Visit Fayuan Temple

It is rare to go to Beijing for training, so I left myself a day to visit Beijing. As for where to visit, I spent a lot of thought. I have been to Beijing many times, both in regular scenic spots and in unconventional scenic spots such as "798". I have read some raiders on the internet and listened to the recommendations of some classmates and friends. Finally, I decided to go to the old hutong in Beijing first, and then to Fayuan Temple.

Hutong is the symbol of Beijing, which can best reflect the style of ancient Beijing. My trip starts from Nanluoguxiang, which is the most lively and fashionable hutong in Beijing in recent years. There are grey walls and tiles everywhere, red doors and red alleys, bustling tourists, and all kinds of fake "petty bourgeoisie" style tea shops, cafes and handicraft shops. It is no different from the tourist attractions marked as old streets all over the country, and I am not interested in this deliberately built over-strong tourist business district. However, it is not difficult to be quiet. From south to north, eight hutongs are neatly arranged on both sides of the south gongs and drums. Turn around and go to these hutongs, and tourists and shops will be less noisy. Deep in the hutong, you can still catch a glimpse of the daily fireworks in old Beijing. Nanluoguxiang and its surrounding areas used to be the center of the Yuan Dynasty, but in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was a land of great wealth and great wealth. In the surrounding hutongs, you can see the former residence of a famous person in a few steps. In the past, dignitaries have now become the homes of ordinary people, but the words "private houses are not allowed to enter" are written at the door, making it impossible for people to visit the hospital. Sophora japonica is the most common street tree in Beijing. Almost every hutong has several trees, which are tall and stout, with lush foliage like a canopy. Summer is the season when Sophora japonica blooms. Fine flowers fall with the wind, especially after a sudden rain, the trees are full of white flowers, which is particularly beautiful. Sophora japonica is an ancient tree species, which is said to grow very slowly. The locust trees in Beijing Hutong are all old. Walking under such a tree bud and under the root of the imperial city has a long and solemn meaning.

It took a whole morning to stroll from Nanluoguxiang to Qianhai and then to Houhai, and the scenic spot was crowded with people. Fortunately, some hutongs can make people feel a little old Beijing. After lunch, I called an express train to Fayuan Temple. Fayuan Temple is not a popular scenic spot. The express driver seems to be quite strange to where I am going. He followed the navigation and took the wrong entrance. Finally, he turned from an intersection with a Muslim building into a tiny alley (only to learn later that this is niujie, a Muslim gathering place in Beijing), and finally found the ticket office of Fayuan Temple scenic spot.

I spent five yuan to enter the temple. Fayuan Temple is simple, ancient and quiet beyond my imagination. With his fame, he thought it would be as grand as Lingyin in Hangzhou, with magnificent Buddha statues and many pilgrims, but he was hidden in a hutong film. The temple gate was very humble and there were many beggars sitting at the door. Call amitabha when someone comes. The architecture of the temple adopts the traditional symmetrical pattern of the central axis. In addition to the bell tower and drum tower, other temples such as the Hall of the Great Hero are as low as the surrounding houses, the Buddha statues are not high, and there are few pilgrims. Fayuan Temple is a bit inconspicuous at first glance. However, from the noisy Nanluoguxiang and Houhai, entering the quiet temple Fayuan Temple, which is shaded by green trees, is like entering a paradise in the downtown area, and the heart is peaceful and quiet. Fayuan Temple faces south and has six courtyards and seven entrances. I walked from the former temple to the innermost sutra depository, and the more I walked, the more beautiful I became. In the temple, monks meditate, lay people recite sutras, and students from Buddhist colleges walk through the hall wearing wide Zen robes. They are on their way to do their noon homework. There are many cats in the temple. A rhubarb cat dozes off in the sun in front of the Hall of Great Heroes. Everything is quiet and slow, so I'm afraid to disturb them. Fayuan Temple has lush vegetation and towering old trees. The temple is full of lilacs. It is said that it was divided into a fragrant Xue Hai in late spring, and now only their dense shade can be seen. The pagoda tree in the temple is very tall and the flowers are very thin. When a gust of wind comes, the flowers fall like snow and poetry, which is beautiful and romantic. In the deserted courtyard of the temple, there is a tall pagoda tree in every corner, and the ground is covered with a thick layer of fallen flowers, which is as quiet as snow and people can't bear to trample on it.

On closer inspection, Fayuan Temple is actually unusual. The red walls and green tiles in downtown areas are even more antique. The incense burners, stone bowls, classic buildings and bronze Buddha statues in the temple are very old and exquisite, and many utensils have a long history. There are many cultural relics in the temple. There are all kinds of rare Buddhist scriptures from Tang Dynasty to Qing Dynasty in the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion. There are also many stone carvings in the temple, especially stone tablets. There is a plaque on the Hall of Ursa Major, on which is the Imperial Book Fa Hai Zhen Yuan written by Qianlong. There are six stone tablets in Ming and Qing Dynasties on both sides of the Hall of Ursa Major, which records the temple repairs in Ming Dynasty, Hongzhi, Wanli, Chongzhen, QingQianlong and Yongzheng. It is a historical record of Fayuan Temple. Now Fayuan Temple is also the seat of China Buddhist College, which shows its special position among many temples in China.

A Fayuan Temple, half the history of China, was built in the Tang Dynasty. Formerly known as "Banzheming Zhongyi Temple", it was renamed "Chongfu Temple" in the Ming Dynasty. It was renamed Fayuan Temple in Yongzheng period of Qing Dynasty, with a history of 1300 years. As the oldest temple in Beijing, it has experienced many famous historical events, from Emperor Taizong's sympathy for the dead soldiers, to the humiliation of the country's subjugation in the Song Dynasty, to a loyal minister like Xie Fangde in the Yuan Dynasty, and then to Benjamin Zhongyi Temple in the late Ming Dynasty ... Fayuan Temple witnessed too many ups and downs. Not far from the temple, we walked north through the hutong and arrived at the food market in ten minutes. In the Qing Dynasty, Tan Sitong and others died generously here for the sake of reform and the fate of their home country. Fayuan Temple became the resting place of six gentlemen beheaded in the Reform Movement of 1898, which witnessed the tragic history of the Reform Movement of 1898. Taiwan Province famous writer Li Ao's historical novel "Beijing Fayuan Temple" has been widely circulated at home and abroad since its publication, making Fayuan Temple famous. However, to this day, this temple still maintains its simple and compassionate nature. I didn't do my homework before I went to Beijing. After visiting Fayuan Temple, I became inexplicably interested in the history of sudden changes in the late Qing Dynasty. Li Ao's Beijing Fayuan Temple was naturally included in my reading plan.

Without faith, you can watch Zen. You can stroll through Fayuan Temple, listen to chanting, watch the flowers of Sophora japonica fall, see the yellow and black cats in Doby Temple, or sit on the steps, feel the dust of history, enjoy the quaint peace and spend a quiet afternoon without me.