Avoid everyone and go to Quanzhou for a weekend, as if you have traveled through a thousand years

Quanzhou is a very low-key city

There are no bustling tourists and no check-in places for Internet celebrities

The city is very rundown, the buildings are old, and the transportation is not developed.

I just like this thousand-year-old dilapidation

It’s like finding an old book, picked it up by chance, and can’t put it down

I fell in love with Quanzhou at first sight

I like walking in the arcades,

Hearing the strong Hokkien dialect at the corner of the street

I like wandering in the Confucian Temple Square,

< p> Listen to the somewhat sad ancient tunes of Nanyin

Or look up at the dome of the Islamic mosque,

Feel the prayers from thousands of years ago

Street after street Temple

Quanzhou Confucian Temple

Baiyue Road, Yunshan, a native of Shizhou.

Quanzhou has always been famous in the southeast for its openness and tolerance.

The Confucian Temple and West Street, which were formed when the city was founded,

are a microcosm of Quanzhou.

Coming from Tumen Street, I saw a large five-door archway. In the 2016 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the Confucian Temple served as the Quanzhou branch venue and was well known to people across the country. Quanzhou Confucian Temple is the largest Confucian temple in southeast China. Here you can see buildings from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

Passing through the archway gate, there is a river crossing in front. The name of the bridge is "Zhusi Bridge". This is a monument erected during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Zhusi is the two rivers in Confucius' hometown - Zhushui and Sishui. Legend has it that Confucius once set up an altar between Zhushui and Sishui to teach, so "Zhusi" became synonymous with Confucianism.

The Confucian Temple covers a large area, surrounded by buildings such as Zhuangyuan Tower, Wenzhuang Caigong Temple, and the open courtyard is paved with 3,000 stone slabs, which is a metaphor for the more than 3,000 disciples of Confucius. There are seventy-two bridges erected next to Panchi, which is a metaphor for the seventy-two sage disciples of Confucius.

Entering the main hall, there are plaques written by emperors of three dynasties hanging above: Kangxi "Teacher to All Ages", Yongzheng "Life has never existed for the people", Jiaqing "Holy Collection of Dacheng" and other plaques. The whole hall is magnificent.

Every year during the college entrance examination, everyone comes here to worship Confucius. The top scorers in Quanzhou’s previous college entrance examinations can receive the "Quanzhou Confucian Temple Scholarship."

One street, one temple

West Street

An ancient street has a history of a thousand years,

One day on West Street is a thousand years.

West Street is the biggest treasure in Quanzhou. With a history of 1,300 years, it is quite old. The city is noisy and people and vehicles are chaotic. Fortunately, it is not planned into a cookie-cutter so-called old street. It is dilapidated and retains the most authentic and complete historical district. It is a "living" folk street.

West Street has ancient mansions, arcades and western-style buildings, as well as many celebrity mansions shining brightly deep in the alleys. Starting from Ouyang Zhan in the Tang Dynasty, celebrities in almost every dynasty have become associated with West Street. Entering an ancient house at any time, you will still see chickens flying and dogs barking, dogs and cats being raised, children and grandchildren around your knees, and you can enjoy the happiness of a family.

West Street is an ordinary house in original use. In the memory of the "Old West Street", "Fist Shojiu Song" is popular here, Southern Shaolin martial arts, shochu, Nanyin... Quanzhou has been popular from generation to generation. People live happily here.

West Street is also a food street. Dongbi longan, moist pancakes, pan-fried cakes, noodle paste, garlic branches, snails... all kinds of traditional delicacies are very nostalgic, and foodies have nothing to do here. The power of parrying.

A brightly lit bell tower stands in the center of West Street Road. This bell tower was built in 1934 and combines Western and Southern Fujian styles. It has become one of the landmark buildings in Quanzhou.

Three Temples

Kaiyuan Temple

Gods are a bit crowded in Quanzhou.

There may be a temple in every alley.

In which city,

can you find Taoism, Buddhism, and Islam?

In the twenty-sixth year of Kaiyuan (738), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered each state in the world to build a temple, named after the year name, and the temple was named Kaiyuan Temple. Nowadays, there are Kaiyuan Temples everywhere, but Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple is the largest and the first ancient temple in southern Fujian.

The main hall is supported by nearly a hundred giant stone pillars, commonly known as the "Hundred Pillars Hall". There is also a wooden couplet hanging on the stone pillars, "This place was called the Kingdom of Buddhism in ancient times, and the streets are full of saints." This was written by Zhu Xi, a great Neo-Confucian scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, and written by Master Hongyi, a eminent monk in modern times. It is a true portrayal of Quanzhou, an ancient city with strong religious and cultural colors.

When you walk into the main hall, the most attractive thing is the 24 flying musical figures between the beams. They are rare among ancient Chinese buildings because these statues all have wings, much like the legendary Cupid in the West.

The 72 bluestone reliefs of the Sphinx and the Human Face on the Xumizuo on the platform in front of the temple and the two ancient Brahmin bluestone pillars in the back corridor were both moved from the ruined ancient Hindu temple of the Yuan Dynasty when the temple was being built in the Ming Dynasty.

There is a very magical Tanyue Temple in Kaiyuan Temple. The door is closed all year round, and there are many believers praying and worshiping at the door. Kaiyuan Temple was built on land donated by Huang Shougong, the owner of Tanyue Temple (Tanyue means: the donor who donated money to the temple).

Huang Shougong was a well-known wealthy man in Quanzhou City at that time. He was humble and hospitable, and he was well versed in classics and history. He was known as the "Jun Confucian" and had the style of a Confucian businessman. Therefore, Tanyue Temple also became a place for many students to gain fame and fortune. One of the reasons for coming to study and worship Buddha.

There is a 1,300-year-old mulberry tree in the temple, which is the oldest existing mulberry tree in China. At that time, Huang Shougong donated his mulberry land to build the temple. The "Mulberry Dharma Realm" written on the plaque in the main hall refers to this legend.

The most famous thing in the whole temple is the East and West Twin Towers. These two ancient buildings are really fascinating. The east tower is the Zhenguo Tower and the west tower is the Renshou Tower. They were first built in the Tang Dynasty. They have been renovated and damaged many times since their construction. What you see now is the one that was preserved after reconstruction in the Southern Song Dynasty.

There are 39 reliefs of Sakyamuni's Jataka stories on the Xumi base at the base of the twin pagodas, and there are Buddha statues in relief in each niche of the twin pagodas. ***Eighty statues of protective gods, each with different costumes, postures, expressions, etc.

The book "The Twin Towers of Erythrina" co-authored by the Swiss Dai Miao and the German Eike in 1935 took photos of each image of the Quanzhou Twin Towers and gave detailed descriptions of the contents. , it is worth reading this book.

Three temples

Guandi Temple

Among the many temples, the one with the strongest aroma must be the Guandi Temple on Tumen Street, and the one next to it Compared with the tranquility of Qingjing Temple and Fuwen Temple, Guandi Temple is really crowded. No matter when you come here, you can feel the lively scene.

In the early years, Guandi Temple was dedicated to the worship of Emperor Guan Sheng, and in the Ming Dynasty, it began to worship Yue Fei. The local business and trade in Quanzhou is developed, and the traditional business culture attaches great importance to the word "reputation". The image of Guan Zheng, an upright person, has become the representative of this virtue, so he is regarded as the patron saint of business, also called the "God of Wealth".

Many businessmen would donate some incense money when they came to pray for blessings and wealth. Guandi Temple used most of the incense money to provide disaster relief and run schools and do good deeds. Therefore, Guandi Temple has become the most popular temple in southern Fujian. one.

Guandi Temple is a building with a strong southern Fujian architectural style and a strong local style. In the main hall, there are famous plaques such as "Zhengqi" written by Zhu Xi, a great scholar from the Song Dynasty, and "Full of Heaven and Earth" written by Zhang Rui, a calligrapher from the Ming Dynasty, which add a bit of cultural heritage to the Guandi Temple.

Three Temples

Qingjing Mosque

Qingjing Mosque, also known as Al-Suhab Grand Mosque, is the oldest existing Islamic temple founded by Arab Muslims in China. The Jiao Temple was first built in the Northern Song Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,000 years. This Qingjing Temple is right next to the Guandi Temple, and the two religions coexist harmoniously.

Enter through the gate of the Qingjing Mosque. This is a gate built after the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. The top cover adopts a very traditional Chinese pattern, which can be said to be a very diverse style.

After passing through the gatehouse, you might as well look back at the two rows of Arabic stone carvings on the back wall, which are said to record the founding, reconstruction, and earliest name of the Qingjing Temple.

Walking forward, you can see a red stone carving with a red outer frame. This is the "Edict" issued by Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty to protect Qingjing Temple in the fifth year of Yongle. It is an important relic of Qingjing Temple.

The Worship Hall, also known as the Temple of Heaven, is a place where God is worshiped. The roof of the Fengtian Temple was originally a huge dome, but it collapsed in the earthquake during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, leaving only the four walls and columns of the hall. Although they have been moved or lost, most of the pillar bases and column foundations are still in place.

Looking at the history of the mosque, many Arabs played an important role in its construction. For example, Alhama from Jerusalem invested heavily in its construction in 1309 AD. In the 20th century, the Sultan of Oman With a full donation, a large-scale chapel was built to the east of Qingjing Temple.

Twin Bridges

Luoyang Bridge

Quanzhou is the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road.

The stone bridge connecting the sea is a transportation hub. The Tao,

Zeng Qianfan gathered thousands of people and connected the north and the south

Now it has gone through twists and turns, recording history and life memories.

Luoyang Bridge has a history of nearly a thousand years. It is known as the "No. 1 Bridge in the Country" and one of the "Four Famous Bridges" in ancient times. It was obviously built in Fujian, why is it called Luoyang Bridge?

In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, society was in turmoil, wars often occurred, and many people from the Central Plains moved south. Moving to Quanzhou and southern Fujian, the Central Plains people brought advanced technology and experience from the Central Plains. When they came to Quanzhou, they saw that the mountains and terrain here were very similar to the ancient capital Luoyang, so they named this place "Luoyang".

The Luoyang Bridge was built at the request of Cai Xiang, the prefect of Quanzhou. The process was extremely difficult because the area connecting the river and the sea was severely eroded by sea water. The bridge foundation must be particularly strong to prevent erosion by the sea tide. The local people invented a method of planting oysters to strengthen the bridge foundation.

They first threw a large number of stones into the river along the central axis of the bridge, and then used the "oyster solidification" method. The oyster shells can attach to rocks or other oyster shells and have a strong reproductive ability.

Using the rapid reproduction characteristics of oysters, the original loose stone embankments were cemented into a solid whole to prevent the foundation stones from being washed away by the tide. Then boat-shaped piers are built on top.

This bridge-building method lasted 7 years. It is truly a masterpiece built together with nature, so it will last for thousands of years.

The deck of Luoyang Bridge has 500 stone railings and 28 exquisitely carved stone lions as decorations. These exquisite stone carvings vividly demonstrate the unique charm of Hui'an, the ancient "stone carving capital".

Twin Bridges

Anping Bridge

Anping Bridge, also known as "Wuli Bridge", is nearly 900 years old and is the longest stone beam in the Middle Ages in the world. It is also the longest existing seaport stone bridge in China.

The picture I had in my mind before going there was the majestic cross-sea bridge, and I couldn’t help but yearn for it. When it comes to the actual situation, the Anping Bridge in my eyes looks like this:

Simple and vicissitudes of life, the water is calm, like a huge stone dragon lying quietly on a lake, leisurely looking at me, a person from afar who came here with great interest and admiration. . Where is the grandeur imagined? What about the imaginary bay?

The area around Anping Bridge has become land, and there is no trace of it crossing the bay. It is more like a landscape bridge built in a wetland park.

At that time, Anping Bridge invented the more scientific method of "sleeping wood sinking foundation". Because the water in Anping Bay was deep and muddy, the riprap was easy to sink, resulting in a waste of stone. Therefore, during the dry season, the chun was first placed on the shoal. The wooden rows are crossed in layers, and then large stone strips are pressed against them. As the stone strips increase in height, their weight continues to increase, and the wood gradually sinks to the bottom of the water, thus laying the foundation for the bridge piers.

After the bridge is completed, oysters are cultivated around the pier foundation to strengthen the bridge foundation. The "sleeping wood sinking foundation" method is simple and saves labor and materials.

The Anping Bridge took 15 years to complete. The most touching thing is that after the builder Huang Hu died, his son Huang Yi inherited his father's ambition and continued to raise funds to build the bridge. This kind of persistence and tenacity are extraordinary. Do it.

Quanzhou is really suitable for a slow-paced life.

It has a strong cultural atmosphere and you can encounter thousand-year-old attractions.

This street has one temple and three Temples and two bridges

Basically there is no charge, just let it go as you like

Today I will introduce to you some interesting things in Quanzhou

Next time I will introduce the food in Quanzhou

Because it is so delicious, it is really worthy of a separate book