The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 631: Thousand-year-old Temple!!!

Arriving at the mountain gate of Tanzhe Temple, Li Zekai looked up and saw the ancient building was magnificent and the vermilion gate was solemn and majestic.

The mottled stone steps and the ancient cypresses, every scene tells of the vicissitudes of time.

Compared with those modern temples in Hong Kong that are very popular, Tanzhe Temple gave Li Zekai a shock that went straight to his heart.

Every brick and tile here is engraved with the mark of time. He can seem to hear the echo of history in the curling incense, which makes him respect this thousand-year-old temple.

Walking into the temple, it feels like traveling back to ancient times, and you even wonder if you have accidentally entered a time tunnel.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Heavenly King Hall, where the Four Heavenly Kings were enshrined. They had different looks and looked majestic, as if to say, "Who dares to make trouble?!"

Walk along the bluestone path and you will arrive at the Main Hall.

There is smoke rising from the air and believers are praying devoutly.

The Buddha statues in the main hall are so solemn and majestic that people can't help but feel awe.

"First there was Tanzhe Temple, then there was Yanjing City." Although this is just a folk proverb, its existence and spread do have certain historical basis.

In terms of time, Tanzhe Temple was first built in Yanjing City and is the earliest temple building in this area. The buildings around it have been replaced by people one after another, but it is the only one that has stood for a thousand years.

In terms of space, Tanzhe Temple influenced the spatial planning of Yanjing City. Even the design of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City was modeled after the Main Hall of Tanzhe Temple. Its extremely high historical and cultural value is obvious.

Over thousands of years, many devout believers have come to Tanzhe Temple to pray for good marriage and good health, and they remain undeterred by wind, rain, or thunder.

Tanzhe Temple is located on Tanzhe Mountain, southeast of Liujiazhuang area. It was named after the famous "Dragon Pond" and "Zhe Tree" in the temple, but when it was first built in 307 AD, it was called Jiafu Temple.

This is the first temple built near Yanjing since Buddhism was introduced to the Yanjing area. It is very old.

The earlier temples were not as grand as the current ones built on the mountains.

According to legend, after a certain governor of Yongjia helped Sima Chi to quell the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, his wife died unexpectedly. It happened that Buddhism was then popular, so he built a temple here to pray for his deceased wife.

Buddhism at that time was not widely accepted by the people, and the local government did not provide much support for religious sites, so Jiafu Temple failed to develop and gradually fell into disrepair.

It was not until the time of Wu Zetian that Buddhism became popular. With the support of the governor of Youzhou, Monk Huayan bought land near Jiafu Temple in Youzhou, rebuilt the temple with the "Avatamsaka Sutra", and filled in a large puddle in Jiafu Temple called "Qinglongtan".

After the reconstruction, there are two abundant springs, "Longquan" and "Hongquan", behind the temple. After merging at "Longtan", they flow through the temple and flow to the distant land.

This is an interesting phenomenon. Because of this water, several villages were born near Jiafu Temple and countless farmlands were reclaimed. Jiafu Temple was therefore renamed Longquan Temple and was loved by the people of Youzhou.

Because it flourished during this time, people later revered Monk Huayan as the founder of Tanzhe Temple.

But during the Huichang period, because Emperor Wuzong of Tang promoted native Taoism, Chinese Buddhist culture suffered a certain impact. Longquan Temple lost its former glory due to boycotts and abandonment.

It was not until the Later Tang Dynasty that Tanzhe Temple was revived by a Zen master and developed into Zen Buddhism.

In 1141 AD, after Emperor Xizong of the Jin Dynasty came to offer incense and worship Buddha, Tanzhe Temple received official funding for the first time and was renamed Da Wanshou Temple.

Princess Miaoyan, the daughter of Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, came here to become a nun in order to atone for her father's sins.

Master Miaoyan died in the temple, and his tomb is located in the lower pagoda courtyard in front of the temple.

In the Ming Dynasty, Tanzhe Temple resumed its old name of Jiafu Temple and Longquan Temple. It was also renovated and rebuilt many times and experienced many ups and downs.

No matter how the people above changed the name, for the common people, the temple was blessed with a dragon pond surrounded by countless mulberry trees, so its name gradually became Tanzhe Temple.

The development of Tanzhe Temple is inseparable from the support of Zhu Di, the Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. When he was the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di lived in Yanjing and regarded Yanjing as his base camp.

After seizing the throne, Zhu Di felt uncomfortable living in Nanjing, so he moved the capital to Yanjing with great fanfare and built the city of Yanjing.

Looking east from today's Tanzheyuan, you can see Dingdu Peak. Legend has it that this is where Prince Yan Zhu Di came to Tanzhe Temple when he wanted to look for Yao Guangxiao.

One day, when the weather was fine, Yao Guangxiao accompanied Prince Yan to climb the mountain. When they reached the top of Niuxin Mountain, they looked into the distance and saw a auspicious and wonderful sight.

Zhu Di couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "This is the place where the thousand-year-old foundation of our Ming Dynasty was born! The location of this peak and the wonderful view are unparalleled!"

Later, the story of "Prince Yan was happy to climb Dingdu Peak, and Liu Bowen built Yanjing overnight" came into being here.

Before Zhu Di ascended the throne, the monk Yao Guangxiao was Zhu Di's senior adviser. He helped him defend Yanjing and plan the Jingnan Campaign, and was deeply trusted by Zhu Di.

After Zhu Di ascended the throne and moved the capital, Yao Guangxiao took charge of planning the city of Yanjing, expanding and renovating Yanjing on the basis of Yuan Dadu.

Yao Guangxiao had a great interest in Tanzhe Temple throughout his life. After resigning from his official position, he went to Tanzhe Temple to live in seclusion and practice Buddhism. Zhu Di also took advantage of the situation and brought many changes to Tanzhe Temple.

According to legend, when rebuilding the city of Yanjing, Yao Guangxiao, who was under great pressure, extracted a lot of inspiration from the planning of Tanzhe Temple and planned the city of Yanjing in imitation of Tanzhe Temple.

After several generations of reconstruction, Tanzhe Temple was grand in scale, with "nine gates and nine passes". The Yanjing City rebuilt by Yao Guangxiao also had nine gates.

During its heyday, Tanzhe Temple had 999 and a half rooms, and the Forbidden City had 9999 and a half rooms, which clearly demonstrated the "nine is the extreme number" and was associated with the emperor.

The layout of the three roads of Tanzhe Temple, namely the central, eastern and western roads, which progress from north to south, also easily reminiscent of the imperial city.

With Zhu Di's favor, concubines, princes, ministers and even men and women from Yanjing City came to Tanzhe Temple and regarded it as a Buddhist holy place. This was the most glorious time for Tanzhe Temple.

Throughout China's long history, many emperors would visit Tanzhe Temple at specific times.

Today, after years of huge sums of money allocated by the "Beijing West Cultural Tourism Group" for its repair and maintenance, Tantuo Temple can be regarded as the "treasure of the city" of Yanjing City.

Interestingly, in order to protect this ancient temple with a history of 1,700 years, the Liujiazhuang district also specially arranged "guards" to stand guard at this temple.

This is a treatment enjoyed by only a few scenic spots and historical sites in the country.

When visiting Tantuo Temple, the temple provides tourists with free incense, so tourists who come to Tantuo Temple will also worship and pray for peace.

Therefore, Li Zekai and his party found that even though today was not a holiday, the incense in the main hall was very strong;
Moreover, there are many foreign tourists here, many of whom are blond-haired and blue-eyed European and American tourists.

Of course, there are more people in the circle of friends of Chinese culture from East Asia and Southeast Asia, such as Japan, the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Today, after the hard work of "Jingxi Cultural Tourism Group", Tantuo Temple has not only become a holy place in the hearts of Buddhist believers in the north of Xia State, but also has become famous overseas.

Whether it is young men and women praying for a happy marriage, or believers pursuing peace, health and academic success, they are all willing to come here and pray devoutly for the Buddha's blessing.

The Buddhist culture of Tanzhe Temple is ancient and rich in heritage, allowing people to feel a kind of tranquility and peace that transcends the world among the green lamps and ancient Buddhas.

In addition to the inheritance of Buddhist culture, there are many fascinating legends circulating in Tanzhe Temple.

Among them, the "Legend of the Wounding Tiger" is particularly famous.

It is said that near Tanzhe Temple, there was a ferocious tiger that often came down the mountain to hurt people, making the people panic.

However, one day the tiger was attracted by the sound of sermons coming from Tanzhe Temple and sat obediently beside Master Yinliang to listen.

Under the master's teachings, the tiger actually gave up eating raw meat and started to eat vegetarian food.

This legend not only adds a bit of mystery to Tanzhe Temple, but also makes people sigh at the profoundness of Buddhist culture.

After ten years of vigorous development, the "Beijing West Cultural Tourism Group" has made Tanzhe Temple an important cultural heritage and tourist attraction in the Yanjing area.

The precious cultural relics and the spiritual Feng Shui environment in the temple attract countless tourists to visit.

Here, tourists can feel the solemnity and mystery of the thousand-year-old temple, and appreciate the profoundness of Buddhist culture.

However, as the number of tourists continues to increase, the task of protecting the safety of Tanzhe Temple and its cultural relics has become increasingly difficult.

At this time, Police Officer W at the door played an important role.

They not only guard the peace and order of the temple, but also protect the cultural relics from damage.

Under their protection, Tanzhe Temple is able to maintain its tranquility and solemnity in the bustling city.

……

Continuing their stroll, the gold medal tour guide Liu Min brought Li Zekai and the other two to the Pilu Pavilion.

Climbing up to the Pilu Pavilion, you can overlook the beautiful scenery of the entire Tanzhe Temple.

The undulating mountains in the distance set off the ancient buildings in the temple, forming a beautiful picture.

At this time, Li Zekai couldn't help but take a photo. He wanted to take it back and share it with his friends: "Look, I'm traveling in an ancient temple. I feel like a historian!"

There is also a famous ginkgo tree in Tanzhe Temple, which is said to have a history of 1,400 years. It is more than 40 meters tall and is called the "Emperor Tree".

When autumn comes, the golden leaves here will cover the ground like a golden carpet. It has become a "net celebrity" where many tourists come to take photos and check in.

In addition, the dining hall in the temple is also worth a visit.

Enjoy a light and delicious vegetarian meal here and feel the tranquility and peace.

As he ate, Li Zekai sighed in his heart: "Why does this meal feel more appetizing than the delicacies I've eaten? It seems I really should come here more often!"

In the afternoon, Li Zekai found a quiet corner in the courtyard of the temple and sat down, closed his eyes, listened to the birds singing, felt the caress of the breeze, and let his mind relax for a moment.

At this moment, Li Zekai said to himself: "It would be perfect if I could have a cup of coffee." Unfortunately, coffee is taboo here.

According to Liu Min, in addition to its beautiful scenery and rich history, Tantuo Temple has also left behind many precious cultural relics in its long history.

Among them, the most famous one is the stone fish.

Speaking of it, there is also a very vivid saying.

According to legend, in ancient times, the Yanjing area once suffered a rare drought. Not only did the crops fail, but even the people had trouble getting drinking water.

The well water that was usually unfathomable has now become dry, which makes the lives of the people precarious.

Therefore, the people naturally wanted the Dragon King to send down rain from the sky.

The Dragon King was also moved by the people's sincerity. Seeing that the people were living such a miserable life, he gave a magical fish to the world.

Late one night, there were lightning and thunder, as if a god had descended, and a ray of white light instantly illuminated Tanzhe Temple.

This also shocked the monks of Tanzhe Temple. They felt that a divine gift had been sent, so they immediately went to look for it.

I saw a stone fish that I had never seen before right in front of me.

Faced with the sudden appearance of the stone fish, the monks were all very surprised.

But after thinking about it carefully, it suddenly dawned on me: This must be a treasure bestowed by God on the world, specifically used to save the people.

So, the stone fish stayed in Tanzhe Temple from then on.

Soon, people discovered the magic of stone fish.

It turns out that when people knock on this stone fish, the sounds vary greatly due to different parts of the body.

And, after a few knocks, the sky will change dramatically.

The sky seemed clear just now, but soon it was covered with countless dark clouds, followed by heavy rain.

It was precisely because of this rain that seemed to be sent by God that the people were spared from the impact of drought and ushered in new life.

It is worth mentioning that the body of the stone fish is divided into more than ten parts, which represented the more than ten provinces ruled by the emperor at that time.

In this way, as long as there is a place that is severely affected by the disaster, the urgent problem can be solved instantly by just knocking on the stone fish.

However, when the people who went to Tanzhe Temple to burn incense heard about this, they immediately regarded the stone fish as a "treasure".

They believe that this "treasure" can protect them from disasters, so they always touch it secretly.

Later on, whenever I felt discomfort in any part of my body, I would touch the same part of the stone fish.

For example, people with a headache would touch the stone fish's head, while people with a stomachache would touch the stone fish's belly.

Over time, the scales on the stone fish could no longer be seen clearly.

In the end, the stonefish even became "unrecognizable".

In the 80s, after the establishment of the "Beijing West Cultural Tourism Group", huge funds were allocated to repair the Tantuo Temple, and the stone fish had to be rebuilt.

In order to prevent people from "touching" the stone fish again, a sign was hung in front of the stone fish, telling everyone directly: "No touching the fish allowed."

In addition to the stone fish, the more famous "treasure" of Tanzhe Temple is a big pot.

Its diameter is so large that it has broken the record of the largest pots that countless people have ever seen.

Its diameter alone is three meters, and its depth is two meters. It is truly a "big pot".

The entire pot is made of green brass.

The function of this pot is to cook porridge for the monks. Cooking it once a day is enough for the monks to eat for a day.

Washing the pot every time is quite troublesome. It is said that the monks have to use ladders to complete this arduous task.

The size alone was enough to shock Li Zekai who was visiting the site, but there were two other points that made him feel even more amazed.

First, this pot leaks sand but not rice.

Liu Min said that this was because there was a groove at the bottom of the pot. When the water boiled, the rice would float up and the sand would sink into the groove.

This undoubtedly solved a big problem for the monks.

After all, a lot of rice is needed to make porridge every time, and washing the rice is also very troublesome.

No one can guarantee that there will be no sand in the cleaning.

This pot has a second characteristic, which is that you can add water without adding rice.

The originally scheduled amount of porridge would often be insufficient due to the sudden increase in the number of monks visiting.

Then, at this time, you can just add water and the porridge will still maintain its viscosity.

Next to the pot, there are two snakes being worshipped, which are also the "treasures" of Tanzhe Temple.

This is still related to a rumor.

According to legend, one year Emperor Qianlong mobilized a large army to come to Tantuo Temple to burn incense.

At that time, two green snakes were also attracted and they immediately went to pay homage to Emperor Qianlong.

But this abrupt behavior angered Emperor Qianlong.

Qianlong, frightened by the appearance of the green snake, issued an oral decree: provide it for the public.

After hearing the holy words, the green snake really let everyone eat it and crawled into the big pot of porridge.

Everyone ate the porridge without knowing what was going on, and praised it for being particularly delicious!

It was not until the porridge was finished that the snake bones were discovered at the bottom of the pot and the truth of the matter was revealed.

The monks then made a statue of the green snake and worshipped it.

During the Qianlong period, Tantuo Temple reached its peak.

Therefore, there are a lot of monks here.

This time, Emperor Qianlong came to Tanzhe Temple and brought a lot of copper coins to give to the monks as a sign of respect.

It is said that there are two large baskets, so I guess there should be quite a lot left.

After all, a monk can only receive one.

However, the reward lasted from day to night, and the copper coins were almost gone, but the monks were still queuing up.

Qianlong was very surprised and asked the abbot about it.

The abbot simply claimed that there were countless monks in the temple and he was afraid that the copper coins the emperor brought were not enough to share.

Since there are so many monks, it means that Tanzhe Temple is very large, otherwise the monks would have nowhere to stay.

Not to mention visitors, it would not work without a large enough area.

When it comes to the size of Tanzhe Temple, there are 999 and a half rooms alone, which is a very astonishing figure.

Some people may be confused about the "half" in 999 and a half, but it actually means 999.5.

And it also derives another meaning, that is, the supreme ruler, which undoubtedly represents the imperial authority.

It can be seen that the emperor of the time attached great importance to it, and the status of Tanzhe Temple is evident.

Today, Tantuo Temple has become a national cultural heritage protection unit and a 4A-level tourist attraction, and is in the stage of creating a 5A tourist attraction.

There are two major events in Tantuo Temple in a year. One is the magnolia viewing in spring, and the other is the ginkgo viewing in autumn.

On the east side of the Pilu Pavilion stand two towering "Erqiao Magnolia".

These two magnolia trees are more than ten meters tall, and their crowns provide shade for more than 20 square meters. After more than 400 years of wind and rain, they are still as lush as ever.

Every year at the end of March and the beginning of April, they usher in a splendid flowering period. At that time, the trees are full of colorful flowers, attracting countless tourists to stop and appreciate them.

It is worth mentioning that although this "Erqiao Magnolia" is named Erqiao, its original species is called "Cinnabar Magnolia".

Just as the ancients praised, "There is one most beautiful scenery in the capital in spring: purple magnolia beside the white stone steps." This is the most true portrayal of it.

Liu Zhiye's mother Deng Ru's favorite plant was magnolia. She transplanted several century-old magnolias from Tantuo Temple into the Liu courtyard and regarded them as treasures.

(End of this chapter)