Liaoning Yixian Fengguo Temple: The first of the eight major Liao structures, a glimpse of a thousand years of dreamy splendor

Today is the beginning of winter. The first snow that just fell in the northeast a few days ago has almost melted away, replaced by a drizzle and chilly weather. The main hall of Fengguo Temple in Yixian, Liaoning, still has some remaining snow on the north side of its roof. The green tiles and white snow, under the ink-dyed sky, seem like a boundary painting from the Song Dynasty. A snowfall brings Yixian back to the Liao Dynasty a thousand years ago. In 1020 AD, it was the fourth year of Tianxi in the Northern Song Dynasty. However, the sixteen states of Youyun, where Yixian, then known as Yizhou, was located, belonged to another dynasty, the Liao Dynasty, and the year was the ninth year of Kaixi in Emperor Shengzong's reign. Emperor Shengzong of Liao, named Yelü Longxu, was a capable emperor who was well-versed in Han culture. Under the leadership of his mother, Empress Dowager Xiao, he had repeatedly led troops to invade the Song Dynasty south of the Great Wall, forcing the Song Dynasty to sign the Chanyuan Treaty at their doorstep, paying annual tributes in exchange for over a hundred years of peace on the Liao-Song border. Under Yelü Longxu's diligent governance, the Liao Dynasty was prosperous and economically strong. At this time, his mother, Empress Dowager Xiao, who had nurtured him into a wise ruler, had passed away ten years ago. He, too, had passed the prime of his life and was about to enter the last decade of his life. Standing in the second half of life, one can't help but look back. Under the influence of Empress Dowager Xiao, Yelü Longxu had a high level of Han cultural accomplishment, was good at poetry and literature, understood music, and 'comprehended the principles of both Buddhism and Taoism'. It was rumored that Yelü Longxu was the reincarnation of Sakyamuni Buddha, and Yixian was the fief of his mother, Empress Dowager Xiao's family. Therefore, he ordered the construction of a royal temple here. The temple was built, initially named Xianxi, later changed to Fengguo, with a grand scale and Tang Dynasty style. The main hall undoubtedly is the absolute core of this group of buildings. It is situated in the center of the temple, standing on a high platform, declaring the supreme imperial power with the dignity of the 'nine-five'. Inside the hall, on the altar, the past seven Buddhas were lined up from east to west, towering and solemn. In front of each Buddha, there were two Bodhisattvas, and on the beam, there were colorful flying apsaras. Among the past seven Buddhas, the one on the far west is Sakyamuni Buddha, who is said to be the previous life of Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Yelü Longxu. Therefore, some people infer that this is very likely based on the concept of 'the king is the Dharma king', corresponding to the 'past seven Buddhas' in Buddhism, from the founding emperor of Liao to Taizu, Taizong, Shizong, Muzong, Jingzong, and Shengzong, a total of seven emperors. A thousand years have passed, and things have changed. A wooden building has miraculously survived through the long and turbulent times, avoiding wars, lightning, earthquakes, and movements. When I stand on the high platform of the main hall, looking at it, that glance is a thousand years.