Jialan Temple

Jialan Temple

Jialan temple is located in Hong Kong Road, Ming Qing ancient street, Xiangcheng District, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province. It is considered to be the smallest temple in China. It's only 3 square meters, and it's built on the top of the alley. No one can tell when and where the temple came from, but it has obviously existed for hundreds of years.

Architectural status

Jialan Temple

——The smallest temple in the country.

Recently, Zhangzhou city carried out the renovation project of Tang and song Historical District, and renovated it as if it were the old. This mysterious temple, which has been covered with dust for 60 years, reappeared in front of the world and became a thought-provoking "attraction" on the ancient street. Local officials have checked the Guinness World Records, which recorded the smallest temple area is 6 square meters, while the Jialan temple in Zhangzhou is only 3 square meters, so it should occupy the "smallest Temple" throne.

Architectural features

The temple was built on the top of the lane

The temple is just beside the memorial archway of "Shangshu Tanhua" on Hong Kong Road. From the stone road under the memorial archway, you can walk through the alley with a width of more than one person, and then follow the wooden stairs to enter the small temple which only allows one person to turn around.

Hong Kong Road, located in the south of Zhangzhou City, was built in the Tang Dynasty. It was the central axis of Zhangzhou city from the Tang and Song Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. From the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, due to the development of industry and commerce, Hong Kong road gradually became the main commercial street in the south of Zhangzhou. On both sides of the road, there are "zhugancuo" arcade style buildings with unique Minnan characteristics, and distributed with "Shangshu flower exploration square", "sanshizaire square" and other Ming Dynasty cultural relics. Until the mid-1990s, Hong Kong Road has always been the main distribution center of small commodities in Zhangzhou. In such a commercial treasure land of every inch of land and every inch of gold, in the small house of 3 square meters on the top of the alley, Jialan Shengwang overlooks the vicissitudes of the ancient street and silently blesses the safety of one side.

Building content

The temple has everything

Although the temple is small, it is clean and tidy. The statue of King Galan was surrounded by incense day before, and the offerings were updated with the seasons. In late autumn, when the honey pomelo is fragrant, Jialan Shengwang also enjoys the sweet honey pomelo. The lotus lamp stand in the temple is wiped clean, and the flowers are also water. The temple is too small to accommodate many believers, but there are also a few devout believers. From morning to night, there are always people in twos and threes who come to worship, offering incense, sesame oil and all kinds of supplies needed in the temple without leaving their names. The believers also donated money to renovate the circuit, add tape recorders and Buddhist music tapes for the temple, which gives the temple a "flavor of the times".

management

The Temple belongs to everyone

The larger temples have presiders, monks and even "staff", but the small Jialan temple is jointly managed by nearby residents. The owners of several houses around it all have the keys to the small temple. If someone comes with offerings, they will take the initiative to give the keys to the pilgrims. Meihua, who runs a department store, and the other two old ladies are voluntary "health workers". They go upstairs twice a day to clean up and tidy up the supply desk. Without the director, there would be no ownership of temple property. Residents living nearby say the Temple belongs to everyone.

Small temple and folk house are integrated into one

Coincidentally, walking into the lane from the small temple is the municipal cultural relics protection unit "Wangsheng Temple" in Zhangzhou City, which was built in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Wang Sheng served as the chief of left temple of Dali temple and the magistrate of Fuzhou in Yongli period of Ming Dynasty. In the ancestral hall now lives Mr. Wang Zuoren, a descendant of the Wang family and an 84 year old senior in the educational and historical circles of Zhangzhou. Old Mr. Wang Zuoren can tell the story of Hong Kong Road, historical anecdotes and changes. He has researched the origin of the temple in many ways, and even consulted the historical records of Zhangzhou Prefecture. The old man only remembers that when he was a child, on the first and the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, the temple was full of excitement, playing music, drums and incense. Local residents only know that the "holy king of Kalan" is to ensure safety, while Mr. Wang Zuoren told reporters that "Kalan" is the guardian and manager of Buddhist temples, which is equivalent to the current director of property management department, and is slightly lower than Bodhisattva. After Buddhism was introduced into China, it merged with Taoism which originated in China. Many Taoist temples also worshiped "Kalan". Indeed, for the Chinese people who "worship every temple", burning incense and seeking peace will achieve a balance in their hearts. It doesn't matter what kind of sacredness you worship.

To a large extent, Jialan temple is a "community Temple". Compared with the magnificent and tall temple, it is so kind and integrated with the folk houses. It's just a few steps away when you want to pay homage. It has become a part of the life of ancient street residents.

Worshipping people

King Galan is different

The holy king of Kalan worshipped in the small temple is unique compared with Kalan in other places: it wears an official hat on its head. It is said that when the stone square of "Shangshu Tanhua" beside the small temple was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty, somehow, the stone square was always shaking and unstable. The county magistrate was very anxious. He went to the small temple to burn incense and put the official hat on Jialan's head. After that, the archway was stable. The magistrate ordered the temple to be rebuilt and put on an official hat. There is no way to verify whether the legend is true or false, but it obviously gives the temple a trace of mystery.

Lu Xun has many dreamlike memories of his hometown Shaoxing in his article "weeds: a good story": Sapium sebiferum, clouds, Kalan, wild flowers, village women, small bridges, flowing water In Chinese traditional culture, the homeland has the same sacred meaning as the ancient totem. Those old sites and cultural relics, not only because of its ancient value, but also because of the accumulation of history, is the soul of the station and home. As a result, in the second year of this century, when a large number of cultural relics were razed to the ground due to urban construction, the Zhangzhou municipal government deliberately renovated the historical block of Hong Kong Road. After 60 years of private occupation, the 3-square-meter Jialan temple was renovated. Because of its "smallest Temple" characteristics, it aroused people's imagination and thinking.

Address: Hong Kong Road, Xiangcheng District, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province

Longitude: 117.65219609287

Latitude: 24.505039325327

Chinese PinYin : Ga Lan Miao