Chengxu Taoist temple

Chengxu Taoist temple

Chengxu Taoist temple is located in Zhongshi street, Zhouzhuang Town, Kunshan City, Suzhou City, facing Puqing bridge. It is commonly known as "Shengtang". It was built in the song and Yuan Dynasties (1086-1093) and has a history of more than 900 years. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the scale of the Taoist temple has become more and more magnificent. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, a grand building with three entrances has been formed, covering an area of 1500 square meters. It is one of the famous Taoist temples in Wuzhong area. The main buildings in the courtyard are Yuhuang Pavilion, Wenchang Pavilion, Shengdi Pavilion, etc.

brief introduction

Chengxu Taoist temple, commonly known as "Shengtang", was founded in the song and Yuan Dynasties (1086-1093 AD), with a history of more than 900 years.

According to the records of Zhouzhuang Town, "in the Ming Dynasty, there was no family in the west of the courtyard, and there was a sparrow pole on the bridge to light the night moorers in the West Bay." After the middle of Ming Dynasty, the scale of Taoism became more and more grand. During the reign of Jiajing, Wang Bi, a local, donated money to build Yimen.

In the 25th year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (1686 AD), Taoist Hu Tianyu raised money to expand the Yuhuang Pavilion. Five years later, Wenchang Pavilion was built in gexi. In 1751, Taoist Jiang Nanji built the Shengdi Pavilion outside shanmenwai. The pavilion was close to Puqing bridge, forming a three-way complex. It covers an area of 1500 square meters and has become one of the famous Taoist temples in Wuzhong.

Courtyard landscape

The temple is very strict, with the base of the blue stone hall and the double eaves resting on the top of the mountain. The ridge is carved with brick. There are porches in the hall. From the inside of the hall, you can climb to the top of the building, which is called "Zhigui Pavilion". Yuhuangge is the main hall of Chengxu Taoist temple, which was built in Song Dynasty.

In the Yuhuang Pavilion, the statue of "Yuanjun, the great sage of congenitally Doumu" is worshipped in the center, so it is also called "Doumu hall". Because the Taoist temple and Suzhou Xuanmiao Temple belong to the same "orthodox school". Therefore, before the doum statue, there were also statues of "Sanqing" worshipped by Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun and Taiqing Daode Tianzun, which were smaller in size. On both sides of the hall are hundreds of vivid and varied statues, such as Sanguan emperor, Leizu Bodhisattva, sun emperor of rigong, Taiyin emperor of Yuefu and Tianjun of snake king.

Besides the statues of Yun Chang, there are 36 gods and generals in Zhigui Pavilion. Their facial expressions, posture of their heads and hands, holding utensils and sticks, and dressing manners are different and romantic. Shengdi Pavilion is solemn, with Xuantian God sitting in the middle. On both sides are eight heavenly generals, such as Lei Gong, Dianmu, and Li Jing, the king of tota. They have different expressions and powerful expressions. With the clouds of mountains and rivers, they enhance their artistic expression.

Chengxu Taoist temple not only preserves rich religious and cultural heritage, superior geographical location and water scenery, but also makes the pilgrims forget to return. In the early Qing Dynasty, the Poet Zhang Leng wrote a poem "over Chengxu Taoist temple"

Far water heavy for external protection, Zizania Lu, cangcang fly egret.

Penglai is a deep and blessed place, and the splendid clouds and rosy clouds cast into the wild.

At that time, the palace of real people was created, and the golden palace was resplendent and the Danzao was red.

The world moves people to be immortal neighbors, but Taoyuan is connected with the world. Zhang Leng's poems not only describe the grand occasion of Chengxu Taoist temple, but also vividly depict the beautiful customs of the ancient town of water.

Taoist activities

Since the Ming Dynasty, Taoist activities in xudaoyuan have been handed down from generation to generation. Every year on June 21 and 22 of the lunar calendar, there will be a fire god Festival, a altar offering sacrifices and prayers, praying for the help of gods and the blessing of Bodhisattvas to prevent the fire from coming, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment.

Two days after the fire god Festival, there will be a large-scale Leizu Festival. The monks and Taoists in the Taoist courtyard are lined with bamboo sweaters (a vest woven of small bamboo branches, which is used to separate sweat and ventilate), and wear Taoist robes. According to the strict schedule, they play drums and chant scriptures.

In the mysterious atmosphere surrounded by cigarettes, some mages also showed their skills, performing the unique skill of catching cymbals in the air, erecting a big cymbal in another big cymbal, making it rotate and rustle.

The faithful men and women who came to watch sincerely prayed to heaven for the peace of the country and the people, and for the harvest every year. In Zhouzhuang Town annals, it is recorded that "the ritual of Zhongsi is as strong as that of emperors' sacrificial rites, which has never been seen in ancient times". It refers to the several times of Daojiao ceremony held in Chengxu Taoist temple every year.

During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Huaishan Bureau, Baoying Association, Xizi Bureau, huozheng Association and village appointment office were successively set up in Chengxu Taoist temple to provide relief for the poor, relieve the disaster, discuss political affairs and popularize culture, which made the Taoist temple the social activity center of the ancient town.

In the 1940s, there was a teahouse in the main entrance of the Taoist temple. Every morning, farmers and pilgrims come to the town to go to the market, which brings a prosperous scene to the ancient town. This situation continued until the founding of new China.

present situation

In order to develop tourism and let the traditional culture shine again, Chengxu Taoist temple has been comprehensively renovated since 1993, and is listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Kunshan City. After the renovation, Chengxu Taoist temple still maintains the architectural style of Song Dynasty, with steep pavilions and magnificent temples. The statues placed in the halls are solemn and awe inspiring, and the eight characters "good weather, peace and stability of the country and the people" on the roof of the Jade Emperor pavilion are still shining. On August 7, 1994, Chengxu Taoist temple was officially opened to the public. In the courtyard, the candlelight is melting, the cigarette is curling, and the Taoist music and chanting praise are heard all the time. It is not only a symbol of the religious culture of zhanzhen, but also a place for tourists to visit the architectural art of song and Ming Dynasties.

shopping

Yangzhou pickles

Yangzhou pickles are the best seasoning at banquets and the delicious food in daily life. They are fresh, sweet, crisp and tender. They are famous all over the world and sell well at home and abroad. The main varieties are milk cucumber, pagoda vegetables, carrot head, sweet pickled melon, sweet heart vegetables, assorted vegetables and so on.

Yangzhou pickle has a long history. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, it was listed as a side dish for the imperial breakfast and dinner. In 1911, he won the medal of international exposition. In 1903, he won the gold award of West Lake Expo. In 1931, he won the first prize of Beiping national railway goods exhibition. In 1979, it was rated as high quality product of Jiangsu Province. Among the manufacturers of Yangzhou pickles, "Sanhe" and "Simei" are the most famous.

Qionghua dew wine

This wine was a famous Yangzhou wine in Song Dynasty and is now produced by Yangzhou Wuquan distillery. It is brewed with the spring water of Wuquan water system. It is peaceful, mellow and sweet, with long taste and strong stomach function.

Pingshan green tea and Nashan green tea

Yangzhou is one of the traditional tea producing areas. At present, the green tea produced by Pingshan tea farm in the suburb of Yangzhou, Qingshan and Nashan in Yizheng are of good quality, and they are well baked and sold abroad. The city's tea shops are available in all seasons, especially in spring and summer.

Double yellow duck eggs

Shuanghuang duck egg is a specialty of Yangzhou Gaoyou. It is named because there are two yolks in one egg. Duck born double yellow, because here the food is good, duck strong, continuous ovulation, the formation of double yellow, even three yellow. Gaoyou salted duck egg is famous for its red color and rich oil. The double yellow salted duck eggs are cooked and cut open. The protein is like Congzhi Baiyu, and the yolk is like tangerine Liudan.

Qin you Dong Tang

Qinyou Dongtang is a traditional famous and special product of Yangzhou Gaoyou, which has a history of more than 300 years. The original name is crisp sugar. There are two versions of it. It is said that the sugar was made by the master surnamed Dong, and it was created by Dong Xiaowan, a famous prostitute in the late Qing Dynasty. Dongtang is made of glutinous rice flour, sesame, sugar, malt and other raw materials by hand. It is dark wheat yellow in color, uniform in thickness, soft in taste, delicious and sweet for all ages. It is a good gift for relatives and friends.

The most prosperous commercial street in Yangzhou is Wenchang Road, where Jinying international and Baisheng commercial buildings are located. In addition, Wenchang Road, Wenhe road and Guoqing road are also major commercial streets.

Travel Tips

Best time: Kunshan City belongs to subtropical humid climate zone. The main characteristics of climate are: the prevailing wind direction has obvious changes with seasons. In winter, dry and cold northerly wind prevails, mostly northeast wind and northwest wind. In summer, most of them are from the southeast to the East, with the southeast wind in the majority. In spring, there is southeast wind, and in autumn, there is northeast wind. Winter is longer, more than 4 months; summer is second, about 3 months; spring and autumn are shorter, more than 2 months each.

Ticket price: 100 yuan for each scenic spot

Traffic tips

Xudaoyuan is located on Zhongshi street, facing Puqing bridge

Adjacent scenic spots

Zhou Zhuangfang, former residence of Ye chulang

Address: Zhongshi street, Zhouzhuang Town

Longitude: 120.84652709961

Latitude: 31.123525619507