The gods of Mengjia Longshan Temple gathered
Taipei Xianghuo Street Buddhist Shrine
--Cycling Chronicle and Caprice around Taiwan (61)
After taking photos of the archway of Freedom Square and the National Theater and the National Concert Hall, I left the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Park, arrived at Gran Vía in front of the Presidential Palace at 15:55, stopped to watch and rode forward along a section of Chongqing South Road, and after several road twists and inquiries, arrived at Longshan Temple at 16:28 ——
Arriving at Longshan Temple, the first thing that catches the eye is the volcanic stone marker inscribed with three big characters of Longshan Temple on the right side of the mountain gate; Longshan Temple is located at No. 211 Guangzhou Street, Taipei City, on the southwest of Taipei City, on the banks of tamsui River, which is the birthplace of Taipei City's early years, and its oldest street market is in the former site of the Sha Hat Kitchen Fan Society, Daxikou, which is now the intersection of Guiyang Street and Huanhe South Road, its original name is "Mengjia" (also known as Wenjia), now known as Wanhua, during which the famous Longshan Ancient Temple can be described as famous at home and abroad; in the early years of Qing Yongzheng (1723), the Jinjiang River in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, Nan'an and Hui'an Sanyi people crossed the sea to build a number of huts here, to sell sweet potatoes for a living, and gradually became a small village, called Sweet Potato City; because at that time, the Pingpu people carried agricultural products from the upper reaches of the Tamsui River in canoes to trade with the Han people, and the Pingpu people called the canoes as sterns, so it was called the port.
The early development of Taiwan was very difficult, the environment here is very dangerous, mostly a place of wild smoke and miasma, in the early years of Han people came to northern Taiwan to cultivate, in order to seek the blessing of the gods, most of them carried their hometown temple incense as shelter; in order to seek spiritual stability, in the third year of the Qianlong Dynasty (1738), people from Jinjiang, Nan'an, and Hui'an Sanyi donated funds to build Longshan Temple in Mengjia - Mengjia Longshan Temple was first built on May 18, the third year of the Qianlong Dynasty (1738 AD), and was completed on February 8 of the fifth year. The cost of building the temple was donated by the so-called Sanyi people such as Jinjiang, Hui'an and Nan'an. Later, merchants from Wurong on the outskirts of Quan funded the construction of an additional apse to enshrine Tianhou, Wuwenchang, and Emperor Guan. This time riding around Taiwan Island, as soon as you set foot on this mysterious island, you have heard the saying of "one house, two ports, three ships" in the heyday of Taiwan's early development, the ship here is today's Wanhua, and its past style can be described as a very prosperous time, "one house, two ports, three ships" represents the early history of Taiwan's development, here was a historical position alongside Tainan and Lukang, this statement has great significance for Taiwan's development history!
During the Qianlong period, Longshan Temple had formed a three-hall pattern of front hall, main hall and rear hall; and invited guanyin bodhisattvas from Longshan Temple in Anhai Township, Jinjiang County, Fujian Province, to worship here, because Longshan Temple was not only the center of the residents' beliefs, but also had an inseparable relationship with their lives, and all the residents' deliberations, lawsuits, and reconciliations all prayed for the gods to judge, and they could not believe it; during the Sino-French War in the Tenth Year of Guangxu (1884), the French army invaded Keelung Lion Ball Ridge, and the residents organized into rebels, that is, the Longshan Temple printed the civil official office to help repel the French army. The Guangxu Emperor gave the plaque "Cihui Yuanyin", and its prestige was officially recognized, and all the official documents stamped with the Great Seal of Longshan Temple in the Qing Dynasty had decisive power. The temple art of Lungshan Temple is not only a representative temple in Taiwan, it also occupies a place in the history of Taipei's development. Because Longshan Temple has always been the public office and core symbol of the Mengjia place, and the management directors and supervisors of the temple are also composed of gentry, the great influence on the outside world is not limited to the significance of religious worship.
The archway-style mountain gate is a relatively ordinary four-pillar three-door mountain heavy eaves building, and the doorpost is engraved with a stone carved couplet written by Sun Ke: "The dragon elephant is a Buddhist mana to characterize the cup degree Xifei salvation gonghong Bodhisattva wish The mountain and river gatherers the humanistic grandeur and beauty of the people, the customs and customs of the people are thick and deep-bodied sages"; the temple under the foot after entering the mountain gate is all paved with long granite, and these stones are said to be taken from the "ballast stones" used to stabilize the cabins when immigrants crossed the sea to Taiwan, and the material is Quanzhou granite white stone. On the left and right sides are built the Jingxin Waterfall and the Dragon Head Fountain - the Jingxin Waterfall completed in 1996 is a "broken eaves rising arrow" type building, belonging to the roof form of the Sanchuan Temple, the central crest is raised and disconnected from the two sides, thus highlighting its gorgeous and fairy temperament; among them, the flowers are buds, the young branches are dripping green, the spring water on it is clear, the waterfall is like a curtain, if you want to climb the Buddha's Gate, you must first purify your heart, the purification of the soul can be huigen enlightenment, and the solemn body is naturally good! Entering the mountain gate, the fragrance of osmanthus flowers is fragrant, the sound of running water smells in the ears, and the state of mind calms down - "people have no phase, they are born from the heart", purify the dust and purify the heart, the pious heart is naturally born, and it is not better to worship the Buddha and participate in Zen.
Longshan Temple sits north and faces south, the plane is in the shape of a Japanese character, composed of the front hall, the main hall, the rear hall three entrances and the left and right wing dragon guard around the central main hall; by the sky view of the words is in the "Hui" shape, the layout is square and solemn, its door wall beams and columns are extremely exquisitely carved beauty; the front hall is the eleven-bay hall, divided into three rivers hall, dragon gate hall, tiger gate hall, the roof of the mountain single eaves, each independent, the main entrance stone steps on both sides of the Sanchuan hall there is a pair of copper cast dragon eaves pillars, the well-preserved pair of copper cast dragon eaves pillars, not only the early relics of Longshan Temple, Moreover, it is also the only pair of copper cast dragon pillars in Taiwan; this pair of only copper cast dragon pillars in Taiwan, its dragon body is facing down, the dragon head touches the bottom of the waves and twists and heads high, full of strength; the copper cast dragon pillar also has many interesting shapes and vivid expressions of the "Fengshen List" characters, which is a rare masterpiece, which is the work of Hong Kunfu and Li Luxing. It is an extremely important cultural relic and art treasure.
Compared with the general five- or seven-bay temples, the front hall of Lungshan Temple is obviously a rare grandeur - a total of eleven bays, the Sanchuan Hall has five bays, the Dragon and Tiger Hall has three bays each, and the opening room refers to the distance between the two load-bearing pillars or walls; the roof of the Dragon and Tiger Hall on both sides is raised in the center of the rear house, but not disconnected from the two sides, called "Sanchuan Ridge"; the small worship pavilion in front, the roof has four roof slopes, called "Xieshan"; the mountain river ridge decoration is made of "double dragon protective beads" with "shearing" techniques. The cut-and-glue is made of lead wire as bone, stucco molding, and then cut off brightly colored pottery pieces or glass pieces, glued to the appearance - its content is "Eight Immortals Across the Sea"; the Middle Gate Couplet is written by Kang Youwei: "Dragon Gate Degree Mitsu Fa Da Ciyun As long as all sentient beings look back, the mountain gate kaijue road into the joyful more into the ten dwelling peace of mind", not only the first word embedded in the name of the temple, but also its meaning also expresses the characteristics of the Buddhist temple ferryman.
The stable door pillar component carved from Qingdou stone, the Baogu Stone, is carved for the drum to break the dragon, the left is "Canglong Godson", the right is "Double Dragon Grabbing Pearls", which is also of considerable educational significance; below it is carved a civilian official holding a "flag, ball, halberd, and chime" to express the wish of "praying for auspicious celebrations"; after the stone drum, the left carving "Immediately see the joy", and the right carving "Fenghou Zhilu", let you enter the temple door and return with a full load. The content of the stone carved window is taken from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, carved in the method of "inner branches and outer leaves" - the stories of the left window from top to bottom are: the ancient city meeting, Sun Quan's decision to break Cao Cao, Xu Chu's naked war horse Chao; the right window has the story of Liu Bei's visit to Ganlu Temple.
The stone steps at the entrance are shaped like scrolls that open outwards, and the stone steps of the scrolls contain the meaning of welcoming visitors, and the shape is fascinating. Stone waist block - a narrow stone sculpture under the window, about the waist, called the waist block. This is a deep floating wither method to "cut the ground and protrude", carving out the study decorations such as Bogu shelves and vases, symbolizing peace and auspiciousness. Bagua bamboo knot window The window frame is Bagua shaped, and the window ledge is made of stone to form a bamboo knot, and is attached with flowers. The ledge must be odd and represent "yang"; its interval is even, representing "yin", indicating the harmony of yin and yang. Bagua represents auspiciousness, bamboo knots represent peace, there are four butterflies withered around the windows, "butterfly" harmonic "Fu", "butterfly" harmonic "耋", eighty-year-old elders called 耋, indicating longevity.
The dragon gate is to see the blocking stone wither - the opposite wall of the left and right, called the blockage, here withering the line withering method "water mill sinking flower", the line is concave and sinking inward, the eucalyptus is in the shape of the figure but still has a concave and convex three-dimensional feeling, and it must be the disadvantage of the chisel grinding not blunt again, which is extremely laborious; here is the story of "sandpipers and clams competing, fishermen gaining profits", and on the other side is "woodcutters tie shoes". The movements are realistic and aesthetic, and they are extremely superior works; the Sanchuan Hall has a total of six door gods with a tall and majestic posture; the two central fans depict Wei Dao and Garan, which are common protectors of Buddhist temples; and the four left and right are the four heavenly kings: the growth of the sword, the heavenly king of the state who plays the piano, the multi-smelling heavenly king with an umbrella, and the Guangmu heavenly king who holds a snake, symbolizing "the wind and rain are smooth".
The Sanchuan Hall in the middle of the front hall has five bays, the front middle door is closed with a wooden fence, the back is an open hall, the copper cast dragon cornice column is separated on both sides, and the four large characters of "Bright and Quiet Domain" are hung high in the middle, making the hall more spacious and bright, solemn and solemn; during which the net mesh bucket is magnificent, the bucket is square or round, and the fence is long; the net eye bucket is every two groups of buckets are connected at 45 degrees, connected into a piece to support the roof, dense as a net, gorgeous and dazzling, and shockproof, which is the first practice of Taiwanese temples The hall can support the cornice beams and vertical materials, often carved into hanging baskets or hanging flowers, so also known as hanging flowers; the vertical timber is located on the outside of the hanger carved into the "Lao Tzu riding bull" type can also cover the mortise joint; the long strip of wood beams and fangs used to support the roof under the eaves of the hall are painted with rich paintings, and the theme of the beam paintings is mainly historical stories or flowers, birds and landscapes; in addition to those beams with load-bearing functions, buckets, hangers, etc. that cannot be deeply carved, most of the wood carvings under the eaves are extremely carved, and some of the small wooden carvings under the bucket are also carved into the shape of foreigners who smile and drive away It is very vivid and interesting to grasp the brim of the hat with both hands to make a bracing shape (there are also Japanese people wearing kimonos on it).
The open arch of the left and right facades of the front hall - opened as the entrance and exit of Longshan Temple, the entrance of the Dragon and Tiger Hall is made into an arch, which is influenced by Western architecture, and the practice of attaching column knots under this arch can be described as ingenious and distinctive; the right stone carved window of the dragon gate - the incense burner made of tigers is engraved with opera stories, which is quite interesting. Here the carved opera "Meng Lijun takes off her boots", and some people think that it is Li Yaxian in the "Embroidery Book", or the talented lady who "sent a silver lamp". The left stone carved window of the dragon gate - the incense burner is carved with a fairy riding crane, holding a round ball or a flag, also meaning "praying for auspicious celebrations", the story in the incense burner is "Lü Bu playing with mink cicadas"; the foot of the counter is also known as "ground cow", that is, the end of the wall, generally withered into a tiger figure, where it is withered into a double carp, symbolizing the "carp leaping dragon gate", very vivid; Mikawa Moi - with a bucket that is constantly concentrated in the center, interwoven into a web-like ceiling, also called "spider knot web"; this algae well is octagonal, and the bucket is full of painted and dazzling The elephant seat and vertical timber supporting the moi are exquisitely carved and very impressive.
Longshan Temple as a chinese classical three-into-four courtyard traditional palace-style building, the front wall block is all composed of granite and Qingdou stone blended and chiseled composition, the image is vivid and exquisite, the shape is soft; the story is mostly from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the list of gods, and the Chinese auspicious eucalyptus decoration is beautiful, only in the three bays of the Dragon and Tiger Hall, the use of line carving, through carving, relief, yin carving, bas-relief and other techniques of stone carving art works abound; when the author enters the temple from the entrance, he is greeted by the brilliant illumination of the "protecting the country and protecting the people" Plaques in four large letters.
Entering the middle courtyard, the large incense burner in front of you - is for the Guanyin furnace, wiped bright tiles, golden shining, the incense burner is carved with four Dutch shengfan furnaces, you can see the dissatisfaction of the Taiwan people for the past foreign rule, here has been vividly expressed; the left and right nursing rooms have a connecting function, there is a service office inside; in order to highlight the temple on the central axis, the nursing room crest is straight, for the lowest height of the "one dragon" style, on which is built a gorgeous bell and drum tower, which is also one of the characteristics of Longshan Temple On the left is the dragon block, the dragon head is huge and majestic, churning between the clouds; on the right is the tiger block, the Menghu stares at the exaggerated eyes, and the head and tail indicate "Menghu descending the mountain", which is a toe pottery work preserved to this day, which is Hong Kunfu's most famous work and has historical preservation value.
The middle hall is also the main hall - under the platform, engraved with the Yunlong Royal Road, the dragon holds the seal in the right hand, the left hand holds the jewelry, symbolizing the power and power, in the past feudal era, the emperor must pass through the temple, there is ao next to the yunlong, the Ao is the new branch of the zhuangyuan into the temple must pass through, taipei Confucius Temple Royal Road no ao, because Taipei has not been out of the yuan, so the official temple can not have ao; the middle hall flower and bird pillar has a thick old plum tree coiled pillar, between the branches inhabited by small birds, different postures; there is a big phoenix under the body, the atmosphere is extraordinary, meaning "a hundred birds and phoenixes" The wood carvings in the main hall are also very clever, especially the large algae well and the shrine in the main hall are the most outstanding; the large algae well is round, supported by eight dragon heads, and the inner dense bucket rises layer by layer, rotating along the clock, the technique is very clever, in the 1920s, the algae well was designed to rotate clockwise, and when it was rebuilt in the 1950s, it was changed to the current counterclockwise rotation, of course, no matter how it was rotated, it was a symbol of the Buddhist cycle of life and karma; as for whether it was left or started from right, The beginning and the end always coincide, and the meaning of samsara is that it has no meaning.
The roof of the main hall is of the heavy eaves of the mountain, a total of forty-two pillars constitute a four-sided cloister, the outer wall of the hall is blocked with many famous calligrapher stone carvings, the roof of the hall is completely constructed of a bucket arch, without a nail and an iron, the shrine carving is exquisite and magnificent; the form of the roof of the nave is on the roof with roof slopes on all four sides, and another layer of roof, called "Xieshan heavy eaves", is the most honorable practice in the southern temple; the roof ridge with a slope of 45 degrees is called the crest or rule belt, and the roof of the main hall has a total of eight crests with cut and paste decorations The upper four are made of phoenixes with wings spread, and the lower four are made of dragons looking up at the flying phoenix; the flying phoenix is located in the more noble upper level, which echoes the characteristics of the main goddess of Longshan Temple; the two dragon pillar pillars in the center of the nave are each coiled with a dragon, called "earth-shaking style", next to the carved god soldier Heavenly General, not only the carving is intricate, but also the carp Yueyu Gate is carved under the dragon pillar.
The main hall is surrounded by a circle of passages supported by columns, which seem to be able to ride horses freely, called the "horse walking corridor"; the main hall is surrounded by a stone pillar cloister, the six front eaves pillars are all carved fine dragon pillars, there is a Danqi protruding in front of the hall, and the ceiling in the hall is made of spiral-shaped algae wells, finely withered and magnificent; the outer wall of the cloister is blocked with calligraphy stone carvings, cursive writing is wild, the books are elegant, and carefully looked at it, and it is found that there is also a poem engraved by Liang Qichao; the stone window of the cloister Is carved in the left and right of the main hall, and there is a Bagua window on the left and right of the main hall, surrounded by four-corner relief bats, and there is "Blessing" The window is then formed into a central circle by four tigers, depicting "Magu Xianrui", "Songhe Xianweng" and so on, and the cloister is also engraved with "Remembering the Red Sheep Disaster I Buddha Calmly and Calmly" as a historical witness.