The Yuquan Taoist Temple(玉泉观)


英文系列在每周一晚推送;
点击文章最下方的“阅读原文”(Read more)可链接到我们英文网站的原文页面。
据说暑期流行丝绸之路的游学活动(今年大概是难了),我们就从丝路上的重要地点开始介绍,希望能对大家更好地认识丝路有所帮助;即使今年不能踏上路去面对面欣赏,也可在家先了解一下 ^-^
The Yuquan Taoist Temple
The Silk Road (5)
Located at the base of the Tianjing Mountain in the city of Tianshui, the Yuquan Taoist Temple is a colossal complex that sprawls up the mountainside, covering an area of nearly 170,000 square metres (203,318 sq. yd.). The temple was originally built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) under the rather uninspired name of Beishan or “North Mountain” Temple, but its name was eventually changed to the Yuquan or “Jade Spring” Temple during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The name was derived from a local spring, which supposedly sprouted water that was so clear and beautiful that it resembled lustrous jade. In-keeping with its aquatic name, you’re sure to be blown out of the water when you see how beautiful this temple complex is!
Tragically the original temple was almost completely destroyed during the collapse of the Song Dynasty, but it was restored to its former glory during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and underwent over 30 extensions from then until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). The final renovation project took place during the 1980s and left the temple with more than 90 separate buildings. The temple complex itself is peppered with lush cypress trees, some of which are over 1000 years old, and contains two very famous stone tablets: one of which was inscribed by Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Yuan Dynasty; and the other by an illustrious Yuan Dynasty calligrapher named Zhao Mengfu. The most notable features within the temple are arguably: the Spirit Official Hall, the Jade Emperor Hall, the Doumu Hall, the Three Qing Hall, the Jade Spring, the Immortal Cave, the Three-Immortal Cave, and the Dai Temple.
The Spirit Official Hall is the first part of the temple that you come to after entering and is dedicated to Spirit Officer Wang, the Supreme Patron God of Taoism. According to Taoist tradition, Wang is ranked among the top five hundred spirit officers and supposedly possesses the ability to suppress demons. That’s a pretty impressive skill to have on your CV, even for a deity! Unfortunately he pales in comparison to the inhabitant of the nearby Jade Emperor Hall, where one of the most holy deities in the Taoist canon is consecrated. The Jade Emperor ranks among the highest deities in the Taoist pantheon and his hall is more like a miniature temple in its own right, which is a testament to his importance. It consists of a main temple hall, two side temples, a pavilion, a bell tower, a drum tower, and an archway. Every year, on the 9th day of the first month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, a magnificent temple fair is held in this hall in honour of the Jade Emperor’s birthday. Talk about extravagant!
It seems, however, that even the Jade Emperor has competition! The Three Qing Hall is dedicated to the “Three Qing” or the Three Pure Ones, which are unequivocally acknowledged as the highest ranking deities in Taoism and are sometimes referred to as the “Taoist Holy Trinity”. According to traditional Taoist theory, the way of the Tao produces One, One leads to Two, and finally Two creates Three. The first of the Pure Ones, Yuanshi Tianzun, represents One, since he oversaw the creation of the universe out of nothingness. Once their job was completed, Yuanshi Tianzun manifested into the second of the trinity, Lingbao Tianzun, who classified the elements into their rightful groups and separated the Yang from the Yin. During the final stage of creation, known as Two creating Three, Lingbao Tianzun manifested into Daode Tianzun, who preached the Law to all living beings and thus brought about civilisation. The Three Pure Ones are a distinctly abstract concept, as they each represent both a deity and a heaven. That being said, to avoid confusion, they are often depicted as elderly sages sat upon thrones.
While she may not have achieved the illustrious status of the Three Pure Ones, the Doumu Hall is dedicated to the goddess Doumu, who nonetheless ranks quite highly within the Taoist pantheon and is considered to be the mother of all stars. In fact, she is thus believed to have absolute power over the future of all things in the universe, so don’t underestimate her importance or you’ll sorely regret it! During the early Yuan Dynasty, the hall was often referred to as the “Big Dipper Platform” because it was used by a Taoist priest named Liang Zhitong to worship the stars and the Big Dipper. In other words, a trip to this hall at night may just leave you feeling starry-eyed! Near to the Doumu Hall lies the titular Jade Spring, where crystal clear spring water has supposedly flowed for hundreds of years. It is rumoured that this spring water is not only extremely refreshing, but can also treat a variety of eye-related diseases, meaning it is sometimes nicknamed the Mingyan or “Brightening Eyes” Spring.
At the back of the temple complex lie the Immortal Cave and the Three-Immortal Cave which, though they may sound similar, serve slightly different purposes. The Immortal Cave was originally used by the Taoist priest Liang Zhitong to practice special Taoist rituals and he was supposedly buried in this cave after achieving immortality. We’re not quite sure why an immortal person would need to be buried, but we’re happy to leave it a mystery! The Three-Immortal Cave, on the other hand, is a hand-carved cave that commemorates the three legendary founders of the temple: Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals of Taoism; the aforementioned Liang Zhitong, who achieved immortality during the Yuan Dynasty; and Ma the Immortal, who was another Taoist priest that supposedly achieved immortality during the Qing Dynasty.
The Dai Temple is located in a completely separate part of the temple complex and was constructed during the Qing Dynasty, making it the youngest part of the temple. It originally consisted of two ancestral halls: one for Lord Zhou, and one for Lord Tuo. It was eventually rebuilt as the Dai Temple and is primarily dedicated to one of the Four Heavenly Emperors of Taoism: Dongji Qinghua or the “East Pole Emperor of Blue Essence”. More importantly, however, this section of the temple is home to a gruesome display of statues that are designed to represent the many tortures that immoral people will face in the underworld. It’s the ideal place to visit if your friends and family have been behaving badly!
所有文字及图片的版权
均属©️TanSuo Cultural Travel

走,我们一起出去玩!

我们坚持原创,用自己的亲身经验

总结发布最实用可靠的信息

为你展现一幅真实的英伦欧陆场景

探索文化旅行

London 

The United Kingdom

info@asiaculturaltravel.co.uk

(0)

相关推荐

  • 【国内文旅卷】世界文化遗产之西递(中英双语)

    点蓝色字关注"国际城市发展智库" 与大部分徽州古村落一样,西递也是依山傍水而建,河水微澜,倒映着村头的剌史牌楼,也荡漾着岁月泛起的层层的涟漪.这剌史牌楼是为胡文光衣锦还乡树k立的, ...

  • 双语《陆地诗词》(248)咏芜湖

    咏芜湖 (中华新韵) 吴浩浩 赭塔云飞似散圭, 镜湖波动翠成堆. 风开广济施仁义, 日照青华举善为. 官陡时传折子戏, 九华每见铁花飞. 半城鸠鸟啼不断. 芜藻盈竿客又回. 注释: 赭塔始建于北宋治平 ...

  • 【中英文独家连载】罗宾博士看陕西之:​长安静谧的寺庙

    中国出版集团.中译出版社"外国人写作中国计划"丛书之中.英文版<罗宾博士看陕西> 胡宗锋和(英)罗宾·吉尔班克中.英文版<罗宾博士看陕西>在第二十四届国际图 ...

  • 杭州西湖:玉泉观鱼

    [4]古珍珠泉 在玉泉庭院中,有著名的古珍珠泉,泉池呈长方形,面积约3平方米.池中水清见底,游人以脚蹬地,泉池内即有串串小水泡不断往上涌现,恰如串串珍珠,因而得名珍珠泉. [5]晴空细雨泉 穿过珍珠泉 ...

  • 国家重点文物保护单位——玉泉观

    --玉泉观 玉泉观俗称城北寺,又名崇宁寺,位于甘肃省天水市秦州区城北天靖山脚下,距离市中心广场约1公里,北迤青山,南俯州城.海拔高度1230米. 因山上有一碧水莹莹.清甜透脑的玉泉和元代秦州教谕梁公弼 ...

  • 全国重点文物保护单位---天水 玉泉观

    天水玉泉观是一处中规中矩的古建筑类国六,它对我的特殊意义在于,它是我去过的一千两百多处国保中有精确首访日期记录的最早者.在此之前去过的国保还有十处,它们要么因从小经常造访而难以考证出日期,要么因疏于记 ...

  • 甘:天水,玉泉观、纪信祠

    天水玉泉观位于市秦州区北天靖山麓,因观内有一天然泉眼而得名.当年全真教道士梁志通(师承丘处机)追慕仙真来至天靖山,营造了玉泉观,据说梁志通羽化在观内的仙人洞中.玉泉观俗称城北寺,此外还有崇宁寺.卦山寺 ...

  • 何氏云中隐 观梅啜玉泉

    梅花与小鸟(何鉴清摄) 在刚刚过去的冬天,山人在微信朋友圈中看到了何鉴清先生所发的梅花和小鸟照片3幅.照片上的梅花瓣白蕊黄,十分娇嫩,枝上蓓蕾红红的,看着让人无法感到是在隆冬时节.而梅枝上的小鸟,胖乎 ...

  • 这是150种观花植物、观叶植物和多肉植物,收起来!

    柳条已经抽芽,这个时候大地回春,是最适合种花养草的时候.很多花友已经按捺不住给盆栽换盆了,当然也有扦插.压条.嫁接等各种过程.那这个时候除了常见的家庭盆栽外,还有哪些植物适合种呢?君子兰.绿萝.万年青 ...

  • 【观器若得要领~则自生雅趣】 清代早期楠...

    [观器若得要领-则自生雅趣] 清代早期楠木官帽椅 尺寸高95厘米 宽58厘米 坐深45厘米 此器制式独特 伸张有度 方正有型 传世玻璃包浆温润细腻 选料上乘 纹理如行云流水 背板点缀壽字 使器物瞬间提 ...

  • 回龙观口腔医院-荷马口腔矫正牙齿只能戴牙套?牙齿矫正的误区,你一定要知道

    关于矫牙,老百姓误区多多,主要有以下这些: 1. 年龄大了不能矫正牙齿移动是生命体内都会存在的骨改建过程,因此牙齿矫正老少皆宜.下至三四岁的孩童,上至八九十岁的老者,都有可能做.但不同个体存在的问题不 ...

  • 观天秘笈:惊世骇俗,蒙眼能知任意星宿、星座在何时出现在何处

    悟透本文,星辰大海将不再神秘,至少能让您闭着眼睛秒答如下难题,而且精准. 题型一:已知某年.某月.某日.某时,不论阴晴雨雪,请问南中天是哪个星宿或星座?例如公元2025年4月6日15:00,南中天何宿 ...