Touring “Longmen Grottoes” in the Rain (Part 2)

The Longmen Grottoes include grotto statues, the ancient Xiangshan Temple and the Bai Juyi Cemetery. Two bridges over the Yi River connect the three, forming a large scenic spot. Standing on the Longmen Stone Arch Bridge and looking around, you can see the gurgling Yi River, grottoes, ancient temples, fragrant mountains, and green white gardens, which is a beautiful picture of Luoyang Yique.

At this time, the rain stopped, and I walked alone across a small bridge on the upper reaches of the Yi River, passing by the Dongshan Grotto area on the east bank. From the riverside, I looked at the grottoes on the cliff on the opposite bank, the old site of Fengxian Temple and the spectacular and kind Lucena Buddha. I was filled with emotion. The stone-carved Buddha left over a century has blessed our Chinese nation with unyielding strength, prosperity and everlasting prosperity despite all the hardships.

Not far along the riverside path, we came across the Xiangshan Ancient Temple located halfway up the mountain on the east bank of Yishui. This place was named after a plant called Xiangge that abounded in the past.

According to the history, Xiangshan Temple was built in the first year of Xiping in the Northern Wei Dynasty. In the third year of Chui Gong in the Tang Dynasty, the eminent Indian monk Dipohara (Rizhao) was buried here, and the Buddhist temple was rebuilt to accommodate his body.

In the first year of Tianshou of Wu Zhou (690), Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang and established the Wu Zhou Dynasty. Liang Wang Wu Sansi petitioned, named it "Xiangshan Temple", and rebuilt the temple. At that time, Xiangshan Temple was filled with drums and bells in the evening and incense.

After the Tang Dynasty, after the "An-Shi Rebellion", Xiangshan Temple fell into disrepair and gradually declined. Bai Juyi came to Luoyang to serve as the Yin of Henan Province. After that, he stayed in Luoyang for eighteen years. In his spare time, he often lingered in the mountains and rivers of Yique, and was known as the layman of Xiangshan. He wanted to restore Xiangshan Temple, but was unable to do so due to lack of financial resources. In the sixth year of Yamato, his friend Yuan Zhen passed away. Bai Juyi spent all the money he earned from writing Yuan Zhen's epitaph. It took more than three months to rebuild the Xiangshan Temple, giving the decaying old temple pavilions and pavilions a new look, and wrote He wrote an article "Records of Xiangshan Temple Repair", which recorded this incident: "The most beautiful scenery in the suburbs of Luodu is Longmen. The most beautiful place to visit the ten temples in Longmen is Xiangshan."

What is described here in Bai Juyi's "Two Wonders of Xiangshan Temple" is exactly a portrayal of his leisurely life in Xiangshan in his later years.

In September of the fifteenth year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong visited Xiangshan Temple in Longmen, Luoyang, and wrote a sentimental poem "Two Poems on Xiangshan Temple". The imperial stele pavilion was located in front of Xiangshan Temple.

The current Xiangshan Temple was built on a stone foundation and rebuilt on the mountain in the 47th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1708). The place is not big, but the mountain is very steep. It was a bit difficult for me to climb the steps in one breath.

In 2003, Xiangshan Temple was restored for the fifth time. Drawing on the style of the Tang Dynasty, the villas of Jiang and Song Dynasties, the Qianlong Imperial Stele Pavilion, and the Yibo Pagoda were restored as historical relics. On the original site, a new bell tower, drum tower, and main hall were built, and the Tianwang Hall, Luohan Hall, etc. were renovated.

When Wu Zetian became emperor in Luoyang, she was in love with the landscape of Yique, especially the quiet and elegant Xiangshan Temple. She often traveled there personally and sat in court in the stone tower of Xiangshan Temple.

During a spring trip to Xiangshan Temple, Wu Zetian was ingenious and hosted a "Dragon Gate Poetry Meeting". Poetry was very popular in the Tang Dynasty. Wu Zetian planned to "give a brocade robe" to the winner. This was a rare honor, and the ministers rushed to be the first.

Wu Zetian felt that Dongfang Qiuwen was agile and talented, so she immediately gave him the brocade robe. Soon, the ministers composed poems one after another. After reading them in public, they all agreed that Song Zhiwen's seven-character poem was superior to Dongfang Qiu.

Wu Zetian originally came to Longmen Xiangshan to have fun, but Song Zhiwen praised her in the last few lines of the poem for not engaging in court pleasures but observing the sentiments of the people. Wu Zetian was overjoyed by such praise and thought it was "beautiful both in literature and science" and read it aloud to the ministers. After listening to it, everyone "called it good".

Wu Zetian ordered Wan'er: "Take the brocade robe back from Dongfang Qiu and give it to Song Zhiwen." At this time, Dongfang Qiu had just thanked the emperor for the reward, but before he could sit down, the brocade robe was taken back. "Winning a brocade robe by writing poems in Xiangshan" has also become a legend in the poetry world.

Going north from Xiangshan Temple, to the east of Longmen Stone Arch Bridge is the gate of Baiyuan.

In the third year of Taihe in the Tang Dynasty (829), Bai Juyi came to Luoyang to serve as the Yin of Henan. In the sixth year of Huichang in the Tang Dynasty (846), Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty died at his home in Ludaoli, Luoyang, and was buried on Pipa Peak in the East Mountain of Longmen. Baiyuan, which covers an area of ​​44 acres, has since become famous at home and abroad along with Longmen Grottoes and Xiangshan Temple.

The garden is covered with green shade, with waves of pines and waves, and mountain springs flowing and tinkling. There is the "Tingyi" Pavilion halfway up the mountain, which was a good place for Bai Juyi and his friends Yuan Zhen, Liu Yuxi and other friends to cook tea, play chess, drink wine and recite poems in his later years. Further up, there is the "Letian" named after Bai Juyi's character "Letian". Inside, there is a statue of Bai Juyi made of white marble, which is lifelike and has the appearance of an immortal.

On the top of Pipa Peak, there is a tomb mound surrounded by low brick walls. This is the resting place of the great poet Bai Juyi. There is a tall stone tablet in front of the tomb, with the words "Tang Shaofu Bai Cemetery" engraved on it. When you look down at the cemetery from a high place, it looks like a pipa. The poet was proficient in rhyme and wrote the eternal ode "Pipa Line", so the cemetery was built in the shape of a pipa, which has its own meaning.

In the Baiyuan courtyard, the rippling pools and lush green bamboos make people feel relaxed and happy. When recalling Bai Juyi's "A Leisurely Dwelling", one can feel how much he loved this leisurely and contented place:

In addition, there is a poetry gallery, where you can appreciate Bai Juyi's poems and the art of calligraphy in various calligraphy styles. The Japanese calligraphy gallery next to it has works by some famous contemporary Japanese calligraphers.

Baiyuan is a commemorative garden with simple and elegant architecture, winding paths, lush bamboo forests, and evergreen trees all year round. Really worth a leisurely visit.

In 1936, to celebrate Chiang Kai-shek's fiftieth birthday, the local government chose to build a two-story building on the south side of Xiangshan Temple. The architectural style was a combination of Chinese and Western styles. The plaque on the main entrance read "Chiang Kai-shek's Villa" and was signed by Jiang Xiaoyan, the grandson of Chiang Kai-shek. question.

It is said that Chiang Kai-shek took a train from Xi'an to Luoyang (East Station) on October 29, 1936. In the name of "escape", he actually deployed the "Northwest Suppression of Communists" plan. He celebrated his fiftieth birthday at the villa on October 31, attended by Zhang Xueliang, Yan Xishan, etc. Afterwards, he inspected Luoyang Military Academy, Luoyang Power Plant, reviewed the heavy artillery unit, and went to Luoyang three times with his wife Song Meiling to comfort Non-direct troops include Yan Xishan of Taiyuan, Han Fuju of Jinan, Fu Zuoyi of Suiyuan, etc. During the 36 days in Luoyang, I basically stayed at Jiang and Song Villa in Xiangshan Temple. I left Luoyang in early December for Xi'an .

On the second floor of the small building, there are two pieces of calligraphy by Chiang Kai-shek. Originally, his calligraphy was rare, but two pieces suddenly appeared, which surprised me.

I have seen his calligraphy at Xikou Middle School in Fenghua, Zhejiang and Chen Qimei's cemetery in Huzhou. The structure is upright, the brushwork is strong, and the writing is crisp, which can be regarded as good calligraphy.

There is also an inscription by Dr. Sun Yat-sen on the side. I have never seen this calligraphy before.

Coming out of Baiyuan, there is a bridge shared by vehicles and pedestrians. You can go directly back to the gate of the scenic spot from the bridge.

There is also a special railway bridge in the distance to the north. From time to time, we can see green trains rushing busily on the bridge, and we hear the long-lost wheezing of diesel locomotives and the whistle of trains.

I also wanted to take some pictures of the scenery of Yihe, but my phone was out of battery. I had no choice but to leave the scenic spot in a hurry, get in the car, and drive straight to Sanmenxia in western Henan.

July 18, 2021 at Luoyang Longmen