Are there any temples in Liyang? The one with more incense?

Liyang Shihou Temple

The Hou Temple was built in the Han Dynasty. It was well preserved from generation to generation in the Wu Dynasty and Jin Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms. It was not destroyed until modern times, much like the Han tree beside the corridor. Sophora japonica has gone through thousands of years of wind and rain, and although its withered trunk and branches are left, its ancient charm still remains.

Hou Temple was actually Shi Chong’s cemetery at the earliest. Who is Shi Chong? Shi Chong's great ancestor was called Shi Gong, who was a native of Jibei, Shandong, and later moved to Duling. Shi Gong had a sister who was the concubine of Prince Wei and gave birth to Shi Huang's grandson. In the last years of Emperor Wu, witches used witchcraft to harm the emperor, causing chaos in the palace. The prince, Shi Gong's sister Shi Liangdi, and his son Shi Huangsun were all harmed. Shi Huangsun had a son named Zeng Huangsun, who was only a few months old and was still imprisoned. He was not pardoned until he was five years old. The prison envoy Bing Ji took pity on the great grandson who was homeless and gave him to Shi Gong. Shi Gong's mother, Zhenjun, saw that the great grandson was helpless, so she loved him very much and raised him personally. Later, the grandson of the great emperor ascended the throne as Emperor Xuan. At that time, both Zhenjun and Shi Gong had passed away. In order to repay his kindness, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty conferred titles on all three of Shi Gong's sons: the eldest son Shi Gao was the Marquis of Leling, the second son Shi Zeng was the Marquis of Jiangling, and the third son Shi Yuan was the Marquis of Platform. Shi Yuan's son was named Shi Xie, and Shi Xie's son was named Shi Xi. They both inherited the title. Shi Chong was Shi Xi's son. This period of history is consistent with Ban Gu's records in "The Genealogy of the Shi Family" and "Han Shu".

After introducing Shi Chong’s ancestors, it is now time to introduce Shi Chong. Shi Chong was high-spirited and high-spirited when he was young. When he was older, he studied military affairs. In the early years of Emperor Guangwu, Shi Chong believed that his family had made great contributions to the Han Dynasty in the past dynasties and was related by marriage to the emperor's family. Therefore, he set up his ambition to make great achievements and be famous for generations to come. So he joined the Guangwu Army, took the lead, galloped on the battlefield, defeated Wang Xun, defeated the King of Zhao, and subdued Liu Penzi. He achieved great feats and was awarded the title of General Right, Governor of Qingji and Qingji Prefectures by the emperor, plus General of Hussars, and was named Marquis of Liyang. There are 10,000 households in Shilu Tianyi. When the Eastern Han Dynasty revived and the country was at peace, the imperial court issued an edict to send all the princes who had been granted the title to their fiefdoms. In this way, Shi Chong arrived at Gucheng (now Gaochun Gucheng Town), the county seat of Liyang. After he arrived in Liyang, he "asked about the sufferings of the people, administered justice with leniency and simplicity, paid attention to education, developed agriculture and mulberry trees, and took into account fishing and hunting." Shi Chong's teachings had a great influence on the development of civilization in Liyang area and made great contributions.

In the Han Dynasty, Changdang Lake had a large area. Today, Madang, Nandudang, Daxi Huangshan Lake, Hekou Santadang, Shachangdang and other places are all lakes and reed marshes. During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhou Yu He once practiced naval training in Changdang Lake. At that time, Changdang Lake was troubled by water bandits and fishermen, and the lake was not peaceful. The fishermen and people along the lake suffered greatly and complained endlessly. Shi Chong led his men to the lake several times to suppress the bandits. At that time, the current site of Hou Temple was a dam highland. Shi Chong's official ships and warships often docked by the dam, and Shi Chong sometimes went ashore to walk and watch the scenery. Shi Chong once told his subordinates that this place is located at the southern end of Changdang Lake, at the foot of the mountain. It faces south and faces north. It is condescending and has a broad view. It is a geomantic treasure. It is precisely because of Shi Chong's words that the future "Hou Temple" was built on the dam highland near the lake. Searching everywhere the next day, Shi Chong's body could not be found, and only one of his jade tablets was left on the ship. As the bad news spread, the people were sad and came to the lake to pay homage and express their condolences. Shi Chong's younger brother was an official in Sichuan. After hearing the news, he came all the way to Liyang for the funeral. According to his brother's wishes, he was buried on the high ground beside Changdang Lake. In the tomb, the most valuable burial object is the jade tablet that Shi Chong used during his lifetime. "Jiankang Zhi" recorded Shi Chong's death in detail, which shows that Shi Chong's death was a quite big event at that time. Regarding Shi Chong's death, the "Shi Clan Genealogy" is different from the historical records, saying that "unfortunately, he died of illness in Xinzhen, nine out of seventy in the Spring and Autumn Period." In the early days of the Cultural Revolution in 1966 when the "Four Olds" were being "destroyed", Shi Chong's grave was dug up, but no remains were found, only a jade tablet, which was the hand tablet that ancient ministers held when meeting the emperor. It can be seen from this that Shi Chong’s tomb is a tomb, which further proves that the historical records are authentic and credible.

When the Emperor of the Han Dynasty learned of Shi Chong's death, he issued an edict and granted him the title of Envoy Chijie, Xu Yan Erzhou Governor and Sikong, with the posthumous title Zhuang. Shihou Temple was named Shihou Temple according to the specifications of marquis specified by the imperial court at that time. Later, due to the effectiveness of praying for rain over the years, the Song Dynasty was granted the title of Lingji Gong and the Yuan Dynasty was granted the title of King Lingji, and the temple was granted to Xianhui Temple. Therefore, Shihou Temple was called Hou Temple. The temple covers an area of ​​60 acres and is surrounded by walls built with stones from Huangdong Mountain. There is a picture of the Hou Temple in Liyang in the Genealogy of the Shi Family. The picture is clearly drawn. There is a small river in front of the Hou Temple and a stone bridge on the river.

After crossing the stone bridge, there is a corridor paved with bluestone slabs to the entrance of Hou Temple. On both sides of the corridor there are a pair of stone figures, stone horses and Weng Zhong, as well as locust and beech trees. On both sides of the Hanhou Temple Gate, a Chinese watch stands on each side. There is a large horizontal plaque on the door of the temple, which reads "The temple of Shi Gong, the Zhuang Marquis of Liyang, Sikong, Han Dynasty". Entering the ancestral gate is the Yimen. There are halls on both sides of the Yimen. There is a well in the west side of the house. The water is clear and never runs dry all year round. After passing the Yimen, go up the stairs and enter the main hall, which has three rooms, is tall and majestic, and has extraordinary momentum. There is a statue of Shi Hou in the middle of the hall, and on both sides are the statues of dignitaries of the Shi family in the past, such as Shi Wuzi, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, Shi Yizhi, the prime minister of the Qing Dynasty, and so on. There are also many precious cultural relics in the hall, such as the inscription written by Ban Gu in the Han Dynasty, and the poem stele by Yang Shiqi, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, praising the ancient marquis temple, "Inscribed on the Temple Picture to Send to the History of Changshou Jianning", which contains the words "Water color, mountain, bright building, unique to Liyang" The sentence "ancient marquis temple". The third entrance is "Haiyue Hall", with a horizontal plaque written by Zhu Xi, a great Neo-Confucian scholar in the Song Dynasty. On both sides of Haiyue Hall are the Three Marquises Temple and the Five Marquises Temple, which are statues of the eight marquises of the Shi family who were ennobled by the emperor. Shi Chong's tomb is located against the back wall of "Haiyue Hall". The tombstone in front of the tomb is engraved with the words "Tomb of Shi Chong, Marquis of Liyang, Han Dynasty" and is surrounded by pine forests. Looking down at the Hou Temple, the buildings are scattered vertically and horizontally, the sun is blocked by the houses, and the flying ridges suppress the clouds. It is majestic and solid. There are lush old trees and tall buildings and walls. "The Genealogy of the Shi Family" describes: "The mountains are majestic, the Tao water is clear, and the temple is built in the middle, as if it was designed by heaven."