Taihuai Town, Wutai Mountain scenic spot, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province

Taihuai town

Taihuai Town, located in the northernmost part of Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, is 162 li away from Wutai County. It is a beautiful mountain town surrounded by mountains and water, with nearly 2000 people of Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan Nationalities.

In July 2020, the National Patriotic Health Campaign Committee reconfirmed Taihuai town as a national health township.

General situation of the town

Taihuai town is located in the central hinterland of Wutai Mountain scenic spot and the northeast of Wutai County. It starts from Beitai yedou peak in the north, connects Xitai Guayue peak in the West and Fanshi County in the west, Taihang Mountain in the East and Shizui Township in the county in the East, and Jingangku and Lingjing Township in the south. It is 1500-3058m above sea level, 117 ° 29 ′ e-117 ° 41 ′ E and 38 ° 51 ′ n-39 ° 05 ′ n.

The town government is 1700 meters above sea level. The climate in the area is alpine and humid, with an annual average temperature of 4.5 ℃, an annual extreme minimum temperature of - 37 ℃, an annual extreme maximum temperature of 27 ℃, and an annual extreme minimum temperature of - 44.5 ℃ at the top of the North platform. It is the coldest area in North China, known as the "roof of North China". The annual frost free period is 90-110 days, and the annual precipitation is 700-800 mm.

The total land area of the town is 280000 mu, including 180793 mu of forest (the main tree species are Pinus tabulaeformis, Larix principis rupprechtii, poplar and birch), and 3016 mu of cultivated land.

There are two types of soil, one is mountain meadow soil, the other is mountain brown soil. Potato, naked oats and broad beans are the main crops planted. Peas and corn are also planted. The total grain output is 602 tons. There are 595 species (28 varieties) belonging to 354 genera and 99 families, including 483 species of herbs and 112 species of trees and shrubs. There are 208 species of animals, including 142 species of birds, belonging to 16 orders and 36 families; 41 species of mammals, belonging to 6 orders and 19 families. Local products include Tai mushroom, Pteridium aquilinum, golden needle, Kucai, Taishen, jianglongmu, Prajna spring mineral water, etc.

There are 22 administrative villages and 52 natural villages in the town, with a total population of 10625 people. The Han, Mongolian, Tibetan, Manchu and Tujia Nationalities are scattered in rural areas, temples and guest recruitment units, among which the agricultural population is 6786, the total number of households is 2313, and the total labor force is 2300.

Historical evolution

Taihuai town is located in the embrace of the five peaks of Wutai Mountain, namely, Dongtai, Xitai, Nantai, Beitai and Zhongtai. In Wutai Mountain, one people called the Taihuai area "Tainei", while the others called it "Tainei". Regions are called "outside Taiwan.". Xu Xiake, a geographer of the Ming Dynasty, wrote in his travel diary of Wutai Mountain in his famous Geographic book Xu Xiake '

It is quite appropriate to describe the location of Taihuai town and the five taixiang in this way. Taihuai town is 19 kilometers away from Wanghai peak of Dongtai, 22 kilometers away from Guayue peak of Xitai, 28 kilometers away from Jinxiu peak of Nantai, 20 kilometers away from yedou peak of Beitai, and 19 kilometers away from Cuiyan peak of Zhongtai. It is the center of climbing the top of the stage.

There is a small peak in the north of Taihuai Town, which is also called lingjiu peak and Bodhisattva peak. Therefore, it is called lingjiu peak because its geographical situation is similar to that of the lingjiu peak in Sakyamuni Buddha's view in the northeast of the city of Sakyamuni, the king of morgata in ancient India.

According to the historical records of Buddhism, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the first Buddhists of our country, zhemoteng and zhufalan, came to Taihuai town. They saw that the situation of today's Bodhisattva peak was similar to that of lingjiu peak in India, so they named it. So it is also called lingjiu peak as the peak of Bodhisattva. Buddhists say that Manjusri Bodhisattva once appeared on the peak.

Population data

Note: according to the fifth census

Scenic Spots and Historical Sites

In the east of Taihuai Town, there is a small mountain peak which is often hidden in the clouds. It is called "dailuoding", also known as "qingfengding". It is named after the green mountain. There is a temple on the top of the mountain, formerly named Fuding temple, which was renamed dailuoding temple after the Qing Dynasty. There is a statue of Manjusri in the temple. This 400 meter high peak is the symbol of the five major events of Wutai Mountain.

"With Wuding mountain high and the road far away, those who can't reach it are still at Wuding." If the Buddhists in chaotai are not strong enough to go to the top of the five platforms, they will be called "xiaochaotai" if they reach the top of dailuoding. Dailuoding is a place where pilgrims must visit and worship.

Dai Luo Xiang Bei is close to Wanghai peak of Dongtai, which rises into the clouds. It is next to Qingshui River, which is full of flowing water. In 1786, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty came to dailuoding and wrote a poem with seven rhythms

The mountains return to the valley and embrace themselves,

The left side of Luoding is jubiefeng.

Yuncang, qupan, lixiaohan,

The flower palace is full of Hibiscus.

The first rising day of the East China Sea between the windows,

A thousand year old pine.

Support five Manshu statues,

In the end, he did not know the true religion.

Qianlong's handwritten poem is engraved on a white marble tablet in the temple of dailuoding. In the poem, the "thousand year old pine" is more than 30 meters high in front of the main hall of Daxiong. It goes straight to Xiaohan and shows off the forest alone.

Buddhists believe that Taihuai town is the main place where Manjusri Bodhisattva shows his spirit. The Manjusri Bodhisattva mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures and his 10000 dependents also live near Taihuai. In the south of Taihuai Town, there is a small mountain called Fanxian mountain. On the top of the mountain, there is a temple called Fanxian temple. On the cliff of Fanxian mountain, there are many small stone caves, which Buddhists say are the homes of Manjusri's disciples.

Taihuai town is the center of emperors' worship of Wutai Mountain. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty, a palace was built in Taihuai town for worshiping Wutai Mountain. The palace is located in front of today's Tayuan temple. It covers an area of about 300 mu. It is commonly known as the imperial city by the local people. The site of the palace gate is still preserved.

In order to protect the Buddhist Center and the palace of Wutai Mountain, in the Qing Dynasty, Taihuai town once had a "patrol hall" and "Chengshou hall". Chengshou hall was equipped with horse troops and infantry, and its military officers were zhengqipin.

In Wutai Mountain area, the coldest place is above the top of the five platforms. Secondly, there are several huaizhen.

Temple distribution

According to Buddhist historical records, there is Sakyamuni's relic under the ground of the Dabai Pagoda in Taihuai Town, which is the symbol of Sakyamuni and is most admired by Buddhists.

Because Taihuai town has lingjiu peak and Buddhist relic, the imperial court and Buddhist believers have built temples in and around Taihuai town in the past dynasties, forming a Buddhist Center of Mount Wutai with many Buddhist temples and pagodas. More than half of the Buddhist temples in Wutai Mountain are concentrated in Taihuai town. There are more than 40 temples in Wutai County, and 30 in Taihuai town and its vicinity,

These temples are: Xiantong temple, Tayuan temple, Wanfo Pavilion, luohou temple, Yuanzhao temple, Guangzong temple, Bodhisattva peak, Cifu temple, Shuxiang temple, Longquan Temple, Zhenhai Temple, Nanshan Temple, shancai cave, daluoding, Guanyin cave, Shouning temple, Bishan temple, Guangren temple, Puhua temple, Wenshu temple, Guanghua temple, Santa temple, Fanxian temple, Qifo temple, Jifu temple, pushou temple, Jixiang temple, Mingyue temple Pool. At the same time, the collapsed temples in and around Taihuai town include Zhulin temple, Jinjie temple, PUEN temple, Qixian temple, Wanfo cave, Hongquan temple, Baota temple, Lingfeng temple, Qingliang temple, etc.

climatic conditions

Taihuai Town, 1700 meters above sea level, belongs to the alpine mountain area. In the middle of winter, there is heavy snow, new wind howling, and the extreme minimum temperature can be reduced to - 42 degrees. In the hot summer of July, the highest temperature here is only 27 degrees. Whenever the weather changes in the morning and evening, people even have to wear cotton padded clothes. The local elderly wear cotton padded trousers all year round. In summer, Taihuai town has beautiful mountains and rivers, green grass, wild flowers everywhere, and a cool and pleasant climate. It is indeed a "cool and beautiful place" without the heat.

Taihuai town has three streets from south to north, Yingfang street, Taiping Street and Yanglin street in turn. Yingfang street was the place where the garrison of chengshouting garrison was stationed in the Qing Dynasty. On both sides of Taiping Street, there used to be handicraft workshops and shops producing silver, bronze and iron wooden wares for temples and believers of Mongolian and Tibetan dynasties. Yanglin street was a commercial street. In the future, Taihuai town plans to build a garden like temple cluster area. Entering the temple cluster area, it will be quiet and elegant, making people extraordinarily refined, such as entering Yuyu Qiong palace.

Honor record

In July 2020, the National Patriotic Health Campaign Committee reconfirmed Taihuai town as a national health township.