Longxing Temple has more than just the "Six Best" ‖ Three stone pagodas and stone carvings

Longxing Temple, praised by Liang Sicheng as "the most famous temple outside Beijing", is also the first stop for visiting ancient sites in Zhengding during the Qingming Festival. Although we are unable to see the stunning Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva statue due to renovations, the other six best places in Longxing Temple are also stunning enough. Of course, there are so many things worth seeing in Longxing Temple. Not only the "Six Bests", but also the stone pagodas, stone tablets, and stone carvings in the temple are also worth stopping to see. 1️⃣ Gold Sutra Pillar of Master Guanghui (Pictures 2-5) It was erected in the 20th year of the Dading period of the Jin Dynasty (1180 AD) and is carved from white marble. It consists of a base, a body, and a top. The top of the pagoda is almost lost, and the remaining height is 5.02 meters. It is an important physical object for studying the development of Buddhism in the Jin Dynasty. Master Guanghui was a high-ranking monk of the Ci'en sect of Buddhism. He served as the abbot of Longxing Temple and the chief monk of Zhending Prefecture in Hebei West Road in the early Jin Dynasty. He passed away in the third year of the Dading period of the Jin Dynasty (1163). 2️⃣Ming Dynasty Mengtang Monk Sutra Pillar (Figures 6-9) It was carved in the 36th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1557) and is an octagonal, seven-story stone imitation wooden tower building, 9.13 meters high. Meng Tang was an eminent monk of Longxing Temple in the Ming Dynasty and the 25th generation successor of the Linji Sect. He passed away in the 11th year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1516). In 1964, when the stone pagoda was being renovated, the monk Mengtang’s robes, whisk, rosary, scriptures and some coins were found in the base. 3️⃣ Sutra Pillar (Figure 10-13) This pagoda was built in 2004 when Longteng Garden was built. It was built using stone components scattered in Longxing Temple. It is an octagonal 14-story building made of white marble and is about 5 meters high. The second to thirteenth levels are the main components of the pagoda, which tapers from bottom to top and are all engraved with exquisite relief patterns. Although it is built by stacking, it still has certain historical and artistic value. 4️⃣ Northern Dynasty Kaiye Temple Stone Carving (Figure 14) The relics from the Northern Dynasties period in Kaiye Temple in Yuanshi County were moved to Longxing Temple in 1965. Carved from white marble, the main figure is Sakyamuni, with a small seated Buddha carved on the back. The Buddha seat is decorated with donors, two lions, gods and kings, etc., with rich content and exquisite workmanship. The two monks on both sides were carved in the Ming Dynasty. 5️⃣ Northern Song Dynasty, Longxing Temple in Zhending Prefecture, with a gilded bronze statue of Bodhisattva and a stele of the Great Compassion Pavilion (Figure 15) Written by Hui Yan, a monk from Longxing Temple in the Northern Song Dynasty, the inscription details the process of casting the bronze statue of the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Great Compassion Pavilion in the fourth year of Kaibao in the Northern Song Dynasty (971). It is an important source of material for studying the historical evolution of Longxing Temple. 6. Song Dynasty Stone Incense Burner (Figure 16) Located in front of the gate of Mani Temple, it was carved in the Song Dynasty and is 1.4 meters high. The front of the furnace is embossed with the Medicine Buddha, the leader of the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli, and the twelve Medicine Buddha generals standing around him. 7️⃣Ming Dynasty Xu Family Archway (Figure 17) It was carved in the 19th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1591), made of bluestone, with four pillars and three rooms. The remaining height is 6.45 meters. It is a memorial archway for the merits established by Xu Shouqian, a doctor of the Ming Dynasty and the right deputy censor of the Censorate, as well as his father and grandfather. The carvings are rich in themes and the images are vivid and lifelike, making it a rare architectural relic from the Ming Dynasty. 8️⃣Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong Imperial Stele (Figure 18) The imperial inscription "In October of the Bingyin year of the Qianlong reign, I visited the Longxing Temple in Zhending and paid homage to the Great Buddha and wrote a long poem on it" is on the stele. It was carved in the 11th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1746) and is made of white marble. It has a dragon head and a Sumeru pedestal. It is 6.2 meters high and is located on the backstage of Cishi Pavilion. All pictures are taken with my mobile phone, please do not reprint or use them.