Nanguo Temple, named after being located in the south of the city wall, was founded in the Southern and Northern Dynasties when Buddhism prevailed. It is arranged into three courtyards in the middle, east and west, forming a pattern of classical garden architecture, with pines, cypresses and temples dotted around. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it has been a scenic spot in Tianshui. The temple was named "Miaoshengyuan" in Song Dynasty, and was named "zenrinji for Protecting the Country" in the 15th year of Qing Qianlong.
The main buildings in Nanguo Temple are arranged on the platform according to the left, middle and right courtyards. There are two ancient pagodas in China with a trunk diameter of about two meters in front of the temple, which has a history of more than 1,000 years. Just like two generals guarding the front of the temple, it has become the biggest symbol of the temple landscape. There are three arched gates with flowers in the middle. On the lintel, the word "Nanguo Temple" is hung high, with the name of Zhao Puchu, and there are three watchmen on both sides. Entering the front yard, there are three halls of the King of Heaven hanging from the top of the mountain, and the inscription of "The First Mountain" in Mi Fei of Qing Dynasty is copied under the eaves. There is a small archway door on the left and right of the courtyard, which is an east-west Buddhist temple. The East Temple was converted into Du Shaoling Temple in Qing Dynasty, and the West Temple remained the same. In front of the hall, there was Maitreya Buddha with a big belly, four heavenly kings around him, followed by Wei Tuo, the protector, and passed through the hall. Second-order four eaves and four columns, the horizontal forehead garden is thick and huge, with the legacy of the Yuan Dynasty. Its archways are densely decorated with carved beams and painted buildings, which is not bad in Zhuang Dian. Just south of the backyard is a single-eaved hall hanging from the top of the mountain. Inside the hall is Sun Jiyuan, a contemporary sculptor, who imitates the style of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The east side of the East-West Annex Hall is used for copper casting and underground storage. The West Temple used to be a gilded bronze Buddha, but now it is a jade goddess of mercy. There is a 2600-year-old Cooper in the main hall courtyard, which is divided into three branches, extending to the north and south sides, and its branches lean obliquely against the roof, which is very spectacular. A small cypress tree is parasitic on the branches. In order to protect ancient trees, Qing people built fences with blue bricks and supported branches with stone tablets, with stones and wood embedded at the top. There is also a tree in the northwest of the hospital, which can grow in the northwest of China, and its age is 300 years. This is really a miracle. Coupled with the dragon-shaped Sophora japonica in the northeast, this hospital has collected a wide range of exotic flowers and herbs that have been with Nanshan Cooper for nearly 3000 years, making it famous at home and abroad.
There are three small archway doors with double eaves on the east side of the watchtower in the middle gate of the East Courtyard. Formerly known as "Qiu Chi Palace", the door is now hung by the contemporary calligrapher Sha Menghai "Nanguo Temple". The former front yard was Guanyin Hall, and the pyramid-shaped roof had a hexagonal Lingling Pavilion, which was written by the poet Du Fu. Today, its pavilion has been demolished, leaving only its spring water for people to enjoy. At the southern end, there is a new "Ermiaoxuan" stone tablet with the calligraphy of Song Wan, a poet in the early Qing Dynasty, and a stone statue of Du Fu. It is located in Nanguo Temple and the seat of the court, and is famous for attracting domestic and foreign poets to visit and recite poems.
There is a Guandi Temple and an annex building in the west of this courtyard. There is also a small mountain gate leading to the outside of the temple, and then it connects to the Du Shaoling Temple established in the west in the Qing Dynasty. The list of "full of loneliness and anger" written by General Zhong Wu and Zhou Wuxue in Shaolin Temple. On the column of Huo's "Epic Hall" on the eaves of Zhengdong Temple, there are couplets written by Xie Weifeng in the late Qing Dynasty, such as "The leading full moon sings lang Huai, and the autumn wind in Shu Road tears many times" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong). There is a statue of Du Fu in the temple in the late Qing Dynasty for visitors to admire.
There is also a small mountain gate with flowers hanging on the top of the mountain, with eight-character walls on both sides. There are five old Buddhist temples in the courtyard, with statues of Sakyamuni's nirvana and a group of disciples in the Song Dynasty. They were so vivid and amazing that they were destroyed in the 1950s. There are two halls, east and west. In front of the hall, there are seven-level floating pictures made of brick in Sui Dynasty, with dense eaves. Crocodiles are hard and skinned, and birds are noisy.
In spring, the water is fragrant and the old trees are blooming beautifully.
Lie on your back, and the rain will increase on time.
Lingbi is clear and shining, intoxicating tourists and boasting.
Note: Nanguo Temple, named after being located in the south of the city wall, was built in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. There are three "Nanshan Cooper" in the Intermediate People's Court, which have lived for 3000 years; The East Courtyard has a clear spring, which is inexhaustible for generations and enjoys the reputation of "Lingqiu"; The Sui Tower in the West Courtyard collapsed during the Republic of China, but the tower base still exists. The poet Du Fu has a poem here: Nanguo Temple on the mountain, the water number Beiliu Spring. Old trees are empty, and clear canals lead to the city.