Yao Temple

Yao Temple

Yao temple is located at the south end of Qinshu road in Linfen City. It is a key cultural relic protection unit in Shanxi Province.

Introduction

Linfen is known as Pingyang in history, and the book of history records that "Pingyang is the capital of Yao". Sima Qian's "historical records" says: "most scholars say that the five emperors are still alive, but the" book of history "only records the history of Yao. This shows that the Chinese civilization started from Yao.

Yao temple was originally built on the West Bank of Fenhe River. It was moved to the east of Fenhe River in the middle of Yuankang of Jin Dynasty, and moved to the present site in the third year of Xianqing of Tang Dynasty (685). It has been more than 1300 years since then. It has been a state-level place of sacrifice in all dynasties, and has been repaired and expanded many times. Linfen, Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi of Kangxi of Qing Dynasty once came here.

Yao temple now covers an area of 5.33 hectares, mainly including the mountain gate, wufenglou, yaojingting, Guangyun hall, bedroom and other ancient buildings, as well as the Han Dynasty's odd trees, such as cypress baohuai, cypress Baoluo, Minglu cypress, Yexiao cypress, which are more than 1600 years ago.

Before the Qing Dynasty, a ceremony of sacrificing Yao and a temple fair were held here on April 28 every year. When Emperor Kangxi visited the Yao temple, it was designated as the emperor's fair. At that time, all provinces, all ethnic groups and overseas Chinese people came to pay homage to the ceremony. The prosperity of the temple fair was the highest in North China. The emperors, generals, dignitaries, poets and poets of the past dynasties sang a lot of praises to the Yao temple.

Yao temple was built in the Western Jin Dynasty with a history of more than 1700 years. The former site is to the west of Fenhe River. It was moved to the East Bank of Fenhe River in Yuankang period of Western Jin Dynasty. In 658, the site of the temple was moved from the southwest of Fucheng to the current site in the south of the city. Yao temple is a national ancestral temple with rich history, culture and 5000 years of civilization. It is commonly known as Sansheng temple. It is a temple dedicated to commemorating the three ancestors of Yao, Shun and Yu in China. More than 4000 years ago, Yao established the capital of Pingyang and designated nine states, forming the earliest pattern in China. Pingyang became one of the earliest birthplaces of Chinese civilization, known as the first capital of China. Among them, Guangyun hall is the main hall dedicated to King Yao. The hall is 27 meters high. There are 42 stone pillars in the corridor around the hall. The dragon and cloud are carved on the pillars, and the craft is excellent. As the old Guangyun temple was destroyed by fire, the temple we saw was rebuilt. There are also more than 10 stone tablets, which record the great achievements of King Yao.

Main attractions

Wufeng building

Entering the Yao temple, the first thing you see is the beautiful Wufeng building. It was built in the Qianfeng period of Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than 1300 years. The building is 19.3 meters high, with 12 eaves on three floors. At the bottom of the building, there are three brick kiln corridors and 13 corner columns leading to three floors. It is very magnificent. There are more than 30 pottery people standing on the top of the building, and the pottery lion is in the middle. The wind can move up and down, which is very beautiful. It is said that King Yao often worked with his four ministers (i.e. two prime ministers). At that time, people referred to him and his four ministers as "five phoenixes", and there was a saying that "one phoenix rises to heaven, and four phoenixes sing together". Thus came the name of "wufenglou".

There is Yaojing Pavilion at the back of Wufeng building. The pavilion was first built in the taining period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and has a history of more than 1600 years. Pavilion for the hexagonal high eaves Pavilion form, small and exquisite, very chic. The well in the pavilion is said to have been dug by King Yao himself. The diameter of the well is eight inches. The wall of the well is two layers. The outer layer is made of nine mortise and tenon bricks. It is said that Yao well is connected to the sea, so far the underground spring is gurgling, and it is clear to drink.

Guangyun Hall

Also known as the Yao palace, it is a place where officials are summoned to discuss state affairs, and it is also the main building in the temple. Founded in the third year of Tang Xianqing, it has a history of more than 1300 years. The hall is 213 meters high, 26.3 meters deep and 43 meters wide. There are forty-two twelve meter pillars in the hall. The stone base under the column is exquisitely carved, the lion and unicorn are lifelike, and all kinds of flowers are beautiful, which is rare in China. In the niche of the main hall, there is a statue of King Yao of the Tang Dynasty, two prime ministers and two cabinet elders standing on both sides. King Yao, whose surname is said to be Yi, is a native of baliyi village in the south of Yao temple. There is still a stone tablet engraved with "Di Yao Mao CI Tu Jie" in Yi village. It is said that King Yao used to live in a thatched house on the earth steps. In Han Feizi, five beetles, it is written that King Yao lived in a thatched cottage, ate wild vegetable roots without seasoning, drank water in earthen vats, covered his body only with coarse cloth, and wore deerskin in winter. It can be seen that the life of King Yao was very hard.

After Guangyun hall is the bedroom palace, which was built in the Lingde period of Tang Dynasty, about 1300 years ago. There are statues of King Yao and his wife in the niche. It is said that the wife of King Yao was a deer fairy who was born in Gushe mountain. There are deer fairy cave, deer fairy mirror stone (about more than one mu), dressing table and so on. The vigorous ancient cypress in the temple, planted in the Jin Dynasty, is more than ten meters high and more than two meters in diameter, which is very rare. Among them, Robinia pseudoacacia and Catalpa bungei are in full bloom among the cypress trees in summer. They are full of wonderful and interesting flowers, which can help you to have fun.

Guangyun hall is the main hall of Yao temple complex. The project is a national key restoration project with a construction area of more than 2400 square meters and a construction cost of 1.05 million yuan (1983 cost). The building is a large wooden building without brackets in Qing Dynasty. Mr. Feng Dongqing, a senior expert of Shanxi Institute of ancient architecture protection, presided over the survey, restoration design and engineering technical guidance according to the current components and historical data.

Mr. Feng Dongqing, a famous expert in ancient architecture design. He was born in December 1955 in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. He has successively served as director of design office and director of Design Department of Shanxi Institute of ancient architecture protection. National registered architect. For more than 30 years, I have participated in or presided over the planning and survey of ancient buildings (cultural relic buildings) and antique buildings. The design period of the project is from June 1983 to July 1987.

The pulse of dragon and Phoenix

The central axis of Yao palace corridor, which is carved with dragon and phoenix patterns, is called "vein of dragon and phoenix". It runs from the gate to Guangyun hall, which is 300 meters long. Both dragon and Phoenix are totems of the Yao Dynasty, and they are also the oldest auspicious symbols of the Chinese nation. The vein of dragon and Phoenix here is the most auspicious channel of dragon and Phoenix in China.

Cultural relic sculpture

The artifacts on both sides of the Yaogong corridor are unearthed from the Taosi cultural site and the ancient valley of the lower Jin Dynasty. 700 years ago, the mode of production of our ancestors included production tools, daily necessities, daily utensils, ceremonial articles and musical instruments. These stone carvings vividly show the life and culture of the Yao period, making the Yao Temple more historical and cultural connotation.

secondary gate to an official residence

"Yimen" is the door of etiquette. In ancient times, the emperors, officials and common people who paid homage to and offered sacrifices to Emperor Yao had to "play the dust with a whole crown and dignified appearance" when they came here, and then they went forward respectfully and seriously. The inscription of "ancestor of civilization" on the forehead of Yimen is the highest evaluation of Emperor Yao's founding of civilized politics. The inscription "Guang PI Si Biao" on the back of the gate was originally a plaque inscribed by Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty for Yao hall, which means that Yao's merits and virtues are like the sun and the moon moistening all the people.

Yaojingtai

Well is one of the greatest inventions in the process of human civilization. In ancient times, people lived in the water and along the river. Yao's "looking for ants to build wells" changed the situation of relying on rivers. As a result, there were villages, towns and cities, forming the earliest human civilization. Up to now, people call cities as marketplace, urban culture and urban civilization as marketplace culture and civilization, regard wells as home, and call leaving hometown far away from home. This well is also known as "the first well in the world".

Ancient cypress in Yaogong

There are four ancient cypresses around Yaojing, and the two on the west side are "Bai Yiluo" and "Bai baohuai", that is, another catalpa tree and Sophora tree grow out of the cypress.

In April and may every year, red catalpa flowers bloom among the branches of cypress trees, which is a wonder to visitors. It is said that Bo baohuai was transplanted from Ci'en Temple in Xi'an more than 600 years ago. At the beginning of summer, the cypress trees are in full bloom and fragrant.

There are two ancient cypresses on the east side, one is called "Minglu cypress" and the other is called "Yexiao cypress". It is said that in the Tang Dynasty, when Emperor Yao and his wife deer fairy's sacred oak were sculpted in the palace, a pair of Sika Deer suddenly came running and singing under the cypress tree. Therefore, this tree is called "Minglu cypress". Up to now, its branches look like plum deer antlers.

"Yexiaobai" was transplanted from India by a monk in ancient times. It has a long day and a long night. Every new year's Eve, the cypress makes a rustling sound, which is similar to human laughter, so it is called "yexiaobai".

Dragon carving

The "Dragon carving" inlaid on the steps of the platform of Yao hall is based on the enlarged image of the dragon on the "painted pottery plate" unearthed from the Taosi site in 1978. This pasted Dragon carving is the earliest dragon pattern in China, known as "the first dragon in the world". The shape of dragon is simple and simple, and the mouth of dragon contains grain, which reflects the pursuit and admiration of human beings for agricultural civilization.

Bedroom

Yao's palace was built in the reign of emperor Linde of Tang Dynasty (664 AD). There are statues of Emperor Yao and his wife, the deer fairy. It is said that not long after Emperor Yao's capital was set in Pingyang, he went to the fairy cave to inspect the people's feelings and met the deer fairy. They fell in love and got married. The place where they got married was in Luxian cave. On the night of marriage, the mountain peak on the opposite side was red, like a candle. Since then, people called the cave where Emperor Yao and his wife got married separately as "bridal chamber", and there was a saying that the bridal chamber was a night of flowers and candles in the world. Therefore, the houses where Chinese people got married were all called "bridal chamber".

Ancestor worship Hall

Chinese people have the virtue of worshiping their ancestors since ancient times. Yao, Shun and Yu are the common ancestors of the Chinese nation and the great ancestors. The ancestral hall of Yao temple is the first place for Chinese people to sacrifice

Chinese PinYin : Yao Miao