However, in addition to these temple attractions relative to online celebrities, there are many small and beautiful temples hidden in Fujian, which also have a thousand-year history and reflect Fujian's religious beliefs. For example, Dongqiaoting Temple in Zhangzhou is one of them.
Perhaps speaking of Dongqiaoting Temple, many travelers have never heard of it, but in fact, this temple was built in 8 16 AD, that is, Tang Yuan 1 1 years ago, with a history of more than 1200 years, which can be regarded as a temple with profound historical background. Today, it has a long history and has been included in the first batch of municipal cultural relics protection units in Zhangzhou City.
Dongqiaoting Temple is located in the east of Zhangzhou ancient city, only 5 minutes' walk from the Confucian Temple. Because there is a bridge in front and a temple in the back, it is called "East Bridge Pavilion". Speaking of this bridge, you must not bypass a story. East Bridge is the "Ming Di Bridge" in Yinqi Bridge. It is said that when the East Bridge was completed, a Zhangzhou native named Zhou Kuangwu was admitted to the scholar, who was the first person in Zhangzhou to be admitted to the imperial examination system. The local area can be described as a city carnival. In order to celebrate ourselves and encourage the young people behind, the bridge was renamed here.
Now the temples look very small. Compared with Kaiyuan Temple and Tianhou Temple in Quanzhou, it is much inferior here, but fortunately, it looks very simple. Dongqiaoting Temple covers an area of about 800 square meters and is divided into three entrances. The first entrance in front was built in the Tang Dynasty, and the main god Guanyin Bodhisattva was enshrined in the middle. Eighteen arhats are erected on both sides, and there is a pool in the middle of the hall for release. Second, it was built in the Ming Dynasty and dedicated to the three saints of the West; The last one was built in the Qing Dynasty and dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha. It can be seen that each family has a long history.
In fact, the whole building is not an antique, but many cultural relics in the hall, such as Panlong stone pillars, are of primitive simplicity, and there are couplets inscribed by calligraphers in the Ming and Qing Dynasties on both sides. It is said that there used to be a bronze Guanyin statue of Qibao in Ming Dynasty in the temple, which was later lost. Now it has been found and kept in Hangzhou Museum. If you are interested, you may wish to have a look.
In addition, what interests me most about Dongqiaoting Temple is the porcelain mosaic on the roof of the building, which is colorful and complex in shape. Fish, insects, birds and beasts, dragons and phoenixes, opera figures and so on are all displayed one by one. Especially under the sunlight, every piece of porcelain mosaic presents a delicate story, and every independent detail presents a different form, which is lifelike. These complex pictures are actually patched together by broken porcelain pieces, and they are also extremely beautiful works of art. These works perfectly embody the classic Minnan architectural technology.
It can be said that if I didn't look for Dongqiaoting Temple specially, I might have missed this small temple like many travelers, but when you savor it carefully, you will be attracted by this small and beautiful temple and feel the beauty of its architecture and the tranquility hidden in the street.