Meet, Qionglai Ancient Pagoda
Qionglai, known as Linqiong in ancient times, has a history of more than 2,300 years. It is one of the four ancient cities in Bashu and one of the first named historical and cultural cities in Sichuan Province. Among the beautiful mountains and rivers, there is even more richness in humanities. There are many remains of ancient pagodas and pagoda-type buildings alone. Those pagodas, Feng Shui pagodas and ziku pagodas of different shapes and styles are either grand and solemn, majestic and tall, or exquisite and elegant, just like the beauty of Qionglai.
? Pagoda
Pagoda is also known as pagoda (the transliteration of Sanskrit "Buddha"), pagoda, pagoda, etc. It was not until the Sui and Tang Dynasties that "pagoda" was used as a unified translation and is still used today. It was originally used to enshrine relics, scriptures or ritual objects. After Buddhism was introduced to China in the first century AD, it was Sinicized to form Han Buddhism. The style of pagodas was also Sinicized from the covered bowl style to the pavilion style and the pavilion style. From the pavilion style pagoda, the dense eaves style pagoda was derived. Our country's pagodas can be divided into wooden pagodas, stone pagodas and brick pagodas according to their building materials. Most of them are engraved with pagoda construction inscriptions, Buddha statues, Buddhist scriptures, etc. Their basic shape consists of a pagoda base, a pagoda body, and a pagoda temple. The pagoda base has a square shape. , circular, polygonal, the tower body is built upward layer by layer, gradually shrinking. The styles of ancient pagodas are diverse, and together with mountains and rivers, they form a unique cultural and natural landscape. There are five existing pagodas in Qionglai:
Shita Temple Stone Pagoda (Sakya Tathagata True Body Pagoda). Located in Xingxing Village in the back mountain of Tiantai, it was built in the eighth year of Qiandao (1172) in the Southern Song Dynasty. It has stood erect for thousands of years and is a national key cultural relic protection unit. The tower body is built with red sandstone and has a thirteen-story dense eaves style, with a total height of about 17 meters. There is a double-layer Xumi pedestal on the stone base, which is engraved with begonia curved kuen door relief and peony, lotus and curly grass patterns. The four corners of the Xumi Seat have spiral-shaped legs, which is very rare. On top of the Xumizuo, the first floor of the pagoda is built, with a niche door in the middle of each side, housing a Buddha statue inside; on each of the four square pagoda doors, there are plaques and the words "Sakyamuni Tathagata, True Body Pagoda". The first floor of the pagoda is equipped with a wide square eaves, and there are attached steps around the eaves. Especially the attached steps on the tall Xumizuo are rare among ancient pagodas in China. Only the Ten Temple Pagodas in She County, Anhui Province can compare with it. Above the first floor of the pagoda, there are twelve layers of dense eaves, all of which are made of overlapping stone carvings, with the four corners turned up. The pagoda brake is a double overturned bowl with stone orbs placed on the base. It reflects the style of southern architecture. The entire tower has a "prism" shape, tall and beautiful.
It is said that there is a tooth relic of Buddha enshrined on the top of the tower.
West Tower. It was built in the Xuanhe Gengzi Year of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (1120) and is located on Baihe Mountain in the western suburbs of the city. Lu You of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote a poem in "Sending a Boat from the Mountains to Return to the County" that "the white pagoda in the mountains is high and rugged"; the "Floating Picture of the Sky Representing Our State" in Goulongting also shows that this pagoda once marked the scenic spot of a state. The existing west pagoda was rebuilt on the initiative of Qiongzhou poet Wu Jiang and others in the Yisi year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1845). The tower is built of green bricks, octagonal, seven-story, and 17.89 meters high. The base of the pagoda is built with red sandstone, and the pagoda is composed of three connected basins. The pavilion stands on the top of Baihe Mountain.
Halfway up the mountain to the east of the West Pagoda is the famous Helin Ancient Temple in western Sichuan. There is a 7.77-meter-high Maitreya Buddha statue carved in mosaic rock in the "Dianyi Cave" in the mid-mountain in the southwest. Sitting in the lotus position with a lifelike expression, it is the largest Maitreya Buddha seat statue in western Sichuan.
Yunju Tower. "Qionglai County Chronicles·Landscape Chronicles" (Republic of China) records: "To the west of the south bank of the river across Taziba, there is Yunju Temple on the mountain... It started in the Yuan Dynasty and was better than the Ming Dynasty. It was formerly known as Guangfu Temple, also a monk temple. Because of the white clouds and leisure islands Later, the current name was changed. Wang Ting, a native of Mingzhou, recorded that there was Huyue Pavilion on the mountain. There is no pavilion now, but there is a pagoda. It was built in the middle and late Qing Dynasty and was named Yunju Pagoda. "The pagoda stands on the top of the mountain and is five stories high. The top has been destroyed, giving it a unique sense of vicissitudes of life, echoing the Huilan Tower.
In addition, there are two monk tomb towers related to Buddhism:
Lingkong Pagoda. It was built in the Ming Dynasty on Tiantai Mountain, which was once a famous Buddhist mountain. It is a square-shaped second-level building with a red sandstone imitation wood structure and is about 6.7 meters high. The two floors are hollow, with doorposts, sills and lintels on the front of the outer layer. There are double carved stone doors with door shafts that can be opened and closed. About one meter inside the door is the inner pagoda chamber (tomb chamber). There is also a carved stone door on the front wall. The top stone is stacked in three layers to form a square caisson, and the treasure-shaped flower is embossed in the middle.
The flat roof of the upper floor is surrounded by stone columns and railings, with three rooms and four columns on each side. Lotus flowers are engraved on the top of the column, and phoenix birds, auspicious animals, etc. are embossed on the railings. There are reliefs around the tower. The first-level tower is covered with stone eaves, carved with tile ridges and wing angles. The two levels are similar in shape.
Haiyun Tower. Located in Hejiang Village, Shuikou, it is the tomb tower of monks from Lingguang Temple in the Ming Dynasty. The double stone doors are made of red sandstone and decorated with floral patterns around them. The tower is 7.4 meters high and divided into three floors. It has eaves all around, engraved with doors, windows and exquisite patterns.
Feng Shui Tower
? ? Feng Shui Tower, also known as Wen Feng Tower, emerged in the early Ming Dynasty (14th century AD) when Feng Shui theory was prevalent. Feng shui towers are mainly used to manage mountains and waters, replenish the terrain, control floods, and attract auspicious energy. They are used to "revitalize the ground" and "revitalize the humanities". They have become a landscape, sign and symbol of a place, highlighting local culture and customs. There are three existing Feng Shui towers in Qionglai:
Huilan Tower (also known as Zhenjiang Tower). "Qionglai County Chronicles·Landscape" (Republic of China) records: "In the 44th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1616), Yuan Wenzhao, the prefecture pastor, started to build the Zhenjiang Buddhist pagoda, and Yang Shen, a county Jinshi, wrote an inscription. In the last years of Chongzhen, it was destroyed by bandits, and its status is unknown. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Prefecture Mu Xu Shimin failed to build it, and only the pagoda foundation was left. During the Tongzhi period, Prefecture Mu Hu Xingzhuo rebuilt it based on the pagoda foundation, but it was abandoned halfway and the work was abandoned. During the Guangxu period, Prefecture Mu Li Yuxuan completed it and changed it. It is called Huilan Wenfeng Pagoda. "According to the "Inscription on the Rebuilding of Huilan Pagoda": "During the Hongwu period, there were floods, and the years were not good... County man Wang Zhixiong advocated the construction of Zhenjiang Pagoda..." Today's Huilan Pagoda was built in the sixth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty. Beginning in 1999, Hu Xingzhuo, the state pastor, rebuilt the pagoda on the base of the Ming Dynasty. By the eighth year of Guangxu, the state pastor Li Yuxuan completed the construction from the ninth floor to the top. The tower is located on the bank of the river in the southeast of the city, with a height of 75.48 meters. It is the third tallest brick tower in the country and a provincial cultural relic protection unit.
Huilan Pagoda is a thirteen-level hexagonal pavilion-style brick tower, facing east and west. The first floor is named "Zhenjiang Tower", (the heart chamber of the tower) is dedicated to Zhenjiang King Wu Zixu; the second floor is named "Fulu Laichong", which is dedicated to Fan Li, the God of Wealth and Wealth; the third floor is named "Jianghan Chaozong", which is dedicated to Guan Yu, the Master of Wu Sheng; The fourth floor is named "Debei Quanchuan" and is dedicated to Li Bing and his son; the fifth floor is named "Sanyuan Dingzhi" and is dedicated to Sansu and his son; the sixth floor is named "Kejia Yanyan" and is dedicated to Feng Shixing, the first number one scholar in Sichuan and Xuanhe in the Northern Song Dynasty; The seventh floor is named "Filial Friend, Jingzhong", dedicated to Wu Mu Yuefei; the eighth floor is "Kui Xing Diandou", which integrates the themes of eliminating troubles, promoting industry, maintaining success, advocating the virtuous, and advocating philosophy, embodying "revitalizing the literary style of a generation, The purpose of "improving people through ancient and modern methods". Because the nine floors and above are gradually stacked and introverted, there are no core columns and they are all hollow buildings. They are called "Wuchang" buildings or "Wulun" buildings, which refer to benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trust. The tower spirals up along the stairway, with small square windows providing good lighting and ventilation. Climbing to the top of the tower and looking out the window, you can see the fertile fields, the mountains and the water, which is refreshing and refreshing.
Under the pagoda is the Dabei Nunnery, which was built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. It is simple and quiet and otherworldly.
Wenbi Tower (South Tower). On Wenbi Mountain opposite the First Bridge in Southern Sichuan. Hu Fan of the Qing Dynasty recorded in "Reconstruction of the Southwest Twin Pagodas": "The Wenbi Pagoda was built by my teacher Mr. Du Ji'an Yingmei. The supporting stones are beams, which shine ethereal to the west. Just thirty years ago, the tower tilted and became like a hawthorn. The prefect Zhu Dongjiang came to Qiong and asked Fan to raise funds for repairs. "It was originally a stone pagoda and was rebuilt into a brick pagoda in the 25th year of Daoguang reign (1845), with a height of 21 meters. The tower is a solid seven-level hexagonal pavilion-style tower. The tower body gradually shrinks, and the tower brake is connected to the top with iron pillars. It has a tall and graceful appearance. The poet Wu Jiang wrote a couplet for this purpose: "Let's go to welcome the immortals. The ground is surrounded by five green flags. Come quickly and inscribe the pillars, and the sky will leave a writing pen."
Chonggu Pagoda. Together with the Huang Chonggu Tomb on Chonggu Mountain in Huojing Town and the Zhuangyuan Bridge at the foot of the mountain, they were both built to commemorate Huang Chonggu, a talented woman from Shu during the Five Dynasties. Chonggu Pagoda was built in the fifth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1866), with a height of 18.7 meters. It is a municipal cultural relic protection unit in Chengdu. The tower is a five-level octagonal stone tower with girdle and Xumi seat and double eaves. There is no door opening in the tower body, and the eaves angles above the second floor are all upturned, gradually retracting to the top. There are niches on the second, third and fourth floors on the northeast side of the outer wall, with stone statues in relief inside. On the fourth floor of the tower, there are reliefs of an animal face on each of the southeast and northwest sides. There is a couplet engraved on the pagoda, "The pagoda was built to govern the Five Dynasties, and its majesty will echo through the ages."
Ziku Tower
Ziku Tower is also called Ziku, Xizi Tower, Xizi Tower, Fenziku, and Hakka people also call it Jingzi Pavilion. It is usually built at the intersection of a town, inside an academy or temple, or next to a road or bridge. Most of the pagoda niches enshrine Cangjie, Wenchang, Confucius and other gods, and are equipped with corresponding couplets, auspicious patterns, etc., which are unique and exquisite. Zikuta began in the Song Dynasty and became popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The ancients believed that writing is sacred and noble, a treasure in the world that cannot be compared with money or title. Respecting writing will bring great blessings. Even the discarded words written on paper cannot be thrown around or desecrated at will, and must be burned with sincerity and respect. The character library is a place used to burn the paper with writing on it. It is the embodiment of the ancients' concept of "respecting the writing paper". There are ten existing ziku towers in Qionglai:
Xingxian Pagoda. It is located in Xinjie Community Town, Mouli Town. It was built in the sixth year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1826). It is a three-story hexagonal brick tower with a height of 13.5 meters. It is a provincial cultural relic protection unit. The tower body is decorated with glazed components and plain pottery, with figures, flowers, geometric patterns and other patterns. The first layer of the plaque is named "Character Library", and the couplets on both sides "store the waste ink of the sages and preserve the writings of ancient saints". There are sculptures on the wall such as Tieguai Li, Lu Dongbin and other Eight Immortals; six vertical pillars are carved with lotuses, and the bases of the pillars are engraved with patterns such as fortune, wealth and longevity. The tower is hollow and has an arched door for burning writing paper. There is a convex niche and pottery statue in the lower part. The horizontal plaque reads "Zhangshan Hall" and the couplets on both sides read "Ji Gong Bingzheng, Register Man Gong". The plaques on the second floor are named "Cangjie Palace" and "Wenchang Palace", and the couplet is "Wen Zhang is the ancestor, and the sentiment is the flower". The tower body is equipped with secondary steps around the perimeter, a brick-carved corridor, eighteen glazed dragon holding columns supporting the eaves of the tower, and a relief sculpture of the Twenty-Four Filial Piety in the center of the square. The plaques on the third floor are named "Xingxian Pagoda" and "Guanyin Pavilion". They are supported by six round dragon-holding pillars, and the center of the square is carved with patterns such as the return of the number one scholar to his home. There are inscriptions on the east and west sides of the first floor of the tower, recording the reason and age of the construction. The inscription on the east side reads: "This is a pagoda, with eye-catching scale, flowers all over it, and sleeping bricks reaching the top. It is magnificent and solid..." The inscription on the west side reads: "Qiongzhou has long been known as Wensu, with talented people from generation to generation, and it was also a famous area in Sichuan Province... ...To return to the fallen waves... build a library, named 'Xingxian Pagoda', to inherit the beauty of Zhenjiang and cultivate the Feng Shui of He County."
Lian Sheng Pagoda. In Tuxi Village, Tiantaishan Town, it is a five-story hexagonal pavilion-style stone structure building from the Qing Dynasty with a height of 11.73 meters. It is a cultural relic protection unit in Chengdu. There are niches on the second to fifth floors of the front wall of the tower, with figures, flowers and birds in relief. There is a square hole under the niche on the second floor that communicates with the hollow tower body; there is also a square hole on the back wall of the third floor that communicates with the hollow tower body. On the south side of the tower, there is a memorial tablet with a three-story verandah-style building, and the "Liansheng Pagoda Text Library" is inscribed on the front.
??Ni Ziku Tower. It was built by the Ni family in the fighting village of Wolong Town in the Qing Dynasty. It is 11 meters high and is a cultural relic protection unit in Chengdu. The pagoda is a three-story hexagonal pavilion-style brick structure with a girdle-shaped Xumizuo at the bottom. There is a niche in the middle of the front of each floor. A horizontal plaque on the first-floor niche reads "Xi Zi Yanling"; there are rectangular niches on the southwest and both sides of the second floor. The horizontal plaque on the niche reads "Together we form a good relationship"; there is a rectangular niche in the middle of the front of the third floor, and the horizontal plaque on the niche reads "Ziku". All three floors were connected and destroyed. The eaves of the tower are decorated with tube tiles, which extend outwards and have upturned corners. The eaves of the tower are painted with flowers, geometric patterns and other patterns.
Wenziku Tower. Built in the Qing Dynasty, it is located in Qiudianzi Village on the outskirts of the city, with a residual height of 6.6 meters. It is a three-story hexagonal pavilion-style brick structure building with curved eaves on each floor and upturned eaves corners. There are niches in the middle of the front of the library, with fan-shaped plaques on them and couplets on both sides. Most of them were damaged, except for the two-story "Xizi Palace" plaque, the couplets "Storing the thoughts of saints and leaving heaven and earth to transform their merits" and the third-story "Kui Pavilion" plaque. name.
Kangcao Ziku Tower. Located in Fengba Village, Tiantaishan Town, it is a one-story, four-corner pavilion-style stone building built in the 10th year of Daoguang reign (1830) in the Qing Dynasty, with a height of 2.4 meters. The outer wall of the base is made of stone, with a hollow and paved stone slab. Above it is the body of the warehouse. There are two pillars on both sides of the front. The left pillar has the inscription "Kou Xi Ta San Duo" (the right pillar is missing). There is a square doorway in the middle. On the left side of the base is a square doorway. There is a niche in the stone slab with inscribed inscriptions. The roof is in verandah style, decorated with tube tiles, and the four corners are upturned.
? Tianbatou Ziku Tower. Built in the eighth year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1084), it is located in Fengba Village, Tiantaishan Town. It is a one-story, four-corner pavilion-style stone building with a height of 1.8 meters. The tower is hollow and square in plan, placed on a two-story base.
The verandah-style roof is decorated with tube tiles, with upturned corners and carved patterns on both sides. The front has a square opening, with curling cloud patterns and floral patterns engraved on both sides, and the text is mostly weathered.
Dugou Ziku Tower. It is a three-story hexagonal pavilion-style stone structure building built in 1919 (Republic of China), located in Daozuo Wanfu Village. The tower is 7.5 meters high, with a couplet engraved on the first floor of the stone pillars on the front: "The pavilion is full of unrestrained play, chess, calligraphy and painting; the empty pavilion is quiet and quiet, and you can view the scenery of spring, summer, autumn and winter." The upper part of the stone wall in the middle is engraved with the inscription of the calligraphy library built by the Du tribe, and there is a convex shape in the lower part. The niche has the word "ziku" engraved on it, and there is a statue inside. There is a hollow arched door on the west side for storing and burning calligraphy paper. The couplet engraved on the second floor reads: "The pavilion is like a treasury and the wealth lasts forever, and the tower is like the prosperity of writing that lasts forever." There is a niche at the lower part of the stone wall in the middle, with the inscription "The rise of literati" inscribed on it, and there is a relief statue sitting on a lotus platform.
Erlongshan Ziku Tower. It is a three-story, four-corner pavilion-style stone building from the Qing Dynasty, located in Erlong Village, Jiaguan Town. Each floor is equipped with eaves, a verandah-style roof, and the eaves and four corners are upturned. The body of the library is placed on the waist-girdled Xumi base, and the hollow space can be used to store and burn calligraphy paper. There are door openings on the front and back of the first floor. The upper part is decorated with Ruyi patterns. The couplets on the stone pillars on both sides are broken. There is a door opening on the front of the second floor. The upper part is decorated with curly grass patterns. Couplets are engraved on the stone pillars on both sides: "If there are words, they must be put in the library, and if there are no words, they must be hidden." There is an opening on the front of the third floor, and the upper part is decorated with relief scrolls and bird patterns. The stone pillars on both sides are engraved with a couplet: "Kui flies to the three realms, and his pen connects nine states."
Maping Village Ziku Tower. Built in Maping Village, Tiantaishan Town, it is a one-story, four-corner pavilion-style stone building from the Ming Dynasty, about 1 meter high. On top of its three-story base is a waist-girdled Xumizuo, and the tower body is placed on the Xumizuo, which is hollow. It has a verandah-style roof, decorated with tube tiles, overhanging eaves, upturned corners, a front door, and round flower windows on both sides.
Fengba small character library tower. The tower is located in Fengba Village, Tiantaishan Town. It is a Qing Dynasty stone single-story square pavilion tower with a height of about 1.8 meters. It has a single eaves with a pointed roof, a waist-girdled Xumi base at the bottom, an opening on the front of the tower, tile ridges carved on the eaves, and a gourd-shaped tower brake.
These ancient pagodas that have been integrated into the natural mountains and rivers are not only a kind of humanistic beauty, but also have indispensable cultural and academic value. As early as the 1990s, many ancient pagodas in Qionglai were damaged, mostly due to man-made reasons. For example, the demolition of the Xiaba Huichuan Pagoda attracted the attention of Zhou Yang, the then Minister of Culture, but the pagoda could never be rebuilt. This may be one of the reasons why the Huilan Pagoda was not demolished later, right? Fortunately!