Haohao Yan Zhaoge·Shijiazhuang Tour·Zhengding·Nine-story, four-tower and eight-big temples
Zhengding City is located on the north bank of Hutuo River, 15 kilometers north of Shijiazhuang City. Although it has become a satellite city under the jurisdiction of Shijiazhuang City today, it was historically a famous ancient city in central and southern Hebei. Since Gaoyang of the Northern Qi Dynasty moved the seat of Changshan County and Zhending County to Zhengding Town, it has been the seat of prefectures, counties, prefectures and counties for more than 1,400 years. It was built as the capital twice during the Liao and Jin Dynasties.
Zhengding City is connected to Hebei Woyuan in the east, Jingxing Ancient Road in the west, the capital in the north, and Hutuo Ancient Ferry in the south. Its strategic position is very important. The land near the ancient city is fertile, densely populated and economically developed. The superior natural conditions and long history have left Zhengding with splendid cultural relics and unique ancient temples, such as "three mountains are missing", "nine waters are not flowing", "nine floors, four towers and eight major temples", twenty-four "A gold-medal building". The existing Longxing Temple, Guanghui Temple Hua Pagoda, Tianning Temple Lingxiao Pagoda, Kaiyuan Temple Bell Tower, etc. are all nationally protected cultural relics. The Linji Temple in the city is the birthplace of the Linji Sect of Buddhism. The Longzang Temple Monument of the Sui Dynasty is famous both at home and abroad. There are also seven provincial cultural relics protection units such as the Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple and the Fengdong Monument.
In recent years, for the filming of the TV series "Dream of Red Mansions", the "Rongguo Mansion" and "Ningrong Street" antique buildings were built in Zhengding City. It has successively built Journey to the West Palace, Fengshen Yanyi Palace, Film and Television Exploration Palace and other tourist places that combine culture, education and entertainment, initially forming a tourist city that combines historical attractions with amusement places.
Jie Ge towers into the blue sky
There was originally a Tianning Temple (now abandoned) in Zhengding City, and the Lingxiao Pagoda in the temple still stands majestically. Lingxiao Pagoda, formerly known as Huiguang Pagoda, is commonly known as wooden pagoda because of its brick and wood structure. The tower is 59.4 meters high (formerly known as Shiba Zhang). It ranks first among the four Zhengding towers (the other three towers are: Xumi Pagoda, Hua Pagoda and Chengling Pagoda). It towers into the sky, so it is called Lingxiao Pagoda.
Lingxiao Tower was built during the reign of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty. The tower is divided into nine levels, with an octagonal plane. There are stairs inside that can be climbed to the top for viewing. It has been renovated now.
There is an interesting historical reason for the construction of Lingxiao Tower. During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, Anlushan rebelled and soon occupied Zhending (i.e. Zhengding), where he was guarded by general Zhang Zhizhong. Later, Anshi (Siming) was defeated and the rebellion basically subsided. However, Zhang Zhizhong still clung to Zhending and resisted, becoming a thorn in the side of the Tang Dynasty. The newly enthroned Tang Dynasty Emperor Li Yu wanted to conquer the country himself.
Before the expedition, Li Yu went to Xingjiao Temple in Chang'an to pray for Buddha's blessings, and silently recited in his heart: "Eradicate the traitors, and the blood will stain the true peace." At this time, an elder suddenly appeared in the Buddhist hall and said to Li Yu: "Compassion is the basis of humanity, and kindness extends to the three towns. The wise eye recognizes the true scriptures and illuminates the grace of heaven." After speaking, he disappeared and left. Li Yu was puzzled, so he went back to the palace and copied the four sentences the old man said, and asked all the ministers in the court, but they couldn't understand what they meant. One day, the seven-year-old prince Li Shi saw this four-line poem on the table and read it horizontally: "Ci'en Huiguang". Li Yu suddenly realized that the Buddha asked me to go to Ci'en Temple to find Master Huiguang. Huiguang, whose original surname was Zhang and whose first name was Yiping, was originally a wealthy man from Zhending. In anger, he killed the Zhending Hu magistrate who molested his wife. He fled to Chang'an, became a Buddhist monk, and later became a mage at Ci'en Temple.
Li Yu went to Ci'en Temple to find Huiguang and asked him to go to Zhending in person to persuade Zhang Zhizhong to surrender and submit to the Tang Dynasty. Hui Guang arrived at Zhending at night with the order. Zhang Zhizhong learned that an old monk had come to persuade him to surrender. He was so angry that he went to court to question the envoy. Hui Guang came to the lobby, and Zhang Zhizhong was shocked. It turned out that Lai Zhi was his father who had fled his hometown for many years. The father and son recognized each other, hugged each other, cried, and each told their experiences after separation. After Zhang Zhizhong's father left, his mother committed suicide out of hatred, so she changed her name and joined Anjun. Hui Guang affirmed his righteousness, and Zhang Zhizhong surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. The imperial court named him Li Baochen and made him the military governor of the German army, and he still guarded Zhending.
Li Yu recognized the merits of Master Huiguang and approved Huiguang to return to his hometown and build a temple in Zhengding City. Because Hui Guang's meritorious service brought peace to the world, the newly built temple was named "Tianning Temple". After Huiguang passed away, a pagoda was built in the temple and named Huiguang Pagoda. Huiguang Pagoda is the tallest building in Zhengding City. From a distance, the pagoda reaches straight into the sky. As time goes by, later generations called it Yunxiao Pagoda. During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, the famous scholar Shen Quan once climbed to the top of the Yunxiao Pagoda, looked around, and was filled with emotion. He wrote the poem "Climbing the Zhengding Tianning Temple":
The source of the ancient poem "Nine Towers, Four Towers and Eight Great Temples": Jiege The blue sky is towering, and the flowers in the sky are swaying in the rain. Thousand-year-old dragon elephants soar in the sky, and the clouds and mountains of the mainland are far away. The lanterns in the golden palace are standing still, and the inscriptions on the dome tablets indicate the tripod. Leaning on the railing is not enough to climb up, and it is lonely under the bleak sky and wind.
Looking like a flower mountain in the distance, the pagoda up close
Hua pagoda, also known as Duobao pagoda, is located in the former Guanghui Temple on the east side of Minsheng Street in Zhengding City (the temple has been abandoned). The pagoda was first built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt during the Dading period of the Jin Dynasty. The existing pagoda is a relic of the Jin Dynasty.
Legend has it that there was a young monk named Huizhi in Guanghui Temple in the Tang Dynasty. He had no intention of chanting sutras and worshiping Buddha. He loved making clay figures and some animals. Over time, he perfected the skill of making clay figures with one hand. One day, Huizhi had nothing to do and strolled to the Hutuo River in the south of the city. Suddenly, a beautiful pagoda appeared on the river flowing eastward. This was the so-called "mirage". Huizhi was so surprised that she hurriedly used river mud to make a mud pagoda in the style of the pagoda in front of her. When he returned to the temple, he put the mud pagoda in front of his bed. Whenever he had time, he would pick out small animals or flowers and stick them on the pagoda. Over time, the pagoda was covered with various small animals.
After Huizhi passed away, the monks built a brick pagoda 40.9 meters high (thirteen feet and five feet) according to the original shape of the mud pagoda in memory of him. The body of the tower is inlaid with brick or clay sculptures of lions, elephants, horses, frogs and other animals of varying sizes, as well as various Buddha statues, figures and flowers and plants. From a distance, it looks like a mountain of flowers, hence the name Flower Pagoda. Flower and flower have the same pronunciation, and they had the same meaning in ancient times, and evolved into Huata. Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty once stopped at Zhending during his northern tour. When he saw the colorful animals and Buddha statues in the pagoda, he said casually: "There are so many treasures on this pagoda!" Therefore, later generations also called it the "Pagoda of Many Treasures".
The Huata has a unique shape and a varied structure. The art of brick carving and clay sculpture is integrated with the tower, which is rare in China. Although the Hua Pagoda has been damaged, the Tang Dynasty style still exists. It is an important object for the study of ancient Buddhist architecture in my country.
The Linji Ancestral Temple is said to be "good to drink"
Linji Temple is the ancestral temple of the Linji Sect, a branch of Zen Buddhism. Linji Temple was originally located in Linji Village outside Zhengding City and was built in the second year of Xinghe (540) in the Eastern Wei Dynasty. Emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, Yuan Shan, was a devout believer in Buddhism. At that time, Zhengding was also an important town in the Eastern Wei Dynasty. He issued an edict to build a temple in Zhengding and named it "Linji Temple". He also invited Master Yibao from Nanhua Temple in Zhaoguan, Guangdong to serve as abbot.
Master Yibao came to this small temple in this village from a famous mountain temple. He was unhappy and did not seek any development, so his popularity gradually declined. In the second year of Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty (628), Master Yixuan served as the abbot of the temple and was determined to revitalize the temple. Yixuan first went to Mount Wutai to learn martial arts. After returning to the temple, he created the method of "stick and drink". When recruiting disciples, he would send the monks in the temple to hold sticks and hide them behind the door. Test their courage and quick reactions. Only those who react quickly and have no fear can be accepted as disciples, otherwise they will be rejected from the gate. While Yixuan used the method of stick and drink to attract more disciples, he also rectified the temple rules, and Linji Temple became famous. The monks in the temple are all quick-thinking and highly skilled in martial arts.
According to legend, the rebels of the Anshi Rebellion besieged Zhending. Yi Xuan led the monks and the officers and soldiers in the city to attack the An army and relieved the siege of Zhending City. The prefect Yan Gaoqing reported to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and appointed Yixuan as the protector of the country. Later, Yi Xuan went to Huanghe Mountain in Jiangxi Province to receive Dharma from Zen Master Xiyun. After gaining enlightenment, he returned to the temple and founded the Linji Sect. During the Xiantong period of the Tang Dynasty, Taiwei Mo Junhe built his house in the city into a temple, and Linji Temple moved to the current site of Minsheng Street in the city. After Master Yixuan passed away, monks built the Master's mantle and bowl tower in the temple and named it "Chengling", which means "clear soul". From a distance, the tower looks green and quiet, so it is commonly known as the "Green Tower".
Chengling Pagoda has nine levels, 30.47 meters high, and is entirely built of blue bricks. The plane is octagonal, with a rosette at the bottom, brick-carved doors, windows and columns on all sides, and wind bells hanging at each corner. The top is the Yanglian Fubo Pagoda, and the overall shape is exquisite and beautiful. Chengling Pagoda is now a key protected cultural relic in Hebei Province.
In the early Qing Dynasty, Linji Temple fell into disrepair for many years due to successive wars, and the temple was once in dilapidated condition. After the famous poet Wang Shizhen visited Linji Temple, he left a note in his "Zhengdingti Linji Abandoned Temple" and sighed: "The wild falcon's nest is in danger of the tower, and the scorpions are broken into pieces."
After the 1950s, relevant departments It has been allocated funds for repairs many times, and now it has a completely new look. After the Rinzai sect was introduced to Japan in the 12th century, it developed rapidly in Japan and had many monks. In recent years, the friendly visiting delegation of the Japanese Buddhist Rinzai Huanghe Association to China has visited Linji Temple in Zhengding many times to worship pagodas and worship ancestors.
There is a divine bell in Kaiyuan Temple
In the second year of Xinghe in the Eastern Wei Dynasty (540), in addition to Linji Temple outside Zhengding City, Jingguan Temple was built inside the city. The name was changed in the Sui Dynasty. Hui Temple was renamed Kaiyuan Temple in the Tang Dynasty. The main hall in the temple has been destroyed, and there is still a bell tower and a brick tower (Xumi Pagoda). The bell tower was built in the Tang Dynasty. It is square in plan, three rooms wide and three rooms deep. It is a two-story pavilion style with green tiles on the top. It is 14 meters high and has a brick and wood structure. The bell tower has a simple and solemn shape and exquisite construction, showing the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty. It is the earliest example of existing wooden structures in Hebei.
An ancient bell hangs in the bell tower. The bell is 2.9 meters high and 1.56 meters in diameter. It has a simple and solemn appearance and a loud sound. There is a touching local legend about the origin of the ancient bell. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a heavy rain and the Hutuo River overflowed. When the flood receded, a large bell was found silted in the mud on the river beach. The prefect ordered people to carry it to Kaiyuan Temple and ask the monks to ring the bell. Unexpectedly, the bell sounded hoarse, which made the prefect feel very disappointed. So a notice was posted, offering a reward of a hundred taels of silver to anyone who could ring the bell. Several years have passed, and no one dares to try the bell. One day, a vegetable farmer drove a donkey cart into the city to sell vegetables. On the way, a white-haired old woman took his cart into the city. When the donkey cart arrived at the gate of Kaiyuan Temple, the old woman wanted to go into the temple to have a look and said to Lenon: "If you can't wait, go into the temple and hit the big bell. I will come out when I hear the bell." Three hours later. After passing by, the old woman still didn't come out. The vegetable farmer was worried, so he broke into the temple and struck the big bell with an iron rod. He only heard the sound of the bell, which was so loud that the leaves fell to the ground and hundreds of birds flew around the whole city. sensation.
Later people learned that the old woman was from the Taihang Mountains. Their small villa was close to the Hutuo River and was often hit by floods. The old woman's husband was a blacksmith, and the old couple used their savings to buy iron and copper and cast two large bells, which were hung on both sides of the river. Whenever the river water rose, the blacksmith and his wife would go to the north and south banks to ring the bells for the villagers. Call the police. The bell struck by the old blacksmith is called the "father-in-law's bell" by the villagers, and the bell struck by the old woman is called the "mother-in-law's bell". One day there was a sudden heavy rain. When the old blacksmith hurried to the other side of the river to ring the bell, the river embankment burst and the old blacksmith was swept away by the flood.
The old woman jumped into the river to rescue her husband, and still shouted: "Old man - ring the bell! Old man - ring the bell!..." The two old people disappeared in the rolling torrent, and the mother-in-law bell was also washed away. . The big bell in the bell tower of Kaiyuan Temple is the Mother-in-Law Bell. When the big bell saw its owner, it resumed its previous loud sound, and its sound seemed to be shouting: "Old man - ring the bell!" Therefore, Zhengding people The big bell of Kaiyuan Temple is regarded as a divine bell.