Historical evolution of Daqin Temple Pagoda

As for the Daqin Temple Pagoda, according to epigraphic records, it was originally called "Zhenxian Pagoda" and was first built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. It has a history of more than 1,360 years. The tower is a seven-story, eight-sided pavilion-style hollow brick tower with a total height of 40.90 meters and an inner circle diameter of 10.86 meters. There are coupon doors scattered on all sides, and there are wooden stairs above the second floor that lead to the top of the tower. The tower has a simple shape and is beautiful. It is known as the best among ancient towers in my country. In particular, there are Nestorian clay sculptures and ancient Syrian foreign language inscriptions left in the tower. In many places, these are rare and precious materials for studying the history of ancient Western cultural exchanges. In 1957, the tower was announced as a key cultural relic protection unit in Shaanxi Province. Due to the ancient tower being in disrepair for a long time, the tower body had cracks and tilted 2.76 meters to the northwest, making it in danger. In 1999, the state allocated nearly one million yuan in special funds to successfully carry out rescue, reinforcement and repair work on the pagoda. Protecting this excellent cultural heritage of the motherland, the tower, as a product of the ancient "Silk Road" and a witness of cultural exchanges between China and the West, has attracted the attention of the international academic community and the attention of relevant international organizations. In August 2000, the UNESCO The organization included the protection of Daqin Temple into the "China Silk Road Protection Project". In October 2001, the World Monumental Architecture Foundation included Daqin Pagoda and Daqin Temple in the "World Architectural Heritage List," making Daqin Temple famous at home and abroad.

As for the "Stele of Popular Chinese Nestorianism in Daqin" (referred to as the Nestorian Stele), according to the "Encyclopedia of Religions", the stele was unearthed in the Daqin Temple in Zhouzhi in the third year of Qi tomorrow (1623). Because Holm stole the monument, the monument was later moved to the Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum for protection.

The "Nestorian Stele" is on a turtle base with a chi head and a height of 3.60 meters. The inscription is in regular script, more than 1,780 words, 89 lines in Syriac, written by Jing Jing, and written by Lu Xiuyan in the second year of Jianzhong of the Tang Dynasty (781). ) was established in The famous steles include: "The Nestorian Popular Chinese Stele of the Qin Dynasty", "The Bilingual Stele of Rosetta", "Hebrew Stele" and "The Time-telling Stele").

The Daqin Temple is built on the mountain. It is surrounded by the purple air of Huayue in the east, the majestic Taibai in the west, the Qinling Mountains in the south, and the Weishui River in the north. If you look far into the distance, you can see the clouds and smoke of the Qinchuan River for 800 miles. The village has a panoramic view, which makes people feel relaxed and happy. It has been a famous tourist attraction in Guanzhong since ancient times. Literati and poets of all ages have come here. Lu Lun in the Tang Dynasty, Su Shi and Su Che in the Song Dynasty, Yang Yunyi in the Jin Dynasty, what kind of scenery is there in the Ming Dynasty? , they all left popular poems here.

Daqin Temple is famous all over the world for its unique cultural value and cultural attractions that combine Chinese and Western elements. With the development of western my country and the development of tourism, this place will surely become a tourist attraction for people around the world.

On May 25, 2006, the Daqin Temple Pagoda, as an ancient building from the Song Dynasty, was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.