Liaogou Fenghua: Dule Temple in Jixian County, Tianjin

The two buildings of Dule Temple rank seventh according to the age of existing ancient buildings, but they should be the first in terms of exquisite craftsmanship and artistic quality, which can be said to be the best example of existing ancient buildings. —— Chen Mingda

Dule Temple, also known as the Big Buddha Temple, is located in Jizhou District, Tianjin, China. It is one of the three existing Liao temples in China and one of the famous ancient buildings in China. It is the treasure and top priority of ancient wooden structure in China. The date of construction cannot be verified, and the reconstruction time should be no later than the Sui and Liao Dynasties (984). Mr. Liang Sicheng called it "inheriting the legacy of the Tang Dynasty and opening the Song Dynasty".

1932, Liang Sicheng published "Research on Guanyin Pavilion Gate of Dule Temple in Jixian County", which is a symbol of the "Discovery of Dule Temple" and a milestone in the academic history of China architecture.

Liang Sicheng who visited Dule Temple.

According to the existing architectural configuration, Dule Temple can be divided into two courtyards.

1. Major hospitals

There is an obvious central axis. Shanmen and Guanyinge, two buildings in Liao Dynasty, are the center of gravity of the whole temple, with three halls in the east and three halls in the west, forming a quadrangle unit. After the East Attached Hall, a courtyard was originally built, with three doors, a corridor and a wide hall. Now, all the gates, corridors and courtyard walls have been destroyed, leaving only three spacious halls.

Behind Guanyin Pavilion, there is Wei Tuo Pavilion on the central axis, and there is a small courtyard 13 meters high on the ground behind the pavilion. There are three north rooms, three south rooms and three east and west rooms in the hospital, and the scale is simple.

2. West Cross Hospital

There is a hanging flower gate on the west side of Guanyin Pavilion, which leads to the west courtyard. This is a complex that has been repeatedly modified. There are three North Houses and two Westinghouse Houses in the back. Because the west courtyard wall is an inclined wall in Jixian County, the arrangement of houses is slightly messy. The front flat is occupied by the present people.

Plan of Dule Temple

Liang Sicheng hand-painted

Source: Textual research on Guanyin Pavilion Gate of Dule Temple in Jixian County, written by Liang Sicheng.

Guanyin Pavilion and Shanmen are very similar to the Tang Dynasty architecture seen in Dunhuang murals. Liang Sicheng wrote in "A Study of Guanyinge Mountain Gate of Dule Temple in Jixian County": "The biggest feature of Guanyinge and Mountain Gate, the most important point in shape, is that it is similar to the Tang Dynasty architecture seen in Dunhuang murals. The temples, pavilions, or single-storey or multi-storey murals are as huge as wings. Pavilion gate phenomenon is very different from Qing architecture, Song architecture and Tang architecture. Those who are familiar with the Dunhuang mural Pure Land Clan (Figure 23) will doubt that they have entered the western paradise if they suddenly see this pavilion.

Pure Land in Dunhuang Murals (Figure 23)

Panorama of Dule Temple

Source: Dule Temple in Jixian County, by Yang Xin.

The entrance of Dule Temple is a small building with a simple arch under the eaves. Seen from the plane, this is a typical Chinese-style gate and the earliest existing wooden gate with the roof of the Forbidden City in China.

South elevation and side elevation of the mountain gate

Source: Textual research on Guanyin Pavilion Gate of Dule Temple in Jixian County, written by Liang Sicheng.

Dulesi mountain gate

Liang Sicheng hand-painted

Source: Image of China Architectural History Hand-painted by Liang Sicheng.

The mountain gate is a single-story building with three wide rooms and two deep rooms. Top note 4 A (the slopes of the roof intersect to form the roof ridge. If the roof is inclined on all sides, there are four vertical ridges at the four corners except the top ridge, with the ridge as the tail and the blue tile red wall.

Buddhist temple gate

Liang Sicheng 1932 was taken during the inspection tour.

Source: Textual research on Guanyin Pavilion Gate of Dule Temple in Jixian County, written by Liang Sicheng.

The spread of Shanmenling and the cultivation of Confucianism and Confucianism are combined with each other.

Liang Sicheng 1932 was taken during the inspection tour.

East and west sides of the ridge tile roof of the mountain gate

Source: Dule Temple in Jixian County, by Yang Xin.

The southern sect is called "Dule Temple", which is said to have been written by Yan Song. On the whole, it is very different from Ming and Qing architecture, and the phenomenon presented is solemn and stable. In the small building, it is especially rare for future generations to apply the four A's.

The "Dule Temple" plaque is hung in the middle of the eaves in front of the mountain gate. Width 2.17m, height1.08m.. It is engraved with "Dule Temple" in regular script, with a diameter of 50 cm and gold characters on a blue background. According to legend, it was written by Yan Song, a great scholar in Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty.

Going up the steps of the mountain gate, there are two statues of King Kong Lux on both sides.

The south half of the east branch of the mountain gate is painted with the statue of King Kong Lux.

The south half of the west branch of the mountain gate is painted with the statue of King Kong Lux.

The mountain gate shows an exquisite example of wood art: the overall function is structural, but the appearance is very decorative. This dual quality is the greatest advantage of China's architectural structure system.

Shanmen north facade

Source: Dule Temple in Jixian County, by Yang Xin.

Guanyin Pavilion's wooden structure skills and architectural achievements are praised as the model of ancient architecture in China. It is the earliest and largest pavilion in China, with the earliest and largest indoor statue.

Goddess of Mercy Pavilion

Liang Sicheng 1932 was taken during the inspection tour.

Watercolor renderings of the south facade of Guanyin Pavilion in Dule Temple, Jixian County

1932 Liang Sicheng painted.

China Heritage Institute

Guan yin ge pai bian

The plaque of "Guanyin Pavilion" hangs in the Shangming Room on the front eaves of Guanyin Pavilion, and its brushwork is simple and slightly clumsy, quite similar to that of the Tang Dynasty. Because of the word "Taibai", it was circulated by the people as the book of Li Taibai.

A plaque round enough.

There is a "full circle" plaque hanging in the light room under the front eaves of Guanyin Pavilion. The wooden plaque has a rectangular insole with a width of 296m and a height of1.39m.. The surrounding frame is carved with a two-way continuous Yunlong pattern, with gold characters on a blue background. It is engraved with regular script "You Zu Cheng Yuan", which was written by Emperor Xianfeng in the second year of Qing Dynasty (65,438+0852), and there is a royal seal in the upper corner of the insole center.

Pu men Xiang Jie pai bian

The "Pumenxiang Festival" plaque was hung in the outer trough facing the south side of the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor wrote it in calligraphy.

Goddess of Mercy Pavilion

Guanyinge shangjiao branch

Puguanyin's stigma

Goddess of Mercy Pavilion

Source: Zhangzhou release

Guanyin Pavilion has two floors, with a hidden floor in the middle. There is an eleven-faced giant sculpture of Guanyin and two threatened bodhisattvas in the pavilion.

Guanyinge longitudinal section

Source: The Architectural History of China by Liang Sicheng.

Section of Guanyin Pavilion in Dule Temple

Liang Sicheng hand-painted

Source: Image of China Architectural History Hand-painted by Liang Sicheng.

Guanyinge section

Source: Through the Wall —— Cut the classic ancient buildings in China.

Eleven avalokitesvara statues passed through the rectangular hollow well in the middle layer and the hexagonal hollow well in the upper layer of the pavilion, reaching the eight algae wells in the top bucket of the pavilion. The head is slightly inclined to the southwest, the left hand is slightly suspended above the rectangular hollow well, and the right hand is slightly raised above the hexagonal hollow well.

The composition of Guanyin Pavilion, the layout of Dule Temple and even the urban design composition of Jixian ancient city all contain the position and scale of Guanyin statue.

First of all, eleven Guanyin statues are the main statues of Guanyin Pavilion, which are located in the north, so you can leave more room for worshipping Buddha. Its huge volume is in harmony with the groove space in the museum. In a narrow space, the artistic image of tall religious statues is created, and lofty and majestic artistic effects are obtained, giving tourists a full experience of visiting the shrine.

Guanyin statue is also closely related to the mountain gate. When believers step on the steps of the mountain gate and kneel on the ground, they can see Guanyin's head through the doors and windows in the middle of the third floor of Guanyin Pavilion, and stand on the threshold of the mountain gate and see Guanyin's wisdom eyes.

The White Pagoda, located more than 300 meters south of Dule Temple, is also the "focus" of the eleven Guanyin statues in Guanyin Pavilion.

This statue of Guanyin in Liao Dynasty is the largest colored sculpture statue in China, standing barefoot on the lotus pedestal, and the altar is16.08m high. Because it has 10 small heads on its head, it is called the eleven-faced Guanyin statue.

On the west side of Guanyin statue in Guanyin Pavilion, there is a picture of a endangered Bodhisattva.

On the east side of Guanyin statue in Guanyin Pavilion, there is a picture of a endangered Bodhisattva.

The walls on the first floor of Guanyin Pavilion are surrounded by paintings. Painted in Yuan Dynasty and redrawn in Ming Dynasty. The height of the picture is 3. 15m, the total length is 45.35m, and the total area is142.85m. The murals are based on the Sixteen Arhats of Buddhism and the Two Kings of Ming Dynasty, with Buddhist fairy tales, secular themes and reconstruction of believers. Painting is mainly based on "iron line drawing", with orchid painting, contour filling, proper light and shade, accurate figure modeling and smooth lines. Four-walled arhats and Ming kings surround the eleven Guanyin statues in the center, forming a solemn Buddhist world, which shows the artist's ingenious ideas and artistic skills.

On the east wall of the lower floor of Guanyin Pavilion, there is a portrait of the "First Lohan Lodge Honorable Person".

Thirteen arhats on the west wall of Guanyin Pavilion are exhausted.

Neither of the two kings of the Ming Dynasty could defeat the furious king of the Ming Dynasty.

Two kings of the Ming Dynasty were angry with each other. Ming Wang copied it.

To the south along the central axis of Dule Temple stands a white pagoda. The White Pagoda is 30.6 meters high and the structure is an octagonal pavilion, which combines Lama style and dense eaves style. It is divided into seven parts: tower base, sumeru seat, tower body, dense eaves, belly bowl, phase wheel and treasure top.

Baita

Source: windy.

There are a large number of fancy brick carving patterns from Xumi Mountain to the tower, which are beautifully carved and rich in content.

There are two doors in the east, west, south and north of the tower, of which only the south gate is the real door, and there is a Buddhist shrine for Guanyin statue in the door, which is no longer there. The other four sides of the tower are engraved with five words and eight sentences respectively.

1976 Tangshan earthquake, the tower sluice fell and the white tower was seriously damaged. 1978, the cultural relics management department decided to demolish the first floor and rebuild it. When it was removed to the bottom of 13 crown block, it was found that there was a Liao tower inside. At the same time, a Buddhist shrine built in the Ming Dynasty was found in the peeling place just south of the earthen bowl, and cultural relics such as Buddha statues and scriptures were unearthed.

Behind the niche is the upper tower room of the inner tower. The bottom of the tower room and the northeast corner wall have partially collapsed, and the stone envelopes and other things in the room fall into the middle tower room with the brick soil. A total of 69 cultural relics/kloc-0 (including 65 copper coins) were unearthed in the tower room, including gold, silver, copper, jade, glass, agate, crystal, amber, porcelain, wood, stone, mud, etc. 12. When strengthening the lower tower room, it was found that there was a hollow echo around the tower room, and it was suspected that there was an underground palace, but it could not be cleaned.

Cultural Relics Unearthed from the White Pagoda of Dule Temple

Tianjin Museum Collection

Crystal turtle box

Liao Dynasty/Liaohe/Laoning Province/Liaoyuan/Taishi

5.6 cm long