This is Xiaoyu’s travel diary, stop and go, and see Hunan with me.
As the second home of Buddhism, there are many ancient and famous temples throughout China. Some are located in bustling areas of the city, while others are hidden in inaccessible places. So, have you ever seen an ancient temple located in a university? While traveling in Changsha, Hunan, I visited Hunan University and unexpectedly discovered that the oldest temple in Hunan was hidden on the campus.
It is Lushan Temple.
In fact, many tourists are no stranger to Hunan University in Changsha. Hunan University is a key university in China and has been included in the 211.985 Double First-Class Project. It also has a very long history, originating from Yuelu Academy, one of the four major academies in China founded in the 9th year of Kaibao by Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, it is also known as the "Millennium Academy".
Hunan University is located at the foot of Yuelu Mountain. This famous mountain is surrounded by many cultural monuments, such as Yuelu Academy, Aiwan Pavilion, etc., attracting many tourists. So visiting Hunan is also an important stop in our trip to Changsha.
However, after visiting several established scenic spots according to the route, we also came across an ancient Lushan Temple halfway up Yuelu Mountain. Compared with the crowded Yuelu Academy and Aiwan Pavilion, this place seems much quieter.
Lushan Temple was built in the fourth year of Taishi (268 years) of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty. It is the oldest temple in Hunan, dating back more than 1,700 years. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the ancient temple flourished. Not only are eminent monks emerging in large numbers, but the beautiful scenery has attracted many literati to visit and left many poems. Among them, Du Fu's couplet "The temple gate opens high into the cave courtyard, and the foot of the temple plunges into the Chisha Lake" is the most famous.
The ancient temple is hidden deep in the Yuelu Mountain, nestled among the green mountains and ancient trees. There is no hustle and bustle of people, only the ancient charm. While walking among them, a tall and lush Podocarpus caught our attention. Later I learned that this 1,500-year-old tree is also the oldest tree in Changsha. It is said that there are many ancient trees in ancient temples, and they have been together for thousands of years. The temple is more peaceful because of the trees, and the trees are more fairy-like because of the temple.
Probably because it is located on the other side of Yuelu Mountain, there are very few tourists here. During the tour, I saw not many people, but quite a few pigeons. The sound of cooing echoed throughout the ancient temple, and it seemed to become increasingly quiet. It had an artistic conception of "the noisy cicada forest is more quiet, and the bird singing mountain is more secluded".
Because it was an unexpected encounter, we also missed the most precious cultural relics of Lushan Temple. If you have the opportunity to visit here, you can look for the "Lushan Temple Monument". This stele was written by Li Yong, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. It was engraved in the 18th year of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty (730). The full text is 1,413 words. In addition to recording the rise and fall of the ancient temple in the past dynasties, it is also known as "the combination of the inscriptions of the Han and Wei dynasties" , has become a masterpiece of calligraphy art and the most precious cultural relic in the temple.
Coming out of Lushan Temple is the way down the mountain. Following the steps down the mountain, we arrived at Denggao Road, the famous food street of Hunan University, and the surrounding area immediately became lively again. Looking back, Yueshan Temple hidden in Yuelu Mountain really seems like a secret place isolated from the hustle and bustle.