We thought, this time, we should choose a place that we haven't been to before, and after searching, we found the Stone Carving Art Museum.
This place is not far away. It takes more than ten minutes to walk from the north gate of the zoo, but it is located in an alley, and it is difficult to find it. We searched around for a while, and we passed a "high-walled courtyard" during this time. This is the gate of the museum.
We bought tickets, passed the security check and walked into the gate. When we looked up, there was a tall plaque with three big characters "Zhenjue Temple" written on it.
I thought I was at the wrong gate. I opened the brochure in my hand and saw that it was true. The predecessor of the Stone Carving Art Museum was the Zhenjue Temple.
According to reports, Zhenjue Temple was built in Yongle period of Ming Dynasty, which was funded by Yongle Emperor. However, the stone pagoda in the temple was not built in Yongle period, but was built in Chenghua period of Ming Dynasty, which has been more than 5 years.
After entering the Zhenjue Temple, we went straight north. After a short walk, we found a quaint and elegant tower, which is the King Kong Throne Tower.
At the entrance of the King Kong Throne Tower, there are two ginkgo trees of the same age, which are 6 years old and are still flourishing and lush. The ancient trees and pagodas set each other off in splendor, witnessing the vicissitudes and changes of this period of history.
standing under the ginkgo tree, looking up, you will find that the seat of the King Kong throne is divided into five layers, and each layer has a short stone eaves, and the eaves are carved with tiles, hooks, drops of water and rafters. The next turn of the short eaves is full of Buddhist niches, and each niche is carved with a Buddha. The niches are separated by stone pillars carved with vase patterns, and the stigma is carved with a bucket.
There is a ticket door in the center of the north and south sides of the throne, which opens into the tower room. The arch ticket surface is engraved with pictures of golden winged birds, lions, elephants, peacocks and flying sheep, and the south ticket door is embedded with a stone tablet, which reads "The King Kong throne was built on the second day of November, the ninth year of Daming Chenghua".
The shape of the King Kong Throne Pagoda is very similar to that of the Great Pagoda of Buddha Gaya in India.
However, although it belongs to the Indian form in shape, the craftsmen in ancient China did not stick to the original form, but added the national construction techniques, which made the tower integrate Chinese and Indian cultures into one furnace and become a creative masterpiece of the integration of traditional architecture and foreign culture in China.
Therefore, when we see such a stupa, we don't feel exotic, but we feel more solemn and solemn of Chinese architecture, and we also add some layers.
the carving technique of the tower body is fluent and round, and it can be said that the whole body is carved everywhere.
Therefore, the King Kong Throne is not only a beautiful Buddhist building, but also a huge sculpture. People are amazed after reading it!
At present, there are only a few King Kong throne towers in China, and the King Kong throne of Zhenjue Temple has an earlier history, the most exquisite carving and the best preservation among similar towers.
It is worth mentioning that in the center of the south of Sumeru in the Central Tower, a pair of exquisite "Buddha's feet" are carved, which are placed on a blooming lotus, and the left and right sides are set against each other with eight treasures of tangled lotus, indicating the meaning of "Buddha's feet" all over the world.
Surprisingly, this pair of Buddha's feet is actually a convex sculpture, which has a strong three-dimensional sense no matter from any angle, and it is the only convex sculpture in more than a dozen Buddha's feet in China, and the others are concave sculptures, so it is particularly precious.
When you come out of the King Kong throne, you will find that there are some large and small stone sculptures on both sides, including stone figures, stone seats, stone lions, tortoise-camel tablets, stone gates, stone tombs, etc., all of which were carried from other places. These are the essence of stone carving art in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
These stone carvings are exquisite. Although they can't speak, they are so lifelike that even a baby can look at them for a long time.
Moreover, most of the stone carvings here are placed in the open air, with better light, which is suitable for taking photos and for tourists to watch carefully.
in the museum, the eight exhibition areas have their own characteristics, including not only the earliest stone carving in Beijing, such as the pillar and stone que of the Shendao of Qin Jun, a calligrapher in Youzhou, Han Dynasty, but also the unique epitaph of Mrs. Lu of Nalanxingde, which can be described as a gathering place of Beijing stone carvings and a forest of steles in Beijing.
Located in the southwest of King Kong Pagoda, it mainly displays the stone carvings in the mausoleum.
Among them, the Shixiangtang, built by Emperor Kangxi in the 14th year of Qing Dynasty (1675) for the tomb of Prince Fu Shou of Heshuoxian, is a stone-like wooden structure composed of more than 3 carvings, with lifelike dragons carved on it and exquisite carvings.
You will find that some parts of Shixiangting have been damaged, and it can be seen that it has been repaired. However, the skill of repairing it is really flattering, which is in sharp contrast with the original carving skill and also shows the superb skills of ancient sculptors.
Located in the northwest corner of King Kong Pagoda, it mainly displays a large number of inscriptions on temples in Beijing, and describes the establishment, evolution and various activities of temples and Taoist temples. There are precious stone carvings on display in this area, such as the reconstruction monument of Longfu Temple, the reconstruction monument of Dongyue Palace, the repair monument of Shuangguan Temple and the construction monument of Yaowang Temple.
The other is the epitaph, which is mostly square or rectangular, and generally consists of a bottom and a cover. The bottom is engraved with the inscription and the cover is sealed with the seal title. In the north of the tomb inscription area, there is also a stele gallery, which displays exquisite reliefs engraved with stories and Buddha statues, mostly building components, and is highly practical and artistic.
While the adults were still immersed in these stone carvings, the children came running again, pointing to the map and shouting that they were going to find the "Fa Tie Maze".
there is no way, everyone can only follow the children's steps.
When we caught up with them, several children had already found the sign of "Maze of Law Post", which proved to be much more literate, and nothing was difficult!
The stone carving calligraphy is a book trace carved on a stone tablet, mostly in the ink of emperors, famous officials and calligraphers of past dynasties. It is thought of as a normal school for people to copy and appreciate.
The children were very excited when they found the maze, so they shuttled back and forth and chased each other.
At first, every time they found a law post, they took a serious look, and they scrambled to read the words they knew. Later, when they found too many, they ran away and played hide-and-seek games inside.
My friends and I found the calligraphy posts one by one in the maze and enjoyed the poems and calligraphy works.
However, while you are studying a law post carefully, from time to time, a "monkey child" will pop out from somewhere in the maze to scare you. Some say that he has hit a spider web, while others ask what you are looking at. In short, it is to keep your ears busy.
After reading the calligraphy post, we retired to a nearby pavilion to have a rest, and gave the maze to these overbearing "monkey children". They shuttled back and forth in the maze and played until they were tired and ran to the adults to ask for water to eat.
Later, we also found a fresh and refined water lily in a stone plate between the two mazes, in which only two flowers were in full bloom with different colors. A bright color, charming but not charming; The other flower is elegant in color, gentle and lovely; The others are hidden in the water and are still in the bud.
Another feature of the Stone Carving Art Museum is that there is a special rubbings study room where you can visit and experience the "rubbings of the Stone". However, it may be closed during the epidemic or on weekends, and there is no activity when we arrive, so we must come to experience it next time.
In addition, it also has a special interactive experience area called "Children Begging Me? Dolls look at stone carvings. " There is a lot of space and experience inside, as well as a rest area for parents. More importantly, it is extremely quiet here, and there are free explanations in the museum, which can be regarded as a small luxury in similar museums.
The trebuchet siege, the story of the big stone coming out of the mountain, the stone man, the five-tower puzzle, the stone fun quiz, the needle curtain, the one-stroke painting, the arch bridge model and so on have won the children's favor.
After playing indoor projects, I will go outdoors to look for animal stone carvings with different expressions. Some are fierce, some are dull, others are sad, and I don't want to have some fun.
I really fell in love with this "Stone Carving Art Museum". Although it is close to the noisy zoo, it is a good place to take a quiet place with a winding path.
In summer, when you stay inside, you will feel extremely cool and comfortable. Here, your heart slowly settles down with those stone carvings ...