The legend of the ancient temple in Tianjin

On the west bank of the Haihe River, there is a quiet place next to the Xinwei Causeway in the Hexi section of the Central Ring Road. This is where the oldest temple in Tianjin, the Hangjia Temple, is located.

The Huajia Temple has a long history in Tianjin, but the exact date of its construction has not been verified. Huajia Temple, formerly known as Qingguo Temple, was renamed Huajia Temple, dating back to the Tang Dynasty more than a thousand years ago. According to legend, Tang Taizong ( Li Shimin, the ancestral home of Longxi Chengji now Gansu Qin'an, it is said that Longxi Didao is now a native of Lintao County, Gansu Province, and that it is a native of Julu County. The second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, politics Family, strategist, military strategist, and poet. Li Shimin joined the army as a young man, and went to Yanmenguan to rescue and Sui Yangdi. After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the leaders put down Xue Rengao, Liu Wuzhou, , Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong Liu Heitian and other separatist forces contributed to the establishment and unification of the Tang Dynasty. They worshipped generals and enlisted the king of Qin. On the fourth day of June of the 9th year of Wude, the " Xuanwumen change" was launched. , Killed Prince Li Jiancheng and Qi Wang Li Yuanji, and was registered as Crown Prince. On the 9th day of August, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan abdicated, and Li Shimin was the emperor with the title of Zhenguan. May 26, Zhenguan 23rd year , Li Shimin died in Hanfeng Temple, at the age of 52, reigned for 23 years) in the eighteenth year of Zhenguan (AD 644), he returned from the east, when he passed through Dazhigu, he saw this Qingguo Temple , It is convenient for dismounting and rest in the temple. Accompanied by Taizong at that time was the general Yuchi Gong .Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had a triumphant victory in the east, and he was in high spirits, so he asked the monk Cihang who offered tea to bring paper and pen, wrote on the side of the plaque "Guojia Temple", and instructed the monks to change the name of Qingguo Temple to Hangjia Temple as a commemoration. But there are also legends that the protagonist who hangs armor at Qingguo Temple is not Tang Taizong, but the general next to him, Wei Chigong, who led his army to rest here. Yu Chigong and many officers and soldiers took off their armor and put them to dry around the temple. Since then, surrounding villagers called the temple Hwajia Temple, and the monks in the temple happily changed the name of the temple to Hwajia Temple.

"Tianjin County Chronicles" Ming Wanli 28th year (1600) "Reconstruction of Gujia Temple Stele" contains: "Dazhigu Yunan Sanlixu, there is an ancient temple called Qingguo Temple, later named Guajia Temple. Its origin is far-reaching, and the picture has not been tested. It has to be rumored with the elders: In the past, the Tang Dynasty won the victory in the Liao Dynasty, and the army was stationed in this temple, because it was renamed Yan. The world has fallen and the ruins are still".

It can be seen that the original site of Huajia Temple was in "Dazhigu Yinnan Sanlixu". At that time, it was named Dasunzhuang, and Dazhigu was only a stockade. According to the textual research that the establishment of the Guajia Temple coincides with the characteristics of the development of Buddhism in the Sui Dynasty, and combined with the records of the Qingguo Temple in the Tang Dynasty in the historical records, it is inferred that the construction of the Guajia Temple is likely to be in the late Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty.

In addition, it is known from the "Reconstruction of the Monument to the Guajia Temple" that the Guajia Temple was a ruin during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The reconstruction of Hangjia Temple was related to the anti-Japanese war of of the Ming Dynasty. In the early Ming Dynasty, Japanese Japanese harassed the coast of Fujian continuously, but they never visited the hinterland of China. But with the invasion of North Korea by Toyotomi Hideyoshi of Japan, Tianjin became a hot spot for fighting against the Japanese. In the tenth year of the Wanli Ming Dynasty, in order to ease the domestic contradictions, Hideyoshi Hideyoshi, the Japanese leader, occupied North Korea and coveted China, and set his sights on the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Beijing. In the twenty-eighth year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, the guerrilla general Zhang Liangxiang was ordered to fight against the Japanese and came to the site of the Huajia Temple. So he ordered his subordinates to donate funds to rebuild the Guajia Temple, and the local people also supported it. In only two months, the new Guajia Temple was completed.And Zhang Liangxiang also won the victory of in the anti-Japanese aid to Korea and celebrated the victory at the Huajia Temple. From then on, Hwajia Temple was an auspicious place for military commanders to return triumphantly, and it was widely favored by military commanders. Most soldiers who go on the expedition will come to Guajia Temple to worship. Since then, the temple's incense has become more vigorous.

In the early Qing Dynasty, Dasunzhuang was renamed Huajiasi Village with the name of the temple. As the Guajia Temple is close to the Haihe River, it has been scoured by the river all the year round, and the river embankment collapsed, causing damage to the Guajia Temple. Therefore, in the thirteenth year of Guangxu (1887), Huajia Temple was forced to relocate and rebuild. The scale of this reconstruction is very small, with only one Bodhisattva Hall built. Three years later, Zhili four-rank alternate defense Zhou Shangda, and raised funds to build a back hall.

In the Ming Dynasty, around the Hangjia Temple, there were dense water nets, beautiful scenery, and talented people. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi and Qianlong, there was a famous monk who liked poetry and painting in the Guajia Temple. He was a literati and guest and wrote many poems for the temple. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Juren Wan Guangtai (1712-1750, characters follow the beginning. Xiushui, Zhejiang today Jiaxing people. Juren in the early years of Qianlong. Famous for poems. His poems are beautiful and beautiful, Huang Tingjian. He is the backbone of the "Xiu Shui School" Poets, including "The Collection of Zhepo Layers"), poet Jiang Shi (word Quanbo, Hao Qiuyin, Renheren. Jiaqing Yichou Jinshi, changed Shujishi, edited and edited, and Liguanyu Shi. There is "Yuxixian of Yuxi". "The first draft of the museum") have visited the temple, improvised poems. In its heyday, there were eight sceneries in Guajia Temple: Tucen of Gongbei, Qingxu of Zhendong, Yanshu of Anxi, Hefeng of Dingnan, Wu Jingwan, Tianji Lianying, Baiguping Lake, Haimen Yeyue. It can be seen that the name of Huajia Temple was prosperous in the past.

In 1900, the Eight Nations Allied Forces occupied Tianjin, and the composed of representatives of various powers was established to control the Yamen and exercise the power to manage Tianjin. In 1901, in order to improve the Haihe waterway, Haihe Engineering Bureau cut and straightened the Haihe Bay where Gujiasi Village is located.The village of Guajiasi is divided into two parts, east and west. Guajiasi is also located on the west bank instead of being located on the east bank of the Haihe River. In 1932, the villagers of Guajia Temple raised money and rebuilt the Bodhisattva Hall built during the Guangxu period, so that it was placed on the same central axis as the apse. In 1944, a mountain gate was added, and then squatters and walls were rebuilt one after another, eventually becoming a temple that conforms to regulations. As a result, Huajia Temple has once again become a temple with a strong incense in Tianjin.

In 1958, the monastery was damaged again. In May 1994, the Huajia Temple, which has accumulated too much historical memory, was rebuilt. By July 1997, a magnificent, well-structured, simple and beautiful Huajia Temple had reappeared in front of people. The new temple, covering an area of ​​15 acres, consists of the archway, the palace of the heavenly kings, the Daxiong Hall, the Buddhist scriptures, the Zen hall, the Thousand-Buddha Pagoda, the East and West Halls, and the Bell and Drum Towers. The pavilions and halls are well-arranged, the layout is coordinated, and they are integrated, reappearing the glory of the thousand-year-old ancient temple. Celebrities such as Chinese Buddhist Association President Zhao Puchu and calligrapher Tian Yunzhang wrote plaques and inscriptions for the Huajia Temple.