China News Agency, Beijing, July 25 (Reporter Ying Ni) "This place was called the Kingdom of Buddhism in ancient times, and the streets are full of saints." More than 800 years ago, this couplet by the great scholar Zhu Xi vividly portrayed the harmonious coexistence of various religious cultures in Quanzhou. Picture.
Today, this couplet is on the stone pillar in the Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou.
It was in Quanzhou that the writer of the couplet, the modern monk Hongyi, passed away.
As China’s latest 56th World Heritage Site, “Quanzhou: China’s World Maritime Trade Center in Song and Yuan Dynasties” shows a strong tolerance. Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and folk beliefs in Mazu needless to say; Mani The remains of religion and even Hinduism can have a place in Quanzhou.
Therefore, Quanzhou is also known as the "Museum of World Religions".
Zhou Zhenping, the deputy mayor of Quanzhou, introduced to reporters that Quanzhou was not only one of China’s first national historical and cultural cities, but also the first "East Asian Capital of Culture"; in 2003, UNESCO put the world’s first "World Multicultural Exhibition" The center is located in Quanzhou.
In fact, in Quanzhou today, the Qingjing Temple, the Holy Tomb of Islam, Kaiyuan Temple, Caoan Maniguang Buddha Statue, Tianhou Palace, Quanzhou Confucian Temple and Xuegong, Laojun Rock Statue and other heritage sites have all demonstrated various religions at that time. Wait for the spread in the southeast coastal areas of China.
Located in the center of Quanzhou City, Kaiyuan Temple was the largest Buddhist temple with the most prominent official status during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. It has been more than 1,300 years ago, and it is still the largest existing Buddhist temple complex in Fujian.
The main hall is a hall structure with nine entrances and nine compartments, enshrining five Buddhas.
In the hall, the dougong is decorated with twenty-four wonderful sound bird-like flying music figures, which are delicately combined with the architectural structure.
The Xumi seat on the platform in front of the temple is decorated with stone sculptures of Hindu sphinxes, and the two pillars in the eaves at the back of the temple are also Hindu stone pillars.
According to records, this was moved from a collapsed Hindu temple to this place when the Kaiyuan Temple was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty.
The east and west twin towers in the temple are all five-story octagonal stone pavilion towers, which have stood majestically for thousands of years.
Walking out of Kaiyuan Temple, Quanzhou Fu Confucian Temple is not far away.
The highest-level educational institution in Quanzhou at that time was a symbol of the social elite group in Quanzhou. Its architectural practices such as the double eaves and yellow glazed roof of the Dacheng Hall, the roof of the yellow glazed tile, the pillar of the dragon pattern, and the decorative painting in the hall showed extraordinary characteristics. Building specifications.
Next to the Confucian Temple is the Qingjing Temple, the earliest Islamic temple established in Quanzhou. It and the Holy Tomb of Islam have witnessed the culture, religion and life traditions of foreign ethnic groups active in Quanzhou; and next to the Qingjing Temple is the Guanyue Temple, which is full of incense.
The density of the "gods" is so high that they can be encountered at the "corner".
Located in the south of the city, Tianhou Temple is a temple dedicated to Mazu, the god of the sea, and an important dissemination center of Mazu faith worldwide. It has witnessed the formation and development of Mazu faith along with ocean trade, and has an extremely respected position in the South Fujian culture.
The rock sculpture of Laojun at Qingyuan Mountain is a giant stone statue of Laozi, the founder of Taoism. It was chiseled in the Song Dynasty and was artificially carved from a natural boulder. Its size is so large that it is often called "Laozi Tianxia". The first"; and the Maniguang Buddha statue in Caoan, 15 kilometers away from Quanzhou City, is the only existing stone statue of Maniguang Buddha in the world. There is a stone statue of Mani, the founder of the sect, carved in 1339 in the nunnery.
So far, during the New Year holidays, believers in various temples and places in Quanzhou will worship with incense. The "half city with fireworks and half city" is a scene of joy and harmony.
Quanzhou, as the world ocean trade center of China in the Song and Yuan dynasties, is an international port and port with wind and scales to lift up the miracle of ocean commerce. It also creates a model of exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations with a diverse and symbiotic cultural landscape.
In history, different sea areas, different countries, different religions, and different ethnic groups have crossed the barriers of time and space, coexisted in diversity, lived in harmony, and passed on from generation to generation. These historical architectural heritage and the spirit of the Maritime Silk Road still exist in Quanzhou. In a vibrant land, and integrated into the lives of the people.
They not only write the historical memory of the mutual influence between ancient China and the world, but also provide historical reference and enlightenment for building a community with a shared future for mankind.
(Finish)