Insights Fuyao Guandi Temple - Reposted from the WeChat public account of "Good Mountains and Good Waters".
There are several heroes called masters, and loyalty is only called the public.Emperor. Understanding Guandi begins with kneeling down to worship the emperor; it is important to understand Guan Yu's earth-shattering stories such as "waterlogged seven armies, attended meetings alone, warmed wine and beheaded Hua Xiong, and passed five passes and beheaded six generals". I got it through Luo Guanzhong 's long masterpiece "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"; I admire Guan Gong 's spirit of "loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, and courage" from visiting the Guandi Temple in Fuyao on the north bank of Beixi River in Jiulong River, Fujian Province.
The first construction of the Guandi Temple
The Guandi Temple located in Fuyao Village, Guokeng Town, Longwen District, Zhangzhou City was built in what year. The specific age cannot be confirmed, but it can be verified from Zhangzhou local chronicles. According to the "Records of the Guanwang Temple of Dingjian Tongcheng Guanwang Temple" written in the 11th year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1516 AD): "In the 20th year of Hongwu (1387 AD), Tongshan City was built to prevent Japanese pirates, and statues were carved to worship it. Protecting officers and soldiers." It shows that the beginning of the worship of Emperor Guan in Zhangzhou is closely related to the intrusion of Japanese pirates. In the early Ming Dynasty, due to the serious Japanese invasion and unrest in the coastal areas, health stations were built in coastal areas, and towns and sea guards were set up in Zhangzhou. In the 20th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1387), Zhenhaiweicheng (in today's Longjiao Township, Longhai City), Liu'ao Suo City (in today's Zhangpu County), and Tongshan Suo City (in today's Chengguan, Dongshan County) were built. ), Xuanzhongsuo City (in today's Zhao'an County). The officers and soldiers guarding the city hoped that China's most famous "God of War", Guandi, would bless them. They all built martial temples and believed in Guandi. "Zhangzhou Fu Zhi" says: "Zhenhai, Liu'ao , and Tongshan each have their own temples." From this we can see that the first and third houses in Zhangzhou in the early Ming Dynasty were all related to imperial temples.
According to research, Dongshan Guandi Temple was built in the 20th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1387). At that time, it was just a simple small temple with a single bay. It was first named Guanwang Temple, and later named Monk Yuanqiu (named Yuetang), an eminent Shaolin monk from Kaiyuan Temple in Zhangzhou. ) When traveling here, "looking up at the blessed land of the emperor's temple, the sound will be heard for thousands of years." So he recruited good friends and planned reconstruction. Yunxiao The rich man Wu Ziyue escaped from the bandits and went to Dongshan. He and the philanthropist Huang Zongji and other nine people worked together to help build the temple on the left side of the original temple. It was completed on the second day of February in the seventh year of Zhengde (1512). The expanded Guanwang Temple was renamed Guanwang Temple and was rebuilt in the 21st year of Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1543). In the 42nd year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1614), Guan Yu was granted the title of Emperor Guansheng, and the temple was called Wusheng Temple.
During the period when the Japanese invasion was serious, the people's spontaneous anti-Japanese struggle needed spiritual support, so they chose Emperor Guan as their patron saint. Guan Gong's bravery during his lifetime and his miracles after his death made him an object of worship among the people. At the same time, Guandi's loyalty has also become the glue for people to gather together, becoming the link for them to connect with each other and rescue each other. Therefore, many martial arts temples in Zhangzhou were built during the Jiajing period, when Japanese pirates were at their peak.
According to "Zhangzhou Cultural Chronicles": Fuyao Village is located on the north bank of the Jiulong River Beixi. There are existing Fuyao kiln sites in the Ming Dynasty. It is located on the east, west and middle sides of Yaoshan in Fuyao Village. There are 13 kiln ruins. The kiln was built between the Wanli and Tianqi years of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1627). It mainly produced coarse pottery and household pottery, and was famous for its urns. During the Chongzhen 2nd year of the Ming Dynasty (1628-1643), the fine pottery teapot with "carp spitting beads" was produced, which was famous throughout the country. Production ceased in the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930).
From the Wanli to Tianqi years of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1627), it coincided with the government's opening of the sea ban on Yue Port to "permit trading in the East and West". Tongshan merchants bought and sold Yaoshan ceramics. In daily business transactions, some Yaoshan merchants established a "sub-blood" relationship with Tongshan merchants. Southern Fujian Starting from the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1619), people with similar social status insisted on sworn brothers with different surnames, and the trend of "sub-blood" organizations gradually became popular. Because they were familiar with the story of "Three Sworn Brothers in Taoyuan", they exchanged bows when they married brothers with different surnames. The words "A peach garden is a contract, and it will be a beautiful story for eternity" must be written on the post. People of the same kind gather together, ranging from a few people to hundreds or even thousands, to form a small group, generally called a "god meeting". Most of them worship Guan Gong, who embodies loyalty, righteousness, benevolence and courage, as their god.Therefore, the statue of Emperor Guan of Tongshan was invited to Yaoshan to bear witness during the sworn vows for brothers with different surnames.
According to the "Tongshan Chronicle" recorded in the 25th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1760): Tongshan Guandi Temple "In the city Dongyang is located next to Baozhi Temple . During the Zhengde and Longqing periods of the Ming Dynasty (1506-1572), he helped defeat the thieves. He is still regarded as a god and is admired all over the world. His Changtai porcelain kiln and Yunxiao County. In the Xiagang Temple, all the incense is brought from copper.” Changtai Porcelain Kiln in the article should refer to Fuyao Village, Guokeng Town today.
According to the cultural relics census report of the former Guokeng Cultural Station in Longhai County in November 1981, the Guandi Temple was built before the Tianqi Period (1621-1627). The stone stele in the temple contains records of the reconstruction of the full-length statue of Emperor Guan by Ming Qi (1621-1627) and the reconstruction in the fifteenth year of Tongzhi (1658) of the Qing Dynasty. The stele is now damaged and cut into two halves.
In summary, the Guandi Temple in Fuyao should have been built between Wanli and Taichang of the Ming Dynasty, that is, between 1573 and 1620.
Features of Guandi Temple
According to legend, in the last years of the Southern Song Dynasty, the officialdom was in chaos. The scholar-bureaucrats followed the creed of Mencius : "If you are powerful, you can benefit the world; if you are poor, you can be alone." They lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, looking for refuge. Among them, there was a scholar-bureaucrat who fled south with his family and built a village on the mountain at the junction of Changtai County and Longxi County of Jiulong River. Because the terrain on the mountain resembled Dragon Boat Village, the village was named Longzhou Village. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty , due to the people's need to worship people with different surnames, Emperor Guan was introduced from present-day Dongshan County to worship. Later, in order to thank Emperor Guan for his kindness in suppressing evil and ensuring peace, people changed Longzhou Village to Zhen'an Village and built a Guandi Temple in Zhen'an Village. Later, the Guandi Temple on Zhen'an Village became famous far and wide. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, local villagers raised funds to move the temple from Yaoshan Mountain to the left side of the "Beixi Chen Gong Temple", which is now the Guandi Temple at the entrance of Fuyao Village.
The Guandi Temple at the entrance of Fuyao Village is built against the mountain, facing the Beixi River of the Jiulong River, from northeast to southwest, covering an area of 4,200 square meters and a construction area of 452 square meters. The main building has two entrances, five bays in width, single eaves on the top of the mountain, with a patio in the middle and a second corridor on the second floor. The stone tablet in the temple contains records of Yang Wen's remodeling of the statue of Emperor Guan during the Ming Dynasty (1621-1627), the temple's reconstruction in the 15th year of Shunzhi (1658), and the donation made by Pengzhou Coral Society Zhenfeng in the 10th year of Guangxu (1884). There are stone inscriptions on the pillars of Panlong and Eight Immortals.
According to Yang Changgen, a ninety-year-old man from Fuyao Village, the Dragon Pillar was transported back from Taiwan by Zhenfeng Trading Company and is now kept intact in the main hall. According to experts, there are currently four dragon stone pillars carved with the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea in our country, including two in Taiwan Province and two in Fuyao Guandi Temple. The Eight Immortals Stone Pillar with Panlong Belt is the treasure of the Guandi Temple in Fuyao: Qinglong with its teeth and claws dancing, the Eight Immortals have different shapes and spirits, lifelike and lifelike.
Another feature of the Guandi Temple in Fuyao is that the setting sun shines on Guandi. Since the Guandi Temple is close to the Kowloon River, about 30 meters away from the river, the height difference between the front and back halls is about 2 meters, so light can shine into the back hall from the top of the front hall. Every year between May and mid-December, around 4 or 5 pm, the setting sun shines on the Jiulong River, and the water surface refracts the sunlight onto Guandi's face. At this time, the statue of Guandi with red phoenix eyes, crouching silkworm eyebrows, and jujube face appears. Under the setting sun, it looks majestic, dignified and full of air. The setting sun shines on Emperor Guandi, who appears for about 10 days every year and lasts for a few minutes each time. It is a great wonder of this temple.
The temple was designated as a cultural relic protection unit by the Longhai County People's Government in 1987, and was listed as the seventh batch of cultural relic protection units in Fujian Province in 2009. Since the establishment of the Longwen District in 1997, the Guandi Temple has been repaired and expanded into a square of thousands of square meters in front of the temple. It is now listed as the first batch of cultural relics protection units in Longwen District and included in the Yaoshan Scenic Area in Longwen District.
Yaoshan Scenic Area has beautiful scenery, surrounded by mountains and rivers.It is very close to the city and has direct buses. In ancient times, it was the only way to enter and exit Zhangzhou from Changtai, Hua'an , Anxi , etc. Therefore, since ancient times, it has become a place where literati and people from far and near come to enjoy the scenery and understand Guandi " An excellent place for "loyalty, righteousness, benevolence and courage".
Insights into Guandi Culture
For Guan Yu, the emperor respected him, the people worshiped him, and many sects and sects accepted him. What is the reason?
According to "Three Kingdoms" records: At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Guan Yu fled to Zhuozhou. At that time, Liu Bei was recruiting troops in the countryside. Before the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao divided his troops to march eastward, defeated Liu Bei, and Guan Yu was captured. Cao Cao named him a partial general and Han Shoutinghou, but Guan Yu was attached to his old master and sealed the gold with a seal, and finally joined Liu Bei and was assigned to guard Jingzhou. Liu Bei was the queen of Hanzhong , worshiped Guan Yu as his former general, and led his troops to attack Cao Cao. Guan Yu flooded the seven armies , captured in the ban, and beheaded Pound , which shocked the world. Later Sun Quan sent generals to sneak attack Jingzhou. Guan Yu lost Jingzhou because of his pride and underestimated the enemy, fled to Maicheng , and was defeated and killed. Therefore, there are many figures like Guan Yu in Chinese history. Before the Song Dynasty, Guan Yu had little influence. After entering the Song Dynasty, most emperors believed in Taoism . When they wanted to find a Taoist protector, Guan Yu's "loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, and courage" stood out and were favored by the rulers. Song Zhezong named him "King Xianlie"; Song Huizong named him "Yiyong Wu'an King". When Luo Guanzhong's long historical novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" came out in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, Guan Yu became even more famous and was portrayed as the perfect embodiment of bravery and loyalty. Therefore, the rulers of the Ming and Qing Dynasties highly praised Guan Yu and established him as the god of national protection. Ming Shenzong granted Guan Yu the title of "loyal and righteous emperor who protects the country from heaven", "the great emperor of three realms who subdues demons ", and "the emperor of Guan Sheng, who is powerful in far-reaching cities". Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the admiration of emperors, Guan Yu has been honored as "King Wu", "Sage of Martial Arts", and "Sage King of Guan Emperor", and has entered the national ceremony on par with the "Sage of Literature" Confucius , the master of Chinese culture.
"I will risk my life to reward my confidant, so that my righteous name will be admired for thousands of years." This is what Luo Guanzhong, the author of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", strongly promotes Guan Yu's character of a man who is wealthy, not promiscuous, and mighty and unyielding. It is also the most important factor why people admire Guan Yu.
As for Guan Yu’s continuous deification, it first started from people’s admiration for his virtue of “loyalty” and gradually became a moral recognition. Spiritual sustenance is the harmony between the desire of the human heart and the spirit of God. Therefore, many sects and religions can accept Guan Yu: Confucianism calls him sage - martial saint, Buddhism calls him Buddha - Jialan Bodhisattva , Taoism calls him Tianzun - the great emperor of the three realms who subdues demons, Shenweiyuanzhen Tianzun. This shows that Guan Yu's spirit is admired by the world and has deep roots in China.
"Three sticks of cigarettes are floating in the air, but the eternal outline will still be remembered" is actually the way to be strict with oneself. From ancient times to the present, regardless of the motives of rulers and various sects, belief in Guan Yu has become a cultural phenomenon. In today's tide of commodity economy, in the sea of people who care about "money", if you go to Fuyao to understand the Guandi culture, it will cleanse your soul. Not only does "there is no guilt in introspection, there is nothing to worry about or fear", but it also has endless charm.
About the author
Chen Zhongjie, whose pen name is Zhuang Jie, male, is from Zhangzhou. He was born in the 1960s. He is a member of the Fujian Writers Association and the vice president of the Zhangzhou Fujian-Guangdong-Jiangxi Border Region Revolutionary History Research Association. Currently working at No. 3 Middle School of Zhangzhou High-tech Zone.
