Zhengding: Longxing Temple

I came to Shijiazhuang for the second time, intending to appreciate the style of the ancient city of Zhengding, especially the unique style of Longxing Temple. Longxing Temple is very famous, a nationally renowned temple. It was expanded by the order of Zhao Kuangyin in the Song Dynasty and was originally named Longzang Temple. Just the ancient bridge in front of the temple and the glazed red walls tell its extraordinary history. I first came to the Mani Hall built in the Northern Song Dynasty. Breaking through the traditional rigid shapes of Buddha statues, the reverse-seated Guanyin statue was praised by Mr. Lu Xun as the "Goddess of Oriental Beauty." Its eyes are recessed, so it looks kind and gentle from different angles. It is the most famous Buddha statue in Longxing Temple. Walking further, I passed the Paifang Gate, which Mr. Liang Sicheng praised as a "treasure." The temple has a precept platform, which is a place for ordination ceremonies. There are only a few in the country. If a temple does not have a significant influence, it is not qualified to have a precept platform. The double-sided bronze Buddha built in the Ming Dynasty is rare in the country. Facing south is Amitabha, and facing north is the Medicine Buddha. The Zhuanlun Pavilion from the Yuan Dynasty can be understood as an ancient semi-automated library. The wooden Maitreya Buddha is carved from a single piece of wood. The Great Compassion Pavilion is grand and majestic, three stories high, with three connected pavilions. The suspended corridors between the pavilions are very distinctive. Inside, there is a tall and solemn bronze statue of the Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin, watching over the world with infinite merit. The Longzang Temple Stele is the earliest existing regular script stele in China, with a long history, known as the "ancestor of regular script," and is praised as the first of the Sui Dynasty. Pilu Temple was cast by Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty for his biological mother. The four-faced Buddha has a unique shape, with a total of 1,072 Buddhas on the statue, subtly corresponding to his mother's age of 72, showing exquisite design. There is also an exhibition of Liang Sicheng's cultural relics protection history here, with Liang Sicheng's work marks in Zhengding and sketches from his youth abroad. I remember that the Tengwang Pavilion in Nanchang houses Liang Sicheng's manuscripts, and I admire him immensely. A great person is indeed great. Traveling in Zhengding, I mention Longxing Temple separately because of its long history and the intriguing "treasures" inside. It breaks through the simplicity and solemnity of previous temples. Its exquisiteness showcases the cultural heritage of different eras, with Buddhist culture from the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the present, with inheritance, development, and innovation.