Longevity Palace

Longevity Palace

The Longevity Palace in Xishan, a famous Millennium ancient temple in the south of the Yangtze River, is the twelfth of the thirty-six caves of Taoism, and the thirty-eight of the seventy-two. It has been built in memory of Xu Xun, a famous Taoist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty for more than 1600 years. It is located in the people's Government of Xishan Town, Xinjian District, Nanchang City, 30 kilometers away from Nanchang city. Covering a total area of 31000 square meters, it was built in 376, the first year of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Xishan Longevity Palace was originally named Xuxian temple. On the first day of August in the second year of Kangxi (374 A.D.), Xu Xun, the founder of Jingming Taoism, performed successfully and became an immortal. With 42 members of his family, Xu's ancestral temple was built by the local gentry.

Today, the Longevity Palace in Xishan is famous for its towering ancient cypresses, Danjing and Danlu, surrounded by cigarettes, and the legacy of immortals. It has become a well-known Taoist tourist attraction and a good place for Taoist health preservation. Wanshou Palace culture is a symbol of Jiangxi humanistic spirit and a typical representative of Jiangxi regional culture. In July 1957, Yulong Wanshou Palace was approved as a cultural relic protection unit in Jiangxi Province.

The newly planned Xishan Longevity Palace Resort has a total land area of 4.66 square kilometers, and the core scenic spots include Longevity Palace, Jiulong pilgrimage square, Jiulong Mountain Resort, etc.

Historical origin

The Longevity Palace was built in memory of Xu Zhenjun, the local protector of Jiangxi Province. Xu Zhenjun, formerly known as Xu Xun, was named Jingyuan. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, his father Xu Xiao came to Nanchang from the Central Plains.

In 239, Xu Xun was born in yitangpo, Changding Township, Nanchang County. He was gifted and intelligent. At the age of five, he entered school. At the age of ten, he knew the general idea of scriptures. Later, he was determined to study. He was proficient in 100 schools, especially in Taoist cultivation. At the age of 29, Zhenjun traveled abroad. He once worshipped Wu Meng as his teacher and got his secret. Later, he made friends with Guo Pu, a great scholar at that time, and visited famous mountains and good places to find a place to cultivate truth and alchemy.

Related allusions

At the age of Taikang, Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, Zhenjun was 42 years old. He was forced to be an official in the township and served as the magistrate of Jingyang County. He has a clean and honest residence, a good political voice, and is deeply loved by the people. After the death of Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, the political situation was unstable, Emperor Hui was stupid, and empress Jia was only good at political affairs, which caused the chaos of the eight kings. Xu Xun, who has been magistrate of Jingyang County for ten years, resolutely abandoned his official position and returned to the East. After returning to the East, he and Wu Meng went to Danyang (Dangtu County, Anhui Province) to learn from Chen's mother. Since then, he has traveled to many places in the south of the Yangtze River to get rid of disasters and eradicate floods. According to records, he died at the age of 136. It is said that a family of 42 "rose from their homes.".

After Xu Xun died, in memory of him, local neighbors and grandchildren set up "Xu Xian Temple" in his former residence, which was renamed "youyingguan" in the northern and Southern Dynasties. Song Zhenzong gave the name and personally mentioned "Yulong Longevity Palace". After many dynasties, the palace was full of incense, and Jiangxi people built many "longevity palaces" in other places, no less than hundreds of them. In ancient times, where Jiangxi people lived together, there was the Longevity Palace.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Jiangxi was economically developed. Businessmen from Jiangxi, who were engaged in porcelain, tea, rice, wood and silk, traveled all over the country and built the Longevity Palace in other parts of the country. The Longevity Palace also became the "Jiangxi guild hall" of Jiangxi compatriots.

Intrauterine scene

Nanchang Longevity Palace is located in the Xianghu scenic spot in the southwest corner of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province. Xianghu scenic spot is a new scenic spot developed in recent years along the Yangtze River section of Jiangxi Province, covering an area of about 7.81 square kilometers. Here, the long dykes on both sides are shady, and the lakes and islands are dotted. The waters are wide and the scenery is beautiful.

The Ganjiang River is picturesque and beautiful like a lake. Xianghu is formed by the confluence of Nanjiang River, Beijiang River, Dongjiang River, Xijiang River and Qingshan Lake. The plan of Xianghu looks like an elephant, so it is named Xianghu. The Longevity Palace site is a small island in Xianghu Lake, with a total area of about 60 mu, which is known as "praying island". With a construction area of about 4600 square meters, the building complex on the island is Nanchang Wanshou Palace, the Zhengyi sect of Taoist holy land. It is just like a pearl inlaid in the whole Xianghu scenic area and is also known as the saint in the scenery.

Layout structure

Wanshougong, along the East and northwest banks of Xianghu Lake, has a long stone bridge with a width of five meters. The traffic in the East is convenient, and it is the main way for believers and tourists. In the East and northwest, there are stone archways over 10 meters high. In the East, it was written with the title of "iron pillar Wizard" and endorsed with the title of "Yongzhen Jiangcheng" (Wang Xizhi); in the northwest, it was written with the title of "Changda Nanjiang" (Su Dongpo) and endorsed with the title of "Xijiang Fudi" (Huang Tingjian).

Along the lake to the Palace Square, the Longevity Palace is more than 150 meters deep. From south to north, there are Gongmen, Yimen and Wanshougong. The entrance is the stage, Zhenjun hall, tiezhujing hall, Yuhuang hall, bell tower and Drum Tower on both sides, chenmu hall in the East, Doumu hall in the west, and yucege in the rear. Reasonable layout, generous design, exquisite carving and painting, with the characteristics of the times, and green bamboo and lake water color, can be called the fairyland of the world.

The roof of Zhenjun hall is of Xieshan style with heavy eaves. It is tall, magnificent, magnificent and dignified. The hall of the Jade Emperor is majestic. On the lintel of the hall, there are "boundless virtues" and "boundless universe", and "pilgrimage to the immortals" on the East and west walls. On the back of the statue of the Jade Emperor, there are large relief sculptures of Eight Immortals crossing the sea and colorful frescoes, which give people a sense of ecstasy. Laojun hall is also known as "yuce Pavilion". In the center of the hall, there is a white jade statue (whole stone, weighing 5 tons) of Taoist and taoist founder Taishang Laojun. On both sides of the room walls, there are two stone carvings of Tao Te and Yin Fu.

Yucege is not only a place for collecting Taoist classics and imperial canonization, but also a place for Taoist to teach and study the Scriptures. A large plaque of "ten thousand dharmas belong to the sect" is hanging above the lintel. Here you can enter the Dharma gate, open your wisdom and have an insight into the spirit of the Chinese nation.

On the left front side of Laojun hall is a magic weapon of Taoist temple, about two meters long and 60 cm in diameter, which was specially transported from Xinjiang. It has experienced the vicissitudes of the world and is very spiritual. The wonder of Cretaceous dinosaur age is silicified wood.

At the back of Laojun hall, the magnificent "big backing mountain" is built by the huge stones which are ingeniously made by architects and horticulturists. In the Dabaoshan, it has been meticulously carved into "long flowing water", natural karst cave landscape, and lifelike images, forming another beautiful landscape line for pilgrims and tourists to enjoy. Xianghu scenic area will also build a 60 meter high longevity tower on Miaoji mountain in the southeast, which will echo with the Longevity Palace in a distant way, with elegant Fairy Spirit.

Tourist attractions

Xishan Longevity Palace, also known as Yulong Longevity Palace, is located in Xishan Town, Xinjian County, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province. It has a history of more than 1600 years. It is a famous Taoist temple and tourist attraction in Jiangnan. It is known as the 12th small cave of Taoist thirty-six caves and the 38th blessed place of seventy-two.

Xishan Longevity Palace is a palace built in memory of Xu Zhenjun. It is located at the foot of Xiaoyao mountain, 30 kilometers southwest of Nanchang city. Taoism believes that in addition to the world where mortals live, there are also places for immortals, thirty-six caves and seventy-two blessed places. Xishan, where Xu Zhenjun lived, was the 40th blessed place. Because it passed away here, it is also called "feisheng blessed land". In 1520 ad (the 15th year of Zhengde of Ming Dynasty), the emperor wrote "Miaoji Wanshou Palace" to repair the palace buildings. In the Qing Dynasty, the palace of longevity was in its heyday, covering an area of 31000 square meters. Inside the palace gate, the main hall is decorated with glazed tiles and double eaves. It is resplendent and magnificent. In the embroidered gold curtain, the statue of Zhenjun sits in the center. The head of the statue is made of brass and weighs 500 Jin. Wu Meng and Guo Pu stood in front of the altar.

Before the three halls, such as the Gaoming hall, there were six towering ancient cypresses, old and vigorous, and evergreen all the year round. It is said that the largest one was planted by Xu Zhenjun himself. The octagonal well on the left side of the palace gate is said to have been cast iron by Xu Zhenjun in those years. It was linked to the earth's veins to prevent floods. There are also a large number of auxiliary buildings outside the palace, such as jiexiantai, yunhuichang, chongshengge, etc., forming an ancient architectural complex centered on the Longevity Palace. Overlooking the Longevity Palace in Xishan, in the vast expanse of green sea, the glazed tiles are yellow and green, colorful, the cornices are lined with copper bells, and the golden light is flashing. The colorful palace top stands out, the world is dense, and everything is pure. It is suspected that it is the Palace in the sky.

The scale

The iron cast large bell weighs more than two tons. The sound of the bell at night is loud and melodious, and can spread ten miles away. Xu Zhenjun's birthday falls on the 27th day of the lunar calendar, which is the annual small Dynasty. The day of the celestial death in August is the climax of the pilgrimage. Believers from all over the country come to offer incense one after another, and thousands of pilgrims come to visit each other. After entering the palace, kneel down one step at a time, pay tribute to Xianyan in front of the palace, and pray for your wish. In front of the incense burner, the sound of firecrackers is not hard to hear, the incense is burning all night, the smoke of the stove is misty, the bell is melodious, and the atmosphere of an immortal family.

Xishan Longevity Palace is not only the ancestor of the world Longevity Palace, but also a place for cultivating morality. It is the ancestral court of pure and bright loyalty and filial piety. It advocates loyalty, filial piety, pure and bright, with heaven and earth in harmony, heart in purity, loyalty and filial piety as the fundamental method of practice. It takes "loyalty, filial piety, honesty, prudence, tolerance, abundance, objectivity and tolerance" as the source, according to which practice can naturally lead to immortality. In addition to the main hall, there are also Sanqing hall dedicated to "Yuqing primitive heaven, Shangqing Lingbao heaven, Taiqing moral heaven", Yuhuang hall dedicated to Jade Emperor, three palaces dedicated to three officials "Yao, Shun, Yu", and Guan

Chinese PinYin : Wan Shou Gong