Chapter 3 Section 3 Hongdong Up and Down Guangsheng Temple

At the southern foot of Huoshan Mountain, 17 kilometers northeast of Hongdong County, Shanxi Province, there is a group of religious temples built in the reign of Hedi in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was called Lushe Temple in the Eastern Han Dynasty.In the Tang Dynasty, it was rebuilt by Guo Ziyi and renamed Guangsheng Temple, which has been used until now.Later, after generations of additions and repairs, a relatively complete and large-scale Buddhist temple complex was formed. Guangsheng Temple includes Upper Temple, Lower Temple and Longwang Temple.The distance between the upper and lower temples is about Li, the ancient cypresses on the mountain are towering, and the clear springs are rushing down the mountain, the scenery is very beautiful.

The upper temple is on the top of the mountain.The existing mountain gate, Feihong Pagoda, Amitabha Hall, Daxiong Hall, Guanyin Hall, Pilu Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, wing rooms, verandahs, etc., are all relics of the Ming Dynasty, but their shape and structure retain the style of the reconstruction of the Yuan Dynasty.There are many Buddha statues of the Yuan Dynasty with exquisite techniques in the hall, especially the statue of the servant in the Maitreya Hall, which is elegant and elegant, and is really a rare boutique.But the most eye-catching feature of Shangsi is not here. Only the largest and most complete glazed rainbow pagoda in the country can truly represent the characteristics of Shangsi.It is 47.31 meters high, covered with seven-color colored glaze, which looks colorful and extraordinarily bright, just like a long rainbow after rain, and the name of the tower "Feihong" was born from this.The bucket arches, corner arches, railings, Buddhist niches, immortals and animals made of glazed body of the pagoda have no repetitive shapes and are extremely delicate.Of course, dozens of steles in the temple are also quite valuable. They at least provide valuable information for people to study the historical evolution of Guangsheng Temple today.

The Maitreya Hall of Shangsi has collected more than 4,900 volumes of isolated Jin Dynasty Pingshui version of the Tripitaka. These scriptures have strong fonts, neat engravings, excellent paper quality, and clear printing. They are not only rare physical materials for studying the printing history of our country, but also have other Its own high academic value.The Japanese invaders tried to snatch it back then, but the Eighth Route Army arrived in time after hearing the news, and after a battle, these scriptures were safely transferred.Later it was transferred to the Beijing Library.

The Xia Temple is located at the foot of the mountain. It is composed of the mountain gate, the front hall, the back hall, and the pile hall. It is built with the ups and downs of the terrain.The lower temple was built in the Yuan Dynasty, and its apse fully reflects the characteristics of the large-scale architectural structure of the Yuan Dynasty.This kind of structure is simple and bright, the interior is rough and primitive, and the appearance is simple and generous.The number of bucket arches on the outer eaves is small, the arrangement is stretched and wide, the eaves are obviously upturned, and the slope of the roof is gentle; the method of moving columns and reducing columns is used indoors to increase the space.With the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, this Mongolian rough and bold architectural style was naturally reflected in religious buildings.

The murals on the four walls in the back hall of Xiasi Temple are extremely exquisite works of the Yuan Dynasty. Although the depictions are fairy tales, the plots such as selling fish and preparing meals are full of life.On the east side of the south wall is a piece of "Daxing Sanyue Zhongduxiu is performed here", which records the performance of Yuan Dynasty dramas and is an extremely precious material for studying the history of Chinese dramas.It is a pity that most of the murals in the apse were stolen and sold abroad in 1928, and are now in the Nelson Museum of Art in Kansas City, USA.The remaining 16-square-meter picture on the top of the gable is exquisitely painted and colorful.