Entering from the south gate of the park, not far from the right, there is a protected relic-Shuanglin Temple Tower. Speaking of this Shuanglin Temple Tower, it is related to Feng Bao, a controversial eunuch in the Ming Dynasty.
Feng Bao (? -1583), the word Yongting, No.,is from Shenzhou, Zhili (from Feng Jia Village, Zhaojiaquan Township, Hengshui City).
Unlike Wang Zhen, Liu Jin, Wei Zhongxian and other great eunuchs, Feng Bao, a eunuch who experienced three generations of Jiajing, Qin Long and Wanli, seems to be a different kind-he is a famous eunuch, politician and calligrapher in the Ming Dynasty.
He was loyal to the royal family, dutifully urged the little emperor (Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun was only 10 years old when he ascended the throne) to learn and progress, and strictly restrained his family to abide by the law, which was highly praised by the world.
He was the staunchest political ally of Zhang, the first official of the Ming Dynasty. Without his support, there would be no Zhang's reform and the short-lived "Renaissance" in the late Ming Dynasty. It can be said that it is the biggest hero behind Zhang's political reform.
Bao Feng has a good cultural accomplishment. There are many books engraved, such as Wu Ji, Huang Jing Tu Shuo, Si Li Jian Si Shu and so on. Bao Feng is well known for his inscription on The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival. There are different opinions about how the famous painting The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival handed down by Zhang Zeduan in Song Dynasty reached Feng Bao's hands, but it is undeniable that his inscription is still clearly visible.
Judging from the inscription, Feng Bao not only has profound attainments in calligraphy, but also appreciates calligraphy and painting very much, and regards it as a more precious artistic treasure than Sui Shu Bi.
Feng Bao is controversial. On the one hand, he was loyal to the royal family, supported the reform and contributed to the political stability of the Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, he was autocratic, suppressed dissidents and even framed Zhongliang. At the same time, he also abused power for personal gain and was greedy for money.
After he was in charge of the prison, he joined hands with Zhang to control internal affairs and diplomacy, and placed cronies in key departments of the imperial court. At that time, he had great power and took the opportunity to amass ill-gotten gains and do whatever he wanted.
In the fourth year of Wanli (1576), Feng Bao built a temple outside Xizhimen, with nine floors and dense eaves, and named it "Shuanglin Temple" after himself. In the fifth year of Wanli (1577), when Feng Bao supervised the construction of the Manjuji for Li Taihou, the mother of Wanli, he expanded Shuanglin Temple by the way. Feng Bao believes in Buddhism and thinks it is a good place to avoid the wind and go downstream. So I took Shuanglin Temple as the grave behind me. In the Qing Dynasty, Wu Changyuan's "Chen Yuanlue" contained: "Shuanglin Temple was the burial place of eunuch Feng Baoying in the early Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and the name of the temple was Sara. Feng's departure is also a sentence. ..... There is a mound behind the temple and a pagoda in front ... There are more than ten pagodas around ... ". Later, due to the Indian monk Zuk Gul's spreading Buddhism in China, he lived in Shuanglin Temple, which was named Shuanglin Temple in the Western Regions by Emperor Wanli.
In the tenth year of Wanli (1582), Zhang died of illness and returned to the imperial court. At the age of 20, Ming Shenzong began to lead the government. Feng Bao suddenly lost two supporters, and he knew that his good days were over. Soon, Zhang Whale and Rizo, eunuchs who had been enemies with Feng Shou, saw through Zongshen's mind and urged Zongshen to expel Feng Bao. Li Zhi and Jiang Dongzhi also impeached Feng Bao, and Zongshen wrote to remove Feng Bao from his post and was demoted to Nanjing. Shuanglin Temple is also owned by the royal family. In the 11th year of Wanli (1583), Feng Bao died in Nanjing and was buried in Huangchang (near Chemical Avenue in Liuhe District, Nanjing, to be verified), but he was not buried in this pre-built cemetery.
Feng Bao was loyal to the imperial court and supported the New Deal all his life, and won the praise of the people at that time. But after that, his autocratic power was arrogant, greedy for money and taking bribes, which brought him a bad name, and finally he ended up a rabbit who died of sorrow and money.
During the Republic of China, Shuanglin Temple was destroyed, and the tower of that ancient pagoda was corroded and cracked after nearly 400 years of wind and rain. In order to ensure the safety of tourists, Shuanglin Temple Tower was demolished on 1975.
20 1 1, Zizhuyuan Park Management Office entrusted the Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics to carry out archaeological excavation on the tower foundation, and found that the structure boundaries of square pedestal, octagonal pedestal and square underground palace were clear.
In order to protect and display the ruins of the tower foundation, reinforced concrete walls and caps were built around and above the ruins, and the platform was filled with soil, and side windows were opened, so that the ruins could be visited from the outside.
It can be said that this Shuanglin Temple Tower witnessed the last seven years of Feng Bao, the most controversial eunuch in Ming Dynasty!