrial black gold style. , the taste really lives up to its reputation. The topping is traditional pork simmered with braised eggs and dried tofu. The noodles are very strong and the bean noodles are also very distinctive. A bowl of noodle soup, this is the authentic way of eating "original soup into original food".
November 13
"The victory of the three Jin Dynasties is the most in Jinyang; and the victory of Jinyang is all in Jinci". It is in vain to go to Taiyuan if you don’t go to Jin Temple. Jin Temple was built to commemorate Tang Shuyu, the first ancestor of the Jin Dynasty in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and his mother, Yijiang. It is the earliest existing royal garden in China. Tang Shuyu is the son of Zhou Wuwang Jifa. Female, the Hall of the Holy Mother, Yumao Feiliang, and Xiandian in the Jinci Temple are the three major national treasures.
Entering Jinci Temple, you must first pass through Jinci Park outside Jinci Temple. The park area is very large, the environment is beautiful, and the autumn colors are thick. , the "Longxing Jinyang" bronze group sculptures of Tang Taizong Li Shimin in the park are magnificent.
Walking into the real gate of Jinci Temple, what you see is a building from the Ming and Qing Dynasties—Shuijingtai. This building looks like a temple, but it is actually a stage. The side facing the gate of Jinci Temple is the back of the stage. It is one of the three famous plaques of Jinci Temple. It is said that eight large tanks were buried under the stage when the water mirror stage was built. In order to achieve the effect of sound amplification. Looking at the water mirror platform from the back side, it looks like the Monkey King's changing earth temple in the cartoon. The round windows on both sides seem to be the two flaming eyes of Monkey King, and it feels like it will be spinning around or flickering in the next second.
After crossing the Huixian Bridge, you will arrive at the Jinrentai. The four iron figures are in a heroic posture. Because iron is a metal, people call it the "Golden Rentai". Each of these golden men in the Song Dynasty is about 2 meters high. It is strange that after nearly a thousand years of wind and rain, why are the iron men bright and not rusty? It is conceivable that the original forging technology and alloy ratio have been very skilled. In particular, the iron man in the southwest corner has a history of more than 800 years. It is not only well preserved, but also has a mighty look. The chest, abdomen and legs are cast with characters, which are still clear and three-dimensional until nearly a thousand years later. It is said that this casting technique is very difficult and represents the highest level of iron casting in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Behind the Jinren Terrace is Duiyue Fang. The inscribed plaque is one of the three famous plaques of Jinci. meaning, or it can also be understood as promoting the noble virtues of mothers. Passing through Duiyuefang, you will arrive at the Dedicated Hall of the Three Treasures of the Jinci Temple. This building, built in the Jin Dynasty, adopts traditional Chinese architectural techniques. It is entirely made of wood and wood connected by mortise and tenon. The place where the offerings are displayed when offering sacrifices to the Virgin, and the plaque of "Dedicated Hall" hanging in the hall are original objects of the Jin Dynasty.
The Fish Marsh Flying Bridge of the Three Treasures of the Jinci Temple was built in the Song Dynasty. It is in the shape of a cross bridge, like a roc spreading its wings. It is located in front of the Holy Mother Hall. It is elegant and generous in shape and unique in shape.
The main hall at the rear is the Hall of the Holy Mother of the Three Treasures of the Jinci Temple. It is the main hall of the Jinci Temple. It was built during the Tiansheng period of the Northern Song Dynasty. On the eight large pillars on the front of the Notre Dame Hall, each holds a wooden dragon, all of which are originals from the Northern Song Dynasty. Although these dragons have a history of nearly a thousand years, they still have angry eyes, sharp claws, scales and beards, and are full of dominance. I was quite shocked. I looked around the beam for a long time, and still felt that it was the best in the world, which could be called a miracle. Under the plaque in the middle of the Notre Dame Hall, the horizontal plaque reads "The Legacy of the Three Jin Dynasties", which is said to be the imperial pen of the Empress Dowager Cixi in the Qing Dynasty, and the plaque hanging in the middle of the front porch "The Holy Mother of Zhaoji", which is the original of the Northern Song Dynasty, is said to have been created by Song Renzong On the left and right sides of the porch in front of the hall, there is a general statue about four meters high, which is also the original Song Dynasty.
There are forty-three painted statues in the Hall of the Virgin Mary, including one statue of the Madonna, five statues of eunuchs, four statues of female officials in men's clothing, and thirty-three statues of maids. People customarily call them "Song statues of maids". The forty-three painted maids are the essence of Jinci's cultural relics, the first of the Jinci's three wonders, and also the treasures of ancient Chinese clay sculpture art. These painted sculptures have a history of more than 900 years. Except for the two small statues in the niche, they are all originals from the Song Dynasty. The Hall of Notre Dame is really famous for the statue of a young maid wrapped in red cloth in the picture below. For this purpose, I found a high-definition large picture from the Internet. She has attracted special attention because of her pretty and innocent image. The red scarf covers the high hair, and a young and pretty face protrudes from it. On one side is a curved thin eyebrow, bright and innocent eyes, a smile floats on the corner of the mouth, and the head is slightly lowered to reveal the girl She is innocent, charming and a bit shy, but on the other side she is frowning, revealing the melancholy of losing her freedom and youth since she was a child. These two emotions are tangled and difficult to express, but they are all written on the maid's face.
There are many ancient trees in the Jinci Temple, among which the oldest tree (3000 years old) is an ancient cypress from the Zhou Dynasty on the north side of the Temple of the Virgin. The ancient cypress forms an angle of 45 degrees with the ground, leaning on the Virgin On the top of the hall, the branches and leaves are evergreen, like a black dragon lying prone in it. What's more amazing is that another green cypress grew under the lying cypress in unknown years, supporting the inclined ancient cypress.
Nanlaoquan, one of the three treasures of Jinci Temple, is known as "the first spring in Jinyang", and its plaque is also one of the three famous plaques of Jinci Temple. Nanlaoquan is still the main source of Jinshui. The spring water is warm in winter and cool in summer. It is as clear as jasper. A stone weir has ten holes with equal diameters. The spring water is divided into two streams here, three in the south and seven in the north, so it is called "three-seven diversion".
Before leaving Taiyuan, following the must-eat list route, we found Hedong Yixiang Pavilion not far from the hotel, the most popular cheap restaurant in Taiyuan. There was still a queue after two o’clock in the afternoon. The beef tripe was soft and chewy. , the sesame sauce is delicious, the spicy oil is very fragrant, and the oily meat is a typical representative of Shanxi cuisine, known as "Sanjin Yiwei". , just called two pancakes, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, it is a perfect match to eat between them.
For this trip, I used the intercity high-speed rail + Didi Taxi in the city (carpooling in the Wang Family Courtyard). You can have a good time without driving. You can wander around the ancient city of Pingyao, walk into the Wang Family Courtyard, worship the Yungang Grottoes, and enjoy the Jinci three Three treasures, looking for delicious food, eating noodles... It is the off-season of Shanxi tourism, tourists are scarce, which is just what I want. Although the air condition is not good after the heating in autumn and winter, but this trip is still blue sky, which is a surprise. I hope that "Datong Blue" will be permanently stationed in Shanxi!
