Historical evolution of Xidian Bixia Yuanjun Temple
At that time, the location of West Ding, in the area of today’s Century Jinyuan Shopping Center, was called the “Indigo Factory”. The Indigo Factory is located in the hinterland of Haidian District, adjacent to the Summer Palace to the north, Kunyu River (formerly known as "Changhe") to the east, and the towering peaks of the West Mountains to the west. It is a geomantic treasure. The Empress Dowager Cixi would pass by here every year when she took a boat from Wanshou Temple to the Summer Palace to spend the summer.
"Xiding" is mainly dedicated to the Taoist goddess Bixia Yuanjun (commonly known as the "Songzi Empress"). Bixia Yuanjun is a figure in Taoist legend, and there are different opinions about its origin. Some people say that she is the daughter of Emperor Dongyue of Mount Tai. When Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty came to Mount Tai, he was named "The Fairy Lady Bixia Yuanjun". Some say she is one of the seven fairies sent by the Jade Emperor. Some people believe that she evolved from the legend of "Tarzan Goddess".
In the legend, Bixia Yuanjun was able to protect the country and the people, so he was worshiped. According to "Sou Shen Ji", during the reign of King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty, "Tai Gongwang was appointed as the order of Guantan. During the year, the wind did not sing. King Wen dreamed of a woman who was very beautiful and cried when she came to the road. When asked why, he said, 'I am from Taishan Mountain. My daughter is married to a woman from the East China Sea and wants to return home. Now she is a virtuous person, so I will be ruined. There will be strong winds and rains on my way. The strong winds and rain will destroy her virtues. 'King Wen felt that he wanted to do this. On that day, there was a strong rain and storm passing outside the Dagong city. "During the Ming Dynasty, the belief in Bixia Yuanjun was particularly prosperous, and Bixia Yuanjun temples were spread throughout the capital.
Xidian is famous for its temple fairs. According to legend, the 18th day of the fourth lunar month is the birthday of Bixia Yuanjun, and Xidian Temple holds a temple fair every year from the first to the 18th day of the fourth lunar month. Since the Ming Dynasty, Beijingers have had the custom of going to Xiding to dig up soil. According to Liu Ruoyu's "Zi Zhong Zhi" at the end of the Ming Dynasty, "The land (in West Ding) is so low that there are crazy people in the city who advocate the idea of digging into the soil. Men and women, regardless of their status, carry carts with baskets or bags with horses. There was a steady stream of people. Even virgins and beautiful women took this opportunity to wander around and sit in two-person sedans, holding a bag of soil in their arms and carrying incense paper to wish for blessings." The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Qing Palace also sent ministers to burn incense, which was an honor that the other four emperors did not enjoy.
Wei Zhongxian and Kangxi once repaired it
In history, the west top has been repaired many times. The records of each repair and the inscriptions after the event have become an important basis for today's research on the history of Xidian.
According to the "Inscription of the Hongci Palace Edicted to Protect the Country", during the Qi Dynasty of Tomorrow, Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch in charge of rituals, also donated money to repair the west top. In the second year of tomorrow's Qi Dynasty (1622), Wei Zhongxian went to the indigo factory to inspect the factory affairs, and stopped by the west top to pay homage. He found that the west top was already in ruins and "sighed deeply". So he discussed the reconstruction with Wang Tiqian, the eunuch of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and others. With the support of the eunuch of the Supervisor of Ceremonies and many eunuchs in the Qianqing Palace, they renovated and expanded the Niangniang Temple on a large scale. The renovation lasted two years and was completed in the fourth year of Tianqi in the Ming Dynasty (1624). After renovation, the Xidian Temple has begun to take shape, with the addition of a mountain gate, a bell tower, a drum tower, a Buddhist scripture pavilion, an altar, etc., and dozens of monasteries were also built on the west side of the temple for the eunuchs sent here by the emperor. residence.
During the Qing Dynasty, Xiding was again favored by Emperor Kangxi. In the 49th year of Kangxi's reign (1710), Emperor Kangxi went to Xiding to offer incense. He saw the ruins of Xiding and ordered it to be rebuilt. In the fifty-first year of Kangxi's reign (1712), when Emperor Kangxi went to Xiding again to offer incense, he gave Xiding the title of "Guangren Palace", as well as a crown of pearls, robes and flags, a scroll with scriptures written by the Celestial Immortal Jade Girl, and a stone statue. The "Inscription of the Imperial Palace Guangren Palace in Xidian" praises Bixia Yuanjun's efficaciousness and praises Yuanjun's merits in preventing disasters: "Yuanjun was first named Dafei. During the Xuanhe period of the Song Dynasty, he began to have supernatural powers. Later, Yuanjun After the Ming Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, the temple became more prosperous, with five tiles surrounding it, one of which is the west tile."
According to written records, Xiding during the Ming and Qing Dynasties was grand in scale and had many palaces. The temple faces south and has a four-sided layout, imitating the French style of the Song Dynasty. On the central axis from south to north are the theater building, the archway, the mountain gate, the mountain gate hall, the main hall, the back hall, the hanging flower gate and the sutra collection tower. Behind the mountain gate is the Shanmen Hall, which is dedicated to the four divine generals Ma, Zhao, Wen and Liu. "They are as powerful as life and ferocious. The eight monsters under the seat are especially frightening. Anyone with children should cover their eyes and pass by." .
The plane of the main hall is in the shape of the word "work", with the main hall in front and the sleeping palace in the back, connected by a long corridor in the middle.
This architectural form is relatively rare among many temples and temples in Beijing. There are 9 Virgin Mothers enshrined in the main hall. The 8 known ones are: the Fairy Goddess, the Descendants Goddess, and the Eyesight Goddess in the middle. The left niches are the Childbirth Goddess, the Childbirth Goddess, and the Wet Nurse Goddess. The right niches are the Pimples Goddess and the Pimples Goddess. . There is also a statue of an empress with a smaller body and facing inward. According to the written records at that time, "it is rusty and peeling, and its green color is more green than that of other gods." However, it is impossible to verify its name. These statues are all made of bronze, which shows how wealthy the Xidian Temple was at that time.
In the early years of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, the Xidian Temple was destroyed by fire, leaving only the vegetable garden. In the 20th year of Guangxu's reign (1894), Emperor Guangxu rebuilt the palace. Xiding was still basically intact until the Republic of China, but it was in great decline. After the founding of New China, the temple site was occupied by a sanatorium and a welfare factory. After 50 years, except for the destruction of the stage and archway, it is still intact.
Whether it is preserved or abandoned, you have to pay a price
With the continuous development and expansion of Beijing, the originally remote indigo factory has gradually become the focus of real estate developers. After Century Jinyuan Shopping Center settled in Indigo Factory, land prices here have been booming. The hardware factory where Xidian Temple is located reached an agreement with Century Jinyuan Shopping Center and agreed to move out in February 2004. Century Jinyuan Shopping Center plans to build an underground parking lot here, and the west top faces the fate of being demolished.
In 2003, Wang Yue, a deputy to the People's Congress of Haidian District, accidentally learned the news when he went to the Indigo Factory to listen to voters' opinions. After investigation, Wang Yue found that the layout of the Xidian Temple followed the Song Dynasty pattern. The front hall and the middle hall were connected by corridors and formed a "Gong" shape. This architectural form is now very rare in Beijing temples. Out of concern for ancient cultural relics, Wang Yue appealed to relevant departments to strengthen the protection of Xidian Ancient Temple to avoid damage due to demolition in surrounding areas. In 2004, he brought relevant information about the ancient temple to the delegation of the 13th National People's Congress of Haidian District and suggested protecting the "Xidian". His suggestion was approved by the National People's Congress deputies, and the west top was preserved.
On a Friday afternoon, I walked through the huge Century Jinyuan Shopping Center, looking for the famous "Xiding Empress Temple" in the past. Now, the west top is being repaired intensively. It can be seen from the scene that the mountain gate, mountain gate hall, main hall, back hall and scripture collection building on the west top are well preserved. The construction workers on site said that except for a side hall on the east side which was rebuilt, the other halls are "old antiques". At present, the renovation of the main hall has been basically completed, and wiring and electricity are being installed.
However, the renovation of Shanmen and Shanmen Hall has not yet been put on the agenda because the relocation work here has not been completed. From the outside, Shanmen and Shanmen Hall are simple and dignified, with gray roofs covered with weeds. Compared with the newly renovated temples, they have a bit more history and vicissitudes. A snack bar opened in front of Shanmen Hall, and the green bricks were blackened by oil smoke.
Beyond the snack bar, the narrow and cramped Shanmen Hall is filled with migrant workers. They all worked as chefs and waiters in restaurants, and the owner of the restaurant rented Shanmen Hall as a dormitory for them. In addition to migrant workers, it is said that there are several blind families living here, but I have not seen it myself. Xidian Temple was originally occupied by a hardware welfare factory, and it is speculated that they should be workers in the welfare factory.
On the east side of Xidian Temple, there are several dormitories of hardware factories that are about to be demolished. The houses are almost abandoned, and the doors and windows have been knocked out, but they have not yet been demolished. Now, most of the windows have been covered with bricks, and many outsiders live here. I knocked on a house and wanted to take a panoramic view of the Xidian Temple from upstairs, but I was told that "there are no windows in the house." After hearing this sentence, I felt a sense of sadness for no reason. Whether a temple exists or is destroyed, you have to pay a price. It is really not easy to grasp the balance between the two. When I was about to leave, I looked back at the dusty wild grass on the gate of Xidian Temple, swaying in the wind.
Nowadays, the Xidian Temple has been renovated and stands in the west of Beijing, silently watching the changes of the times. The peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.