Zhongwei Gaomiao

Zhongwei Gaomiao, built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, is an ancient architectural community built according to the mountain trend, with exquisite, beautiful and ingenious architecture. There are not only Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but also Jade Emperor, Virgin Mary, Wenchang and Guan Gong. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism gather here. The Gaomiao hell palace is very famous. The statues here tell about all kinds of criminal laws in the 18th floor hell. The dark lights with sound effects are a little scary.

Zhongwei Gaomiao

Zhongwei high temple is located in the north of Zhongwei City in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It is built on the high platform connecting the city wall (including Baoan Temple under the high platform). It is said that it was first built in the Yongle period of Ming Dynasty (1403-1424) and went through additional construction and renovation in the Qing Dynasty. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, it had become a large-scale ancient building complex, showing the style of ancient buildings in Ningxia. It is as famous as the "desert wonder" and is one of the two major landscapes of Zhongwei.

A brief introduction to Gaomiao

Zhongwei Gaomiao is a key cultural relic protection unit in China. It was built in Yongle period of Ming Dynasty and became a large-scale ancient building complex in Qing Dynasty. According to legend, Zhongwei old 9 temples, 18 temples of prosperity, only the high temple towering, lofty, superb, it is called the high temple. In 1963, it was approved to be opened as a place for Buddhist activities, where monks live for a long time, offering more than 600 bronze, jade, wood, clay and holy statues, and was included in the "2000 years of Chinese Buddhism" list.

In September of the 48th year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1709), a strong earthquake occurred in Ningxia, which made all the superstructure collapse. After the earthquake, it was rebuilt and completed in four years. It was named "new temple". On November 24, the third year of Qianlong reign in Qing Dynasty (January 3, 1739 AD), a strong earthquake occurred again in Ningxia, and most of the buildings in the temple collapsed. After that, it was rebuilt year by year. In the eighth year of Xianfeng (1858 AD), the fajie building on the square in front of the gate and the brick archway, the East-West building and the East-West Tianchi in the temple were added, which was renamed "Yuhuang Pavilion". On February 15, 1942, a temple fair was held here. Due to the careless use of incense, a major fire broke out and all the buildings above the Nantianmen gate were destroyed. The following year, the temple was rebuilt again, and the height of the temple was increased. It took four years. It was completed in 1946 and named "Gaomiao". The existing Zhongwei high temple is the fixed form after the reconstruction and addition in Xianfeng Period of Qing Dynasty and 1940s. Its architectural style is still dominated by the ancient buildings of Qing Dynasty. The Gaomiao complex covers an area of more than 4100 square meters, with more than 1700 square meters of double towers and 260 buildings. On the north-south axis, the main building from south to north is the Mountain Gate of Bao'an temple. Above the mountain gate is the Kuixing tower, with a Kuixing statue inside. Facing the entrance is a double-layer brick archway with unique structure. Because of the Maitreya Buddha in Tiangong, it is called "Maitreya Pavilion". From there, you can step up 15 steps to the main hall, where you can see the sitting statue of Sakyamuni. The east side of the main hall is dizang palace, and the west side is Sanxiao palace. In the side halls on both sides of the East and the west, there are ten Buddhas and twenty-four heavens. Go through 34 steps to the south gate. The first half of the steps is in the shape of an overpass. Two patios are built on both sides of the overpass. The east side is called "East Tianchi", and the west side is called "West Tianchi". The two Tianchi are connected by a circular tunnel under the overpass, which is called "hell reincarnation cave".

Gaomiao is a temple with three religions in one, which is very strange. On the brick archway of the temple, there is a pair of couplets: "all the degrees of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism come from here"; "the self creation and self transformation of heaven, earth and man are here.". The horizontal inscription is: "the supreme law bridge". There are not only Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the temple, but also Jade Emperor, Virgin Mary, Wenchang and Guan Gong. There are many idols of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

There is Baoan Temple in front of the temple. The gate faces south. There are wing rooms on both sides. The front is the main hall with single eaves on the top of the mountain. At the back of the hall is a high temple with 24 steps,

Up the stairs, through the archway, Nantianmen, Zhonglou, and finally the three-story Wuyue, Yuhuang and Notre Dame hall. These main buildings are all on the same central axis, and they are gradually rising and imposing. On both sides of the main building of the temple, there are bell tower, Drum Tower, Wen tower, Wu tower, Lingguan hall, dizang hall and other auxiliary halls. On the high platform of only 2000 square meters, nearly 100 types of temples have been built, such as Jiuji Xieshan, Sijiao zanjian, Shizi Xieshan, and general's helmet top. The whole building complex is composed of double towers, pavilions and corridors, high wings and corners, which form a tortuous internal and external space. From one side, it reflects the exquisite artistic style of ancient buildings in Ningxia and leaves a deep impression on people.

Climbing to the top of the temple is another sight. The ancients chanted this scene: "the flying snow of the reed, the rising clear ripples, the misty rain and the dim lemon, it looks strange. A little bit of white gull deep bath, boat remote movement, five lakes think It was a magnificent and light Chinese painting. The sky is full of clouds and blue, and the desert oasis, the Yellow River and the great wall are in full view. Nearby, the clouds are steaming, as if Chicheng, Emei, Wushan, Xiaoxiang and Qiantang. Lushan waterfalls are all born here, which makes people feel reverie and emotion. At this time, the camel bells from the distant sea are so deep and melodious that visitors are immersed in poems and paintings.

Gaomiao wins by its height. On the high platform of only 4000 square meters, there are more than 260 overlapping pavilions. The whole complex is divided into two parts, low in the front and high in the back, stacked layer upon layer, shaped like a phoenix spreading its wings. The front courtyard is Baoan Temple and its mountain gate. On the top is the main hall of Nantianmen and the middle tower. On the top is Wuyue temple, Yuhuangge and Notre Dame palace. There are wooden ladders connecting with the middle tower. The two wings of the main body are the bell and Drum Tower, the Wen tower, the Wu tower and so on. On the north-south axis, the buildings are closely linked, rising step by step, symmetrical in left and right, echoing up and down, connected with pavilions and corridors, tortuous, cornice teeth pecking, high wing angle warping, together with the nine ridge Xieshan, four corner zanjian, cross Xieshan, general helmet top and other unique shapes of the roof, forming a magnificent architectural group with different styles. There is a famous antithetical couplet on the brick archway of the Gaomiao Temple: "Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism all come from here; the self creation and self transformation of heaven, earth and man are all here." The horizontal inscription is: "the supreme law bridge". It can be seen that it was a religious place where Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism were integrated.

The most famous experience scene of Gaomiao is Gaomiao hell. Built under the foundation of Gaomiao, Gaomiao hell is one of the four ancient hell in China. Its structure is a huge palace with ten halls of Yama, six magistrates of Cao, saw solution, iron mill, iron bed, oil pot, knife mountain, sea of fire and other hellish tools of torture and statues of ghost officials. Combined with the various forms of human life, it shows the process of being judged in the underworld after death, and embodies the Buddhist causal concept of "good is rewarded with good, evil is rewarded with evil".

tourist guide

Gaomiao, as the name suggests, is a tall and steep temple. Therefore, it is not suitable to visit in rainy and snowy weather. The main reason is that the steps and stairs are steep, so it is easy to have accidents if you are not careful. Because it's a temple, you can visit it all the year round. When you go to the hell on the 18th floor, you still need to add some clothes. Don't catch a cold in summer. The temperature difference between inside and outside is too big.

Traffic information

Gaomiao is just near the railway station and can be reached within walking distance; the drum tower in the center of the city can be reached within 5 minutes' walking distance to the north.

Gaomiao cuisine

Zhongwei is the hometown of Ningxia red. It is said that Ningxia red alone has created an output value of 700 million yuan. We can see the economic value of Lycium barbarum. So it's more cost-effective to take a few catties of high-quality wolfberry home to cook porridge and soak in water.

Because it's in Ningxia, it's necessary to grasp mutton by hand. Then there are some halal foods, such as kebabs, paste spicy sheep's hooves, etc. the taste is not as spicy as Pingluo. Of course, the staple food is all kinds of pasta. I think it's better to pull noodles.

Gaomiao hell

The hell in Zhongwei Gaomiao is one of the four ghost cities in China. Under the main hall and brick archway, Gaomiao also has a hell. It has all kinds of monsters, ghosts and gods, blue faces and fangs. It warns the world with stories of loyalty, filial piety, honesty and uprightness. Visitors walking in the architectural complex of Gaomiao are just like entering a labyrinth. The unique architectural conception of Gaomiao is really a treasure of ancient architecture. The structure of the high temple "hell" is a huge palace with ten halls of Yama and six magistrates of Cao. According to the interpretation, iron mill, iron bed, oil pot, knife mountain, sea of fire and other hell tools and ghost officials statues are vivid. The setting is very strict. It reproduces the true image of hell in mythology and shows the fate of people after death When the underworld is judged, those who were good will go to heaven; those who were evil will suffer all kinds of torture in hell, and then reincarnate. "Hell" is equipped with modern voice control, light control and other means. It makes the God howl, the jailer ferocious, and the wind miserable, reaching the realm of illusion and truth. It is thrilling, thought-provoking, and has the function of enlightenment. It mainly embodies the Buddhist thought of "good is rewarded with good, evil is rewarded with evil". It is one of the four ancient "hell" in China. [18 levels of hell]

First floor, tongue pulling hell

All living people, sow dissension, slander and harm others, glib, sophistication, lying and deceiving. After he died, he was sent to the tongue pulling hell. The kid broke his mouth, clamped his tongue with a pair of iron tongs and pulled it out. Instead of pulling it out at once, he stretched it out and dragged it slowly... Then he went to the scissors hell and the iron tree hell.

On the second level, the scissors hell is in the sun. If a woman's husband unfortunately dies early, she will be widowed. If you instigate her to remarry, or set up a bridge for her (if he is widowed, if her husband has no inheritance)

Chinese PinYin : Zhong Wei Gao Miao