The current situation of the Eight Ancient Scenic Spots in Taiyuan

Throughout the ages, the twin towers of Yongzuo Temple have attracted the attention of the world, known as the "Wonder of Jinyang" and regarded as the symbol of Taiyuan. The local chronicles of the past dynasties have listed the "Lingxiao Twin Pagodas" as one of the eight scenic spots in ancient Taiyuan City. Its influence was so great that the original name of the temple, "Yongzuo Temple", was rarely known and was replaced by "Twin Pagoda Temple". .

The Lingxiao Twin Towers are the tallest existing ancient buildings in Taiyuan. The two towers are like twin sisters, complementing each other and attracting every interview and guest passing through Taiyuan.

The Twin Towers of Lingxiao also have a beautiful and touching nickname - the Twin Peaks of Writing.

The Twin Towers at Lingxiao have also amazed many politicians, thinkers, poets and poets involved in Taiyuan in history. Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty, once eulogized him; Li Weizhen, one of the seven major literati in the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, once recited poems for him; Mr. Fu Shan, a famous thinker and artist in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, once painted for him; a famous general of the People's Liberation Army of New China General Yang Chengwu once gave him a thumbs up;... there are too many to mention.

For hundreds of years, most people have cherished the "Lingxiao Twin Pagodas" of Yongzuo Temple as art treasures and cultural relics that were created at the same time and have the same attributes. However, looking at its story and studying the reasons for its creation, this is not the case. These two twin sister towers, one is the "Wenfeng Tower" built earlier, and the other is the "Relic Tower" built later. Not only were they not built at the same time, but their properties are also fundamentally different. The so-called "Wenfeng Pagoda" is a Feng Shui tower "originating from Kan and Jiayan". It is a superstitious landmark and appreciation built by local gentry in feudal society to supplement the terrain defects of the place and revitalize regional culture. sexual architecture. Although its shape is based on Buddhist pagodas, it has nothing to do with the Buddha's teachings or Buddhism. The "relic pagoda" is a sacred object of Buddhism. It is a religious building that enshrines Buddha's relics, stores Buddhist scriptures, and is viewed and worshiped by Buddhist disciples. This is exactly the difference between the "Lingxiao Han Pagoda" of Yongzuo Temple, which is so close but very different in nature. Two of the Eight Ancient Scenic Spots

Juiwei Red Leaves

Juiwei Mountain Scenic Area is located 24 kilometers northwest of the city. The mountains are steep and steep, with pines and cypresses everywhere. Mountain flowers bloom in spring, and red leaves cover the mountains in autumn. "Juiwei Red Leaves" is one of the famous scenery in Taiyuan. There is Duofu Temple and a seven-level stupa on the top of the mountain. There are temple murals and Fu ink inscriptions inside the temple. Juewei Mountain Scenic Area is close to the urban area and has a pleasant climate. It is a place for tourists to visit and relax. Each scenic spot in this scenic spot has its own characteristics, and the access roads are convenient. The small beaches and famous food near the scenic spot have Shanxi characteristics and flavor, which is very attractive.

In late autumn, the most beautiful scenery here is the red leaves in Horeiwei. Since ancient times, the best place to watch red leaves in Sanjin is at the place where the red leaves are most concentrated in Juiwei Mountain. Whenever late autumn comes, under the bright sunshine, the red leaves all over the mountains and fields are like fire, like red waves, like red clouds, like red clouds. Purple clouds make Jueiwei Mountain look particularly enchanting.

Jueiwei Red Leaves is one of the eight ancient scenic spots in Taiyuan City and one of the top ten red leaf scenic spots in the country. This plant is Cotinus cotinus, which is a wild small shrub. Its leaves turn yellow after September. It will change from green to yellow, then from yellow to red, and finally into deep red. Before it falls, it shows its most beautiful color. Mr. Fu Shan has loved red leaves all his life. He once invited famous scholars Gu Yanwu and Yan from the Qing Dynasty. Plum came here to watch the red leaves, and at the same time, she also left many eternal sayings for our descendants.

Mr. Fu Shan has a special liking for red leaves. He recalls that he often walked in the mountains and was intoxicated by the colorful colors. "Don't talk about wanting to lean against the clouds when you're young. It's cold and exposed, which makes people sigh. Spring and Autumn have experienced many emotions, and the frost leaves are really red. February flowers." It can be said that Mr. Fu Shan prefers red leaves because he is independent of the cold autumn and has high aspirations. Matching the otherworldly character. If the frost staining autumn leaves makes them redder, which represents Fu Shan's character, then "parking and sitting in the maple forest at night, the flowers are as red as February flowers in frost" expresses people's true love for red leaves. For hundreds of years, every time the autumn air is crisp and the wild geese fly south, the people of Bingzhou have walked into the red clouds all over the mountain and walked into the dyed forest, which is the third of the eight ancient sceneries, Tutang strange cypress

The Jingyin Temple in Tutang was the place where Mr. Fu Shan lived in seclusion in Jueiwei Mountain.

This ancient temple was first built in the Northern Qi Dynasty, rebuilt in the fifth year of Jin Taihe, and rebuilt in the Ming and Qing dynasties. According to records in "Rebuilding the Tutang Pavilion" in the 20th year of Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty, the earth here collapsed and cracked into a cave in the Han Dynasty. The mound in the cave was more than 30 meters high and resembled a Buddha statue. The locals said that the Buddha appeared after the landslide, and there was a Buddhist Pure Land. Due to fate, a temple was built here, so the locals also called Jingyin Temple the Great Buddha Temple. The giant Buddha in the temple is 9.46 meters high, with a dignified sitting posture and a peaceful expression. It is currently the largest earthen Buddha in the country.

Jingyin Temple, located in Tutang Village, Taiyuan City, was first built in the Northern Qi Dynasty. The temple is divided into two parts: the front and rear entrances. There are the Tianwang Hall and the East Side Hall in the front yard. They are separated by a card wall and a hanging flower door in the middle. There are Luohan Hall, Dizang Hall, etc. in the backyard. On the west side of the temple site, there is a double-eaves Xieshan-style pavilion built on the cliff during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, housing one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas. The ancient cypresses growing strangely beside the temple are one of the most famous sights in Taiyuan.

The "Tutang Weird Cypress" in Jingyin Temple is also one of the Eight Ancient Scenic Spots in Taiyuan City. I don't know if the "Gutang Weird Cypress" that Mr. Fu Shan loved back then refers to them, so what about this Tutang Weird Cypress? Where exactly is it because of its strange tree shape? Whether it was due to other reasons, no one can say for sure, but a local folklore is very interesting. It is said that there was a cypress forest around Jingyin Temple. The cypress trees grew very lush, but no one could count how many cypress trees there were. clear. A general who had commanded thousands of troops came here, and he tried to count the cypress trees. He counted them for a whole day and night, and marked the counted cypress trees with small slips of paper. But when I came here the next day, I found that there were still many cypress trees without stickers, so this cypress forest was also amazing. Unfortunately, we can no longer see this cypress forest. We can only imagine it. Appreciate the charm of the strange cypress in Tutang. . Four of the Eight Ancient Scenic Spots: Cold Stone Cold Spring

It is located in Lancun, 20 kilometers northwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, on the left side of the Fenhe River Gorge. The temples on the mountain stand on the walls, with clear streams murmuring. The ancient cypresses in the temple are green, and the temples are majestic. Dou Chua, a senior official of the Jin Dynasty, also known as Mingdu, had a fiefdom in Taiyuan. He once opened canals to make money, and his descendants built a temple here to worship. The temple is located at the foot of Lieshi Mountain, so it is also called Lieshi Shrine. In June of the eighth year of Yuanfeng in the Song Dynasty, the temple was flooded by the Fen River and the tunnel was moved northward and rebuilt. There are inscriptions from all dynasties. The existing mountain gate, pavilion, main hall, etc. were all rebuilt in the third year of Yuan Zhizheng (1343), and some parts still retain the style of the Song and Jin Dynasties. The pavilion in the center is very large, and the rear eaves columns are replaced by corridor columns in the main hall. The structure is simple and rigorous, which is rare in Jin and Yuan buildings. The clear spring next to the temple gushes out from under the blue cliff of Lieshi Mountain. It is crystal clear and can be seen swimming in numbers. Because the water temperature is low, it is called "cold spring". It complements the ancient Cangbai Temple and is full of elegance. "Fierce Stone Cold Spring" is one of the scenic spots in Taiyuan. One of the Eight Ancient Scenic Spots, Wutianmen Snow Cover

Shuanglong Spring and Qian (Chongshu) Valley are both scenic spots near Jinyang, the northern capital. Shuanglong Spring is now the South and North Longquan in the northwest of Yangqu County, Taiyuan City. The two springs are only 500 meters apart, surrounded by undulating mountains and shaded trees. Next to the spring is the Da'an Temple, built in the early Tang Dynasty. There is a pagoda in the temple, commonly known as the "Tang Monk Pagoda". It was the place where the eminent monk Xuanzang taught scriptures during the Zhenguan period. Qian (Chongshu) Valley is a canyon in the northwest of Taiyuan. In ancient times, it was a tunnel from Jinyang to the northwest states. Its east entrance is the famous Tianmen Pass. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty opened traffic here and built a plank road, so it was named Yangguang Road. The cliffs here are like cut, the valley paths are deep, and the "Snow Covered Tianmen" is one of the eight scenic spots in Jinyang in ancient times. Just under the Tianmen Pass with sharp cliffs and deep valleys, Yang Guang, the then general manager of Bingzhou, erected a plank road and built a Chi Road going north, which was known as Yang Guang Road in history. At that time, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, who was on his third northern tour, set out from Jinyang and went north along this Chi Road. He led one hundred thousand officials, soldiers and maids to visit Fenyang Palace in Ningwu Tianchi and stayed there for five months. Six of the Eight Ancient Scenes: The Fenhe River is crossing the mountains at night, holding thousands of purple forests at sunset; returning from the crossing are like ants;

The sound of oars rolling in the middle of the river is clear, and geese are flying along the sand.

Reminiscing about traveling in the autumn, who could match my spirit at that time?

Where are the flutes and drums of the building and boat today? Red polygonum blooms with white gulls every year.

When viewing landscapes, the ancients paid more attention to artistic conception in addition to natural scenery. Because of this, Fenhe River Crossing at Night became one of the eight scenic spots in Taiyuan in the Qing Dynasty.

The author of this poem: Zhang Yi, a poet of the Ming Dynasty. Clustered like ants: It means people are crowded at the ferry. Zhongliu: Half crossing, crossing the middle of the river. Rolling: onomatopoeia, here refers to the sound of the oar. Shaji: The edge of the sand.

Traveling across the river to enjoy the autumn: refers to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che's visit to the Fen River.俦: Comparatively. Red Polygonum: Polygonum with red flowers. Down: fall. Seventh of the Eight Ancient Scenic Spots: Dawn Moon on Mengshan Mountain

Mengshan Mountain is located about 20 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan, in Sidi Village to the north of Jinci Temple. The main peak is 1,325 meters high. Mengshan Mountain Dawn Moon is one of the eight scenic spots in old Taiyuan. Emperor Gaoyang of the Northern Qi Dynasty expanded the Dazhuangyan Temple of the Eastern Wei Dynasty into the Kaihua Temple in the second year of Tianbao (551), and excavated a 200-foot-tall cliff Buddha, called the Xishan Giant Buddha, which is slightly taller than the Leshan Giant Buddha, which is currently the largest in the country. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, a new palace was built to cover the Buddha. Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty came here to worship the Buddha and bestow cassocks in the palace. Due to the destruction of the temple and the collapse of the pavilion, the Buddha was submerged in the rubble. Only the chest and neck parts were visible. The chest is 25 meters wide, 17.5 meters high, and the diameter of the neck is five meters wide.

Mengshan Mountain is connected to the peak of Taishan Mountain in Fengyu Valley in the south, and Yeyu and Kaihuayu in the north. Limestone mountain with white sandstone layers. From Kaihuayu to Niujiakou south of Jinci, the carbonate exposure section is called the "underground waterway" (Jinci Spring Fault Zone). This fault zone is the main groundwater drainage channel in the Xishan area. The faults that are about three kilometers long include the northeast-trending fault east of Shangyeyu in the north of the mountain and the east-trending fault south of Yuansi Di Village in the middle of the mountain. Economic forest trees include whitebark pine, arborvitae, white birch, sea buckthorn, etc. There are Chinese herbal medicines such as Jiaoli and Bupleurum. Wild ducks, pheasants, eagles, and tits fly in the bushes, and mountain boars, hares, and roe deer appear in the mountains. Mengshan contains a large amount of rich resources such as coal, bluestone, white ash, gypsum, and refractory soil. At the same time, at the foot of Mengshan Kaihuayu has had traditional pottery firing techniques since ancient times. Mengshan is one of the eight scenic spots in ancient Taiyuan County. It was known as "Mengshan Dawn Moon" in ancient times. Mengshan is a geomantic treasure land. Since ancient times, emperors and generals have visited Mengshan to build temples and dig caves to build Buddhas. Historical records: " Liu Cong of the Han Dynasty failed to conquer Liu Kun, and plundered the people of Jinyang, and fled to the west across Mongolia and Shanxi. "In 551 AD, Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Gao Yang, chiseled the Western Mountain Buddha in Mengshan Mountain, Jinyang. Gao Wei, the later master of the Northern Qi Dynasty, chiseled the Western Mountain of Jinyang into a giant Buddha statue, which burned thousands of pots of oil overnight and illuminated the palace." The place where the big Buddha statue is located is the ancient Dayan Temple. Previously, the eminent monk Tan Luan of the Eastern Wei Dynasty promoted the Pure Land Dharma. Emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty "ordered the Bingzhou Great Temple to live in". The Japanese Pure Land Shinshu scriptures recorded it as "Bingzhou Dayan Temple", which is where it is. Gaoyang of the Northern Qi Dynasty granted him the title of "Kaihua" Temple, and the eminent monk Daochuo of the Sui Dynasty also "succeeded in the pure career of Master Xiluan" when he served as Huizan's teacher in Kaihua Temple. This is the early dojo of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.

Yang Zhong, the father of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian, was a general of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. He led his troops to fight against the Northern Qi Dynasty in Mengshan Mountain. Therefore, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty built a temple for his father Yang Zhong in the second year of Kaihuang (582), which was called "Wu Temple". "Emperor Yuan Temple", later known as "Shengshou Temple". When Yang Jun, king of Sui and Qin Dynasties, was the governor of Bingzhou in Jinyang, he supported Master Huizan in building a large Buddhist pavilion for the "Jinyang Xishan Giant Buddha" excavated by the Northern Qi Dynasty in the first year of Renshou (601). In the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan and Li Shimin both visited the Giant Buddha in Jinyang. Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty and Empress Wu Zetian were fortunate enough to pay homage to Jinyang in the fifth year of Xianqing's reign (660). (This temple and Longshan Tongzi Temple, more than ten miles south, visited the two giant Buddhas.) The following year, they sent special envoys to bestow "five-color light" on the cassocks of the giant Buddha. The mountains and rivers are illuminated by cave candles, and Taoism and customs see tens of millions of people "sensing Bingzhou." In the late Tang Dynasty, Jin Wang Li Keyong built another large pavilion, which required 300,000 workers in five years. During the Five Dynasties and later the Jin Dynasty, Liu Zhiyuan, the King of Peking, stayed in the temple in Beijing and rebuilt the Zhuangyan Pavilion, which is five stories high and has 130 rooms. Liu Jiyuan of the Northern Han Dynasty built a summer palace on the top of Mengshan Mountain and an imperial bridge in Kaihua Valley. In the Song Dynasty, two pagodas were built in Kaihuaqian Temple in Mengshan. In addition, Mengshan also built Ganquan Temple in the second year of Tiantong (566) in the Northern Qi Dynasty, including Ganquan. Eight of the Eight Ancient Scenic Spots

Xunshui Yanbo

The oldest lake in Taiyuan City is undoubtedly Wenying Lake in the Children's Park. Wenying Lake was formed from the southeastern half of Taiyuan City after the expansion of Taiyuan City in the Ming Dynasty. The two areas of stagnant water gradually formed by the accumulation of rainwater were called Haiziyan at that time. It was here that Li Zicheng's general Chen Yongfu executed more than a thousand Ming Dynasty clan members. The two pieces of water in Haiziyan were connected in the Qing Dynasty. Because they were close to Gongyuan, they were named Wenying Lake and became the "Xunshui Smoke Wave", one of the eight scenic spots in old Taiyuan. When Sun Yat-sen came to Taiyuan in 1912, he gave a speech to people from all walks of life on the bank of Wenying Lake. Since then, it has been named Wenying Park, Zhongshan Park, Xinmin Park, People's Park, and finally named Children's Park in 1982.