Daqin Temple Pagoda

Daqin Temple Pagoda

Daqin Temple Pagoda is located in Tayu village, Louguan Town, 20 kilometers southeast of Zhouzhi County, Xi'an, China. It is located at the north foot of Zhongnan mountain. It is an octagonal pavilion type pagoda. More than 70 kilometers away from the ancient city of Xi'an, it was one of the earliest temples where Christianity was introduced into China in history. In the middle of the seventh century, Roman Christianity (Nestorianism) was introduced into the mainland of China. It was called "Nestorianism" at that time. Because Rome was called the state of great Qin in Tang Dynasty, it was called "Nestorianism of great Qin" and Nestorianism temple was called "great Qin Temple". In 2006, Daqin Temple Pagoda became the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

historical background

According to the inscriptions, in the ninth year of Zhenguan (635) of the Tang Dynasty, araben, the Nestorian missionary, led his mission to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, to ask for missionary work. Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty adopted a tolerant religious policy, and gave courtesy and favor to the introduction of the religion. He issued an imperial edict to allow araben to build a temple to preach. The imperial court established Nestorianism temples in Chang'an, Luoyang and other places, and Daqin temple in Zhouzhi was built at this time. Because the emperors of the early Tang Dynasty believed in and protected Nestorianism, Nestorianism developed rapidly and was once popular all over the country, creating a glorious period of "ten roads of faliu" and "temples full of 100 cities".

In the fifth year of Huichang in Tang Dynasty (845), when Wuzong destroyed Buddhism, Nestorianism was harmed. All missionaries were expelled. Nestorianism temples were closed all over the country. Daqin temple in Zhouzhi was no exception. The millennium old temple had changed its master three times. After Nestorianism, Taoism and Buddhism occupied it, but the temple name has been used to this day. During the reign of Jiaqing (1796-1820) of the Qing Dynasty, the army of Bailian doctrine moved to Zhouzhi. The temple was burned in flames, and only the ancient pagoda of the Qin Dynasty survived.

Historical evolution

As for the pagoda of Daqin temple, according to the records of gold and stone, it was originally named "Zhenxian pagoda". It was built during the reign of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than 1360 years. The tower is a hollow brick tower with seven storeys and eight edge pavilions, with a height of 40.90 meters and a diameter of 10.86 meters. The pagoda is known as one of the best ancient pagodas in China for its simple and beautiful shape. In particular, there are many Nestorian clay sculptures and ancient Syrian inscriptions left in the pagoda, which are precious materials for studying the history of ancient Western cultural exchange. In 1957, the pagoda was announced as a key cultural relic protection unit in Shaanxi Province. Due to the disrepair of the ancient pagoda, the body of the pagoda was cracked, and the body of the pagoda tilted 2.76 meters to the northwest. In 1999, the state allocated nearly one million yuan to reinforce and repair the pagoda. As a product of the ancient "Silk Road" and a witness of cultural exchanges between China and the west, the tower has attracted the attention of international academic circles and relevant international organizations. In August 2000, UNESCO incorporated the protection of Daqin temple into the "China silk road protection project". In October 2001, Daqin pagoda and Daqin temple were listed in the world architectural heritage list by the world memorial architecture foundation, and Daqin temple is also famous at home and abroad.

According to the religious encyclopedia, the stele was unearthed in the Daqin Temple of Zhouzhi in 1623. Because Holm, a Dane, stole the stele, it was later moved to Xi'an stele forest museum for protection.

The stele of Nestorianism, with a turtle seat at the head, is 3.60 meters high. It has more than 1780 words in regular script and 89 lines in Syrian. It was written by Jing Jing and written by Lu Xiuyan. It was founded in 781, the second year of Jianzhong of Tang Dynasty. It records a secret history and missionary deeds of Nestorianism in China, praises the courtesy and faith of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty and other six dynasties, and is also known as the "No.1 stele in the world" (Note: "four famous steles in the world") ”There are: the popular Chinese stele of Nestorianism in the great Qin Dynasty, the bilingual stele of Rosetta, the Hebrew stele and the stele of time service.

Daqin temple is built close to the mountain. It is surrounded by purple air of Huayue in the East, majestic Taibai in the west, Qinling Mountains in the South and Weishui River in the north. If you can have a panoramic view of Yunlin Yancun village in Qinchuan, you will feel relaxed and happy. It has been a famous tourist attraction in Guanzhong since ancient times. Scholars and poets of all ages come and go here. There are Lu Lun in Tang Dynasty, Su Shi and Su Zhe in Song Dynasty, Yang Yunyi in Jin Dynasty, and what's the scenery in Ming Dynasty Ming Dynasty, they all left a famous poem here.

Daqin temple is famous for its unique cultural value and the combination of Chinese and Western cultural relics. With the development of China's western development and tourism, it will become a tourist attraction for people all over the world.

On May 25, 2006, Daqin Temple Pagoda, as an ancient building of Song Dynasty, was approved by the State Council to be listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Architectural features

Daqin Temple Pagoda is located on the east side of the main hall of Daqin Temple site beside Louguantai in Zhouzhi County, Shaanxi Province. The layout of the main hall and the tower. The temples with pagodas and halls in parallel layout began in the Tang Dynasty and spread to Japan. In Japan, the pagoda and Jintang of FaLong temple are arranged side by side. According to its style, it is a tower in the late Song Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty (1279-1368 A.D.). Brick structure. Octagonal plane, seven stories, about 32 meters high. The front of the first floor of the tower is provided with a door, which is 1.38 meters wide and 4.3 meters long on each side. The wall of the first tower is very thick, about four meters. On the second, third, fourth and fifth floors of the tower, there are two opposite doors, staggered and upward. On the sixth and seventh floors, the front and back doors are opened vertically, and the tower body is retracted sharply. The outer eaves of the tower are very short, and the brick brackets are used under the eaves, which is simple and unadorned. Only the square leaning column is placed at the corner, and the appendix is used for the head of the column. In addition, there are scaffolding holes that were constructed in those years.

Oriental leaning tower

Daqin Temple Pagoda, also known as "Zhenxian pagoda", is known as "Oriental leaning pagoda" because its axis deviates from the vertical line by 2.7 meters and it has survived 500 years. Daqin Temple Pagoda sits in the south to the north, with wufengling of qiumu mountain as the background, hundreds of Mu bamboo forest in the West Ditch, and Louguantai in the East. It is built close to the mountain. The pagoda and mountain are integrated. The tower is a 7-story, 8-edge Pavilion style, with a height of 40.9 meters and a diameter of 10.86 meters. The architectural style is rare among the ancient pagodas left in China.

According to folklore, the pagoda was built by the disciples of Luban in the spring and Autumn period. It is proved that it was built in the middle of the 8th century when Nestorianism was introduced into China and entered its heyday. So far, it has a history of 1300 years. It has experienced three devastating earthquakes, but it still stands erect. In the 35th year of Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1536 AD), there was a great earthquake in Guanzhong, which struck Zhonghua county with a magnitude of 8.7. The pagoda of Daqin Temple began to tilt. Like an old man of history, he spent another 500 spring and autumn years leaning.

According to Guan Ying, director of Daqin temple's cultural management office, the office has made great efforts in recent years. The state has allocated special funds to protect the famous pagodas. According to experts' research, Daqin temple tower is more than half a meter steeper than Huqiu tower in Suzhou (known as the "famous Oriental leaning tower", with an inclination of 2.34 meters). The pagoda, together with the "popular Chinese stele of Nestorianism in the great Qin Dynasty" and the "ruins of the great Qin Dynasty", is known as the "Nestorianism remains Trilogy". It is a product of cultural exchanges between China and the West and the Silk Road in history, and has high research value and important historical significance.

present situation

In Daqin Temple Pagoda, Eastern and Western decoration styles and themes coexist harmoniously. Among these decorations are the book of Jonah on the wall of the capital of the Assyrian Empire, the picture of the birth of Jesus and the graffiti of ancient Assyrian characters. Most of these decorative works are made of mud and gypsum, which have been exposed and damaged for centuries. Earthquake activity and flood also affected the stability of the tower. In 1999, the exterior of Daqin Temple Pagoda was repaired, but the overall stability of the pagoda was not effectively improved. Plans for further renovation of the tower are under way. At the same time, scholars are also using some modern technologies (possibly remote sensing technology) to explore the underground palace of the pagoda.

Address: north foot of Zhongnan mountain, Zhouzhi County, Shaanxi Province

Longitude: 108.9475170932

Latitude: 34.267198023073

Chinese PinYin : Da Qin Si Ta