Earth Temple

Earth Temple

Tu Di temple, also known as Fu De temple and Bo Gong temple, is the most widely distributed sacrificial building in China. Most of the temples dedicated to the God of land are small-scale buildings built spontaneously. They are distributed all over the country, so that wherever there are people living, there are places dedicated to the God of land - Tu Di temple.

Architectural features

Because of its low level of divinity and grassroots belief, most of the earth temples are simple in shape. If they are simple, they can be built under a tree or by the roadside, with two stones as the wall and one as the top. They are commonly known as "Lei" type earth temples. There are also small temples built of cement or brick. Nowadays, there are even factories in Taiwan that open molds and produce them in large quantities. There are also large and medium-sized temples due to the flourishing of incense.

Historical development

The land God originated from the worship of land ownership in ancient times. Land can produce grain, is the "food and clothing parents" of human beings, because of * and people worship land. As a place where people worship the God of the earth, the earth Temple naturally flourished. According to Chinese customs, everyone is born with "temple King land" - that is, the local temple to which he belongs, which is similar to everyone's native place; when a person passes away, he will get his local temple when he performs the ceremony of transcendence, that is, when he is a Taoist priest.

Most of the earth temples were destroyed in the mainland because of the cultural revolution. With the "reform and opening up" and the emphasis on freedom of belief, there has been a growing momentum of recovery and development since 1980. Most of the buildings are built spontaneously by farmers and belong to micro buildings, with the height from less than 2 meters to the normal height of the house; the area is a few square meters small and more than ten square meters large. In the 1980s and 1990s, the mainland authorities and the media have been paying close attention to the issue of large-scale restoration and construction of "earth temples". At that time, the rural primary education facilities were backward. It was still useless to appeal to the villagers to pay more attention to the rural basic education, concentrate on investing in the construction of schools, and not be keen on "superstition". In the 1980s, there was a wave of construction of earth temples in some rural areas. When the teaching facilities of local primary schools were still not improved, the villagers were only keen on the construction of earth temples, which led to the official demolition in some areas. Only in this way could the tide be curbed. After 2000, there are at least one or more places in almost every township, and the number distribution varies from place to place. There are also quite common earth temples in Taiwan. According to the official survey, there are more than 1300, which is the largest number of temples in Taiwan.

1. The earth temple in Shangqiu

According to legend, the earth temple in Shangqiu is located at the intersection of Pingyuan North Road and Huanghe West Road in Shangqiu City. According to the 70 year old man who once lived there, during the Anti Japanese War, the Japanese brutality made people miserable. The old man and his family hid in the earth temple. The Japanese swept into the temple. The whole family felt that they could not survive. I don't know why the Japanese pushed the door of the temple but didn't see the whole family. The whole family knelt down one after another to thank the land lord for his presence. This is very popular in Shangqiu, and the old man is still alive.

2. The temple of the land God in Taipei

In Taiwan, the God of land has the power of the God of wealth. Merchants worship the God of land on the 2nd and 16th of each month in the old calendar, which is called "Zuo Ya". There is a custom of worshiping the land lord in all parts of Taiwan. on the other hand. Most of the tombs in Taiwan are dedicated to the God of land, and there are "Houtu steles" or statues of the God of land for sacrifice. In addition, there will be large-scale land temples in many areas, such as the Jingfu temple in Taipei City, and the Land Temple of baking stove in Zhonghe City, Taipei County.

3. Land Temple in Hong Kong

Many small shops in Hong Kong also have a mini shrine in front of them to worship the land lord. Many families also have the same shrine outside their doors and offer incense regularly every day. In addition, there is usually a small earth temple in rural areas to protect the whole village. The relatively large earth temples in the urban area of Hong Kong include: Tai Keng Tung Fu Tak temple, Shau Kei Wan Fu Tak temple, Tsim Sha Tsui Haiphong Road Fu Tak temple, Hung Hom Fu Tak temple and Ngau Tau Kok Po Kung Temple.

4. The Land Temple in Beijing

The land God Temple in Beijing was built in the Yuan Dynasty. Located in xuanwumenwai Xiaxie Street (formerly known as Huaishu Street) south entrance road west. There are three temple fairs in a month, that is, the third, thirteenth and 23rd day of the third day of the lunar calendar. After the Republic of China, it was changed to the solar calendar. During the temple fair, there are quyi performances in Mingdi. It is one of the five temple fairs in Beijing. It was suspended after the founding of the people's Republic of China.

Collection of couplets

The first couplet: Earth can produce all things

The second couplet: the land can send thousands of auspicious

Note: couplets are often used in rural temples.

Shanglian: my father is very fair,

The second couplet: mother-in-law's heart.

Note: the earth God and the earth woman are worshipped in the earth temple at the same time.

The first couplet: there is a blue sky on the head, so we must follow the principle of heaven;

The second couplet: the land is bare in front of us, and we don't want to scratch it.

Notes: a temple in old China. The term "red land" refers to the land that does not produce grain due to drought. At the mouth of the land lord, he warned officials to be honest, considerate of the people, and not to "deliberately scrape the land" to extract the cream of the people, making the people's life worse.

Upper League: yellow wine and Baijiu all.

Second couplet: Cock and hen only need fat.

Note: before liberation, the temple Association of a village in Sichuan Province.

The first couplet: if you do not practice virtue, I will die for you;

The second couplet: if you don't change, will you come to see me?

Note: from the Analects of Confucius, the main idea is to persuade people to live in the world, pay attention to moral cultivation and reform.

The first couplet: equal rights between men and women, the public says that the public is reasonable, and the old woman says that the old woman is reasonable;

The second couplet: Yin Yang calendar, you live your new year, I live my new year.

Note: it comes from a local temple in Changsha, Hunan Province.

The first couplet: there is no monk in the temple, the wind sweeps the floor;

The second couplet: more incense, less candle, less moon.

Notes: a local temple Association

The first couplet: the society is beautiful to the Castle Peak through the ages;

The second couplet: the temple is ten thousand years old.

Horizontal criticism of "spring praying for autumn"

Note: a local temple Association in Qianshan County, Jiangxi Province.

The first couplet: the temple is small and the magic power is great;

The second couplet: the sky is high, the sun is long and the moon is long.

Notes: a local temple Association

The first couplet: baosifang Qingji;

Second couplet: you yizhai safe.

"Good luck"

Notes: a village in Duyun City, Guizhou Province.

First couplet: my father-in-law asked: where to shoot;

The second couplet: mother-in-law: they celebrate the new year.

Note: during the civil war, the people's livelihood was poor. Liu Shiliang, a talented man in Chengdu, wrote in a local temple.

First couplet: don't wear modern red lady, be careful of the spy's idea;

The second couplet: don't shave your beard, so that the bodyguard won't catch a strong man.

Note: it is also the black humor of a local temple during the civil war.

Shanglian: there are many laughs in this street,

The second couplet: my two elders never make a sound.

The banners stopped laughing

Note: the temple couplet at the entrance of an old brothel.

The first couplet: how rich is the bell paper;

Couplet 2: Dian Zhong kowtows to the gods.

Notes: the earth Temple Association of cheqiao village, North third floor Township, Zhili Prefecture, Jingmen, Hubei Province.

The first couplet: you should be careful to cross your heart;

Second couplet: don't kowtow.

"You can't get it"

Notes: the association of earth temples beside Yuquan temple in Dangyang, Hubei Province.

The first couplet: blessing comes from the sky, just in time for Dahua in the Spring Festival;

The second couplet: serve as the Secretary, be able to carry the virtue to the masses.

Notes: a local temple Association

The first couplet: Fu De, Fu Wei De;

The second couplet: the right God is the right God.

Notes: a local temple Association

The first couplet: Earth can produce all things;

The second couplet: the land can send thousands of auspicious.

Notes: Temple Association of a certain place in Weibei.

The first couplet: everywhere in Yunshan, everywhere in Buddha,

Second couplet: when the square land when the square spirit.

Notes: Yangzhou Hongqiao earth Temple Association

The first couplet: looking at the world, shaking hands,

Second couplet: look at people's hearts and nod.

Notes: a temple in Shifang, Sichuan

The first couplet: tufa huangjinbao,

The second couplet: earthborn baiyuzhen.

Notes: Temple of earth in taizhuyuan, Changyang, Hubei

Eh, things in the world, things in the world;

Well, worldly people, worldly people.

Notes: a local temple in Nanyang, Henan Province

First couplet: don't laugh at my old age, make a wish to try;

The second couplet: even if you have a lot of money, don't burn incense.

Notes: the association of earth temples in Laoshan, Chaohu, Anhui

The first couplet: don't think our temple is small. Don't try to burn incense

The second couplet: stop fighting. You have great power. If you want to do evil, look.

Notes: Title couplet of Yongcheng earth Temple

The first couplet: South Mu North domain, my old man from time to time to go several times;

The second couplet: in the village and in the village, the villagers come back year to year.

Association of earth temples in Qingchuan, Sichuan

The first couplet: if I have a spirit, I will not go to piles of dust everywhere, and my muscles and bones will fall;

The second couplet: if you stop delusion, you must know that there are all kinds of industriousness and thrift, but none of laziness.

Notes: a local temple Association

The first couplet: you see those people, a casual dress model for sample;

The second couplet: I love this play. In the end, it's teaching the stupid to turn the virtuous.

Chinese PinYin : Tu Di Miao