Chapter 26 Section 5 Qingcheng Mountain Taoist Building Group

Qingcheng Mountain is known as the "Fifth Cave of Taoism" and is located 15 kilometers southwest of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province.The whole mountain is about 120 kilometers around, with 36 peaks, 72 holes and 108 scenic spots.Qingcheng Mountain has many peaks, verdant trees, evergreen all year round, and surrounded by peaks, it looks like a city outline, so it is named Qingcheng.From the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoist disciples of Wudoumi began to practice here.After the development of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Jianfu Palace, Shangqing Palace, Qingdu Temple, Changsheng Temple, Changdao Temple, Wenchang Palace, Qinghuang Temple, Zhonghuang Temple, Shanghuang Temple and Chufu Temple were built on Qingcheng Mountain. Large-scale Taoist temples such as Yanqing Temple, Weiyi Temple, etc. have initially formed the scale of Taoist architectural groups, and Qingcheng Mountain has gradually become a famous Taoist holy place in China.After the Song and Ming Dynasties, small and medium Taoist temples were successively built on Qingcheng Mountain. At its peak, there were as many as 40 Taoist temples.Tang Qiu, a poet of the Five Dynasties, wrote a poem and praised: "The green mountains for several miles are not tired of difficulties, and I asked Huang Guan for the truth. The red stove burns new pills. The bell has stopped and the sound of the spring is still there, and the wind blows the grass flowers and the moon fills the altar." On the stone wall of the Tianshi Cave Mountain Gate, there is a short article written by a nearby person, which says: "Gu Qingcheng Mountain Yu Yixiong is also strange. In addition to being beautiful, its deep and deep curves are like Jiange and Three Gorges, and Emei is all inferior, so it is marked by Tianxiayou." There are as many as 38 existing temples in Qingcheng Mountain, the main ones are Guchang Taoist temple, Patriarch Hall, Shangqing Palace, Chaoyang Cave, Jianfu Palace, Yuqing Palace, Yuanming Palace, etc.

The ancient Taoist Temple, namely Tianshi Cave, is located between the cliffs of the third Hunyuan Peak on the mountainside of Qingcheng. It is the main palace of the Taoist building group in Qingcheng Mountain.It was first built in the Daye period of the Sui Dynasty (605-618 A.D.), and was originally named Yanqing Temple. It was renamed Changdao Temple in Tang Dynasty, and Zhaoqing Temple and Huangdi Temple in Song Dynasty.The existing temples were rebuilt in the late Qing Dynasty, mainly including Sanqing Hall, Sanhuang Hall, Huangdi Temple, Lingzu Building, Tianshi Hall, Ancestral Hall, etc.These buildings are resplendent and majestic.Sanqing Hall is the largest building of Changdao Temple, with Sanqing statues inside.The exquisite and beautiful woodcut relief screens of the Ming Dynasty collected upstairs reflect the exquisite art of the working people in ancient my country.Inscriptions and couplets of past dynasties in Guannei abound, forming a natural calligraphy exhibition hall.Dong Qichang, Zheng Banqiao, Feng Yuxiang, Yu Youren and other ancient and modern celebrities all left their handwriting.One of the couplets with Taoism as the content is titled: "One life, two, two, three, three, three, three, all things; the law of the earth, the law of the sky, the law of the Tao, and the law of nature." To tell the truth, it can be called a masterpiece.After viewing the celestial master Dongdong, there is a statue of Zhang Jixian, the 30th generation Sun Xujing celestial master Zhang Daoling.A huge stone stands in the north of the cave, engraved with the word "conquer the devil".According to legend, when Zhang Daoling preached here and subdued demons, there was thunder and lightning, and a boulder blocked the way, so he swung his sword and split the boulder into three.As you can see today, the three stones lean on each other, and they are called "Three Island Stones".Here, it is full of shade to block out the sun, and it is really a pleasure to walk down the rock along the small path in the crevice, listen to the circulation of the spring water, and enjoy the coolness in the summer.There are many ancient trees in Changdao Temple. The ginkgo tree that is more than a thousand years old is said to have been planted by Zhang Daoling, the first generation of celestial masters in the Eastern Han Dynasty.In addition, there are Qi palms planted in the Tang Dynasty, fairy pine trees in the Ming Dynasty, Gongsun oranges from the three generations of the Qing Dynasty, and the magical Sancha palms in modern times.

The scale of Shangqing Palace is second only to Changdao Temple. It is located on the high platform of Qingcheng Mountain. It was first built in the Jin Dynasty.The existing Xuanyuan Hall, Wenwu Hall, Moral Hall, and Lingguan Hall were rebuilt during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1862-1874 A.D.).The three characters "Shangqing Palace" on the gate of the palace were inscribed by Chiang Kai-shek in 1940.There are inscriptions on Huang Yunhe's "Fifth Famous Mountain in the World" and "No. 1 Peak in Qingcheng" on the rock in front of the palace.The two wells on the left side of the palace have one side and one circle, and the sources are secretly connected, so they are called "Mandarin Duck Wells".There is a pool on the right side of the palace, shaped like a half moon, several feet deep, and never overflowing all year round. It is said that it is the place where the fairy Magu bathes in alchemy, so it is named Magu Pond.From the back of the palace, you can reach the first peak at an altitude of 1600 meters.Standing on the newly built echo pavilion, you can overlook the panorama of Dujiangyan City.Overlooking the Western Sichuan Plain, the Minjiang River is like a belt, and Pingchou Lushe is like a picture.Of course, if you have a good chance, you can also see the sunrise and sea of ​​clouds here.

Patriarch Hall was named Qingdu Palace in ancient times, also known as Zhenwu Palace, which was founded in the Jin Dynasty.It is located on the mountainside of Qingcheng Mountain, leaning against Xuanyuan Peak and facing Baiyun River. According to legend, the Yellow Emperor visited Ning Fengzi, an immortal, and asked "the way of dragon's 鹻 (qiao knock) flight", so it is also called Xuanhuangtai.Tang Ruizong's daughters Princess Yuzhen and Princess Jinhua once practiced Taoism and became immortals here. Tang Du Guangting, Xue Chang, Song Zhangyu and others once lived in seclusion here.Lu You's poem "You Du Guangting Reading Table" wrote: "There is still a reading table in the mountains, and the wind sweeps away the clear sky and the painted curtains are opened. The Huayue curling pot is still there. When will Qinglian Layman come?" The Wensheng Pavilion on the side of the palace was funded by Feng Yuxiang build.During the Anti-Japanese War, General Feng Yuxiang once lived in the Qingdu Palace. He was overjoyed to hear that Japan had surrendered, so he built a pavilion and carved stones to record it.

Jianfu Palace was founded in the twelfth year of Tang Kaiyuan (724 A.D.). It was originally named Zhangrenguan, and was renamed Huiqing Jianfu Palace in Song Dynasty. The ancient trees around the palace are towering.A long couplet written by Li Shanji in the apse has 197 characters in each couplet, ranking third in China.On the left side of the palace, there are remnants of the dressing table used by Princess Qingfu of the Ming Dynasty when she spent her summer vacation here.There are many stone tables and chairs in the nanmu forest, which can be used for tourists to drink tea, play chess, enjoy the scenery and talk.

Qingcheng Mountain is a Taoist holy place, with its solemnity and mystery, it has attracted countless faithful men and women to fall at its feet.As a scenic spot, with its elegant and beautiful environment and rich religious and cultural connotations, it will surely attract more and more tourists.