The Sanqing Hall of the Mysterious Temple was rebuilt in the Southern Song Dynasty. The mountain gate is majestic and towering, with a pair of brick-carved faucets at the two ends of the roof, which looks around. The house rests on the top of the hill with heavy eaves, and the red lacquer lintel is simple and dignified. The house is 3 meters high and the construction area is more than 1,1 square meters, which is almost square. The beams and columns in the hall are single logs, and the statues stand around the hall in different shapes. It is really magnificent, tall and solemn, and its momentum can be compared with the Taihe Hall in the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Dacheng Hall in the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong Province, but these two buildings are far away from the Southern Song Dynasty, and the Sanqing Hall is really a treasure of the country.
In the center of Sanqing Hall, there are three deities, and there are four deities on both sides, which are majestic in shape. There are 6 statues of stars in the hall, which are vivid in shape and different in expression, and feel ready to answer. According to the order of heavenly stems and earthly branches, they are the 6 stars gods believed by Taoism, that is, the 6 gods who are on duty every day. The names of these gods are the matching of heavenly stems and earthly branches, and there are zodiac signs in each year. Twelve years is a period, and five cycles are a period of sixty years. There is a stone statue of Laozi in the hall, which looks fantastic, detached and refined, with loose and elegant clothes and unrestrained lines. This statue was carved by Wu Daozi in the Tang Dynasty, praised by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and carved by Zhang Yundi, a stone sculptor in the Song Dynasty. It is a treasure of the town, and there are some inscriptions since the Tang and Song Dynasties. The whole hall is structurally complete, tall and spacious, and the beams and arches are all single logs and sculptures.
In the early days, the mysterious temple was the place with the highest incense. Because of its long history, it was built in the Western Jin Dynasty, before Buddhism flourished. At that time, it was the largest in terms of architecture and scale. There were 24 auxiliary halls and annex halls around the main hall, which became a very spectacular building complex. Now, except for the main hall, the surrounding stone fence is still the same, with green flagstones on the ground and several ancient cypresses beside the hall. There are Wenchang Hall and Guanyin Hall on the east and the Temple of Wealth on the west. Other historical sites include the mountain gate tablet written by Zhao Mengzhao when the Xuanmiao Temple was rebuilt, the wordless tablet on the left side of the temple, the hexagonal pavilion in front of the temple, the wonderful unified plaque, the immortal Yin Shi and many other places. After renovation, the square in front of the temple is open, and a copper stands in the middle of the front of the mountain. During the renovation, an ancient well from the Five Dynasties was found at the entrance to the front of the temple. It is said that it was used by ancient Taoist priests to get water for alchemy. Its position is in line with the main hall, which is the number of yin and yang, and the water quality is still clear.
The Mysterious Temple has always been a bustling place. The local saying "Mysterious Temple with White Faces" means that you must visit the Mysterious Temple in Suzhou, which is as famous as the "City God Temple" in Shanghai and the "Confucius Temple" in Nanjing. Since ancient times, merchants have gathered, and folk artists from all over the world have set up stalls to sell acrobatic performances, ethnic handicrafts and traditional cultural goods. There are numerous kinds of local famous snacks, which can be tasted all over the world. There are also calligraphy and painting couplets, flowers, seedlings, fish and insects, and charlatans, all of which will gather here. If it is a holiday, it will become a special New Year picture market, such as the kitchen god, the door god, the picture of longevity, the picture of sending children, the prints of the three friends of the old cold, the Five Blessingg of Mei Kai and the Taohuawu, and more snacks and foods, which are completely exhibitions of miscellaneous goods in department stores. Not to mention foreign tourists, even local visitors to Suzhou will often go to the mysterious temple to have fun and become the place where people gather and flow the most.
The Mysterious Temple in Suzhou is one of the oldest and largest Taoist temples in China, and it is the main activity place of Taoism in past dynasties. Many Taoist cultural exchange activities are mostly held in this time. There are a large number of classic works such as Tao Te Ching, South China True Scripture, Huang Tingjing, and Tibetan Taoist Scripture, all of which are thread-bound classics with rich cultural connotations, as well as Taoist musical instruments, implements and other missionary supplies. As a place for Taoist self-cultivation, you can hear chanting lessons in the morning and evening. Now a branch of Taoist College has been opened to promote and inherit the popularization and development of Taoist culture.
the founder of Taoism is Laozi, and the Tao Te Ching is a treasure trove of its theory. The core of Taoist thought is Tao, which is the origin of the universe and the law governing all movements in the universe. Everything starts from nature and returns to nature to conform to the laws of nature. Zhuangzi and his descendants carried forward Laozi's theory, interpreted all things in nature, human wisdom and the way of life from a philosophical point of view, and created the theory of Taoist philosophy. In fact, "Taoism" and "Taoism" are different and cannot be equated. Taoism is a school of philosophical thought initiated by Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, taking Tao Te Ching as the classic theory, expounding the fusion relationship between man and nature, which belongs to the category of human natural philosophy.
although Taoism regards Laozi as its leader, the two can't be confused, nor can it be said that Taoist theory is Taoist thought. The classics of Taoism are Huang Tingjing, Bao Puzi, South China Zhenjing, etc. Taoism exists as a religion and an organized form. The act of deifying Taoist characters has its immortal worship and belief, developing believers and organizations, and holding a series of religious ceremonies and activities. Some of these people are engaged in religious superstitious activities and even deviate from Taoist thought. Those fortune tellers, magicians and fortune tellers are basically these people. Taoism, as one of the three religions of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, naturally has a profound cultural origin, which constitutes Taoist culture. Now it is divided into four academic systems: Taoism, theology, immortalism and teaching. Taoism is the quintessence of Chinese culture. As a Taoist resort of the Chinese nation, the mysterious and wonderful view is an important communication place for carrying forward and inheriting Taoist thoughts. I hope those Taoist scholars will educate the public with correct Taoist thoughts, and don't take that kind of side road.