Yanshou Temple

Yanshou Temple

Yanshou temple, located in the northwest of Beizhuang village, Yanshou Town, Changping District, Beijing, is about 52 kilometers away from the urban area of Beijing. The scenic spot passes through the famous Ming Tombs at home and abroad, and is on the only way to the great wall of Mutianyu and the Pagoda Forest of Yinshan.

Brief introduction to temples

Yanshou temple is located in a mountain depression two kilometers north of heishanzhai village, Yanshou Town, Changping District. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The mountains are green and green. A main road passes in front of the temple gate.

Yanshou temple, three Bay temple gate line up, solemn and grand style in elegant beauty. When you enter the gate of the temple and look up, a huge "Buddha" made of white marble is standing on the high hill facing the rising sun. It is dazzling against the blue sky. This is the word "Buddha" written by the famous calligrapher Jia Songyang. It is a word in shape, but in fact it is like a door, implying "no two ways". Every good man or woman who prays for immortality must go up the ladder and follow the "Buddhist gate" to reach the main hall of Yanshou temple, praying for Buddha's blessing and spiritual purification. Through the huge "Buddha" gate, along the mountain path with brilliant flowers and long grass, winding northward. On the hillsides on both sides of the road are the old trees called "Gongli". The thick trunks are like powerful Fanlong. They move and twinkle, dance their claws and bend their bodies, showing the posture of flying away. Yanshou temple is at the end of Lishu valley.

Layout structure

The temple is located on the slope under the cliff, with layers of progressive, one hall higher than the other. Standing on the steps in front of the mountain gate, you can have a panoramic view of the green scenery of the mountains. Entering the temple from the side door, there are fireworks in the Bodhisattva hall. The plaque of "sincerity is spirit" written by calligrapher Jia Songyang is hung under the eaves, and the couplet of "sincerity is incense, longevity is water" is hung on the East and west sides of the column. The Bodhisattva hall is the second Hall of Yanshou temple, with three rooms in width and three rooms in depth. In the hall, there are statues of Sakyamuni and Jasper Avalokitesvara carved in white marble. Jasper Avalokitesvara is 1.2 meters high, which is rare in China and is very valuable.

Main building

The main hall is the third Hall of Yanshou temple, and it is also the main building of the temple. Three Buddhas are worshipped in the hall, which is called the third Buddha, making Yanshou temple a temple with three treasures of Buddha, Dharma and monk.

First there is Yanshou temple, then there is the Ming Tombs. According to records, Yanshou temple was built in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasty, prior to the Ming Tombs. There is a folk legend that "Yanshou temple first, then the Ming Tombs". It is said that when Zhu Di, the emperor of Yongle in Ming Dynasty, established his capital in Beijing, he ordered people to choose "good soil for ten thousand years" for himself and his descendants. It took two years for the troops to choose around Beijing before they found several places for Emperor Yongle to choose.

Zhu Di, the emperor of Yongle, was unhappy because he couldn't determine the ideal mausoleum after several times. Seeing that the emperor was very depressed, a group of ministers came forward and said that Liu Bowen was the only one. For this reason, Liu Bowen traveled all over the suburbs of Beijing.

The origin of the temple's name

One day, he came to the mountain on the north side of heishanzhai. He saw that it was backed by Jundu mountain, facing a small plain, surrounded by green mountains and mist. It was a rare geomantic treasure land, playing the role of emperor. After his personal survey, Zhu Di believed that the choice of "ten thousand year auspicious soil" was the top priority of the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty. Although the place was full of green shadows, misty purple haze and natural scenery, it was too narrow to accommodate the descendants of the Ming Dynasty. Later, Liu Bowen recommended to Emperor Zhu Di the southwest of the Loess foothills as the re selected mausoleum, and explained that the vast mountains and rivers, sheltering from the wind and gathering Qi, are the ideal place for the emperor and his descendants. After Zhu Di's exploration, Longyan was very happy and ordered to enclosure the land, and changed the name of Huangtu mountain to Tianshou mountain.

Although the boundary of Yanshou temple was not selected as "the land of good fortune for ten thousand years", Liu Bowen liked the geomantic omen very much and couldn't bear to give it up. So he built a temple here, named Yanshou temple, which means to prolong the life of the Ming Dynasty. Another reason why Yanshou temple is famous is that there is a huge "Panlong pine" in the temple. It has the beauty of Huangshan welcoming pine and the wonder of Wolong pine in Jietai Temple of Mentougou. The branches of this pine are crisscrossed and overlapped repeatedly. Although the tree is not tall and straight, it is dignified and dignified. The two crisscrossing trunks, with clear and flexible layers, are like a giant dragon lying on a hill, crawling to the southeast and extending naturally. Its scattered twigs and spreading tree crown occupy most of the yard, with nearly 100 square meters.

Folklore

It is said that the original Panlong pine has 99 branches, a total of nine layers, today's Panlong pine is only one fifth of that year. The shape of Panlong pine is exquisite. It was made by the eminent monks of the past dynasties. It has experienced more than 800 years of rain, snow, wind and frost. In order to protect the ancient pine, the monks used dozens of wooden piles to support the ancient pine, making the ancient pine dance like a black dragon, moving as if it were still, and extremely beautiful. As a result, it is known as "the most exotic pine in North China" and is well deserved by the public.

On the hillside about 20 meters away from the southeast of Panlong pine, there is an amazing "Phoenix pine", which has a history of more than 500 years. The only zigzag part of the trunk forms a crested head, and the head bends downward, and the branch is filled with the right wing to form a left-right balance of the tree. Its biggest feature is the formation of the tail. A big branch on the west side of the main trunk extends down the main trunk, and it is lower than the root by the mountain, just like the tail of a Phoenix. The shape of the whole tree is like a phoenix spreading its wings. It is lifelike, so it is named "Phoenix pine".

Panlongsong is inside the temple, fenghuangsong is outside the temple. This "dragon" and "phoenix" are facing each other from afar. Cheng Longfeng is in a state of auspiciousness. The formation of the "dragon" and "phoenix" trees is the creation of nature, the embodiment of their own spirituality, and the result of their unique environment. Therefore, they are also known by countless visitors as one of the wonders of the ancient temple.

Qingquan pagoda

There is a clear spring in the mountain of the West courtyard of the ancient temple. It is said that the monks of the past dynasties often drank this water and lived for more than a hundred years. Therefore, this spring is called Yanshou clear spring. Mountain springs trickle out from the crevices of rocks, and are constantly flowing all the year round. In summer, it is clear and sweet, in winter, it is slightly sweet and moistening the throat, the spring is crystal clear, and the drought does not dry up.

There are two Ming Dynasty pagodas in the back mountain of the temple, which are the early architectural remains of the temple. They are the graves of the abbot monks. Under the pagodas are buried their ashes, Vajra Sutra and the records of the abbot monks' contributions to the temple. The two stone pagodas live next to each other, standing silently on the quiet hills, greeting the ups and downs of the world.

The dragon, the Phoenix and the pine are nestled together, the longevity spring is tinkling day and night, and the green carpet is woven up and down the mountain, which makes people feel refreshed and relaxed. It's really a rare fairyland in the world.

Traffic information

Bus route: take Chang 32 at Changping North Station and get off at Yanshou temple.

Self driving route: take Badaling Expressway from Changping Xiguan to the direction of Ming Tombs, turn to Changling at the intersection of Changling, go straight to Jiudu River and Huairou at the intersection of Changling, and then walk along heishanzhai to Beizhuang village.

festival activities

Fishing in May; mountaineering competition in June; summer camp for primary school students in July; chestnut festival in September and October, wild fruit picking, barbecue and picnics

Address: 130 LITA street, Shihudang town

Longitude: 121.1803292

Latitude: 30.97002601

Chinese PinYin : Yan Shou Si