Dengfeng, Henan | Have you seen the mysterious inscriptions in Zhongyue Temple?

✅ A long, long time ago, I learned about Mount Songshan, the Central Sacred Mountain, because of the movie "Shaolin Temple," and then I learned about Dengfeng, Henan, because of Mount Songshan. Now, this place name that has lingered in my mind for many years has finally been revealed: the "Center of Heaven and Earth," a World Cultural Heritage site. With 11 buildings and relics, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism coexist here, and ancient sacrifices, ancient technology, and modern folk customs unfold a 3,000-year-long scroll of Chinese civilization. ✅ World Heritage Site: Zhongyue Temple, a grand Taoist temple that can be called the "Little Forbidden City of the Central Plains." 📍 It originated more than 2,200 years ago during the Qin Dynasty as a temple for worshipping the god of Mount Songshan. The "Taishi Que" (stone gate) built 1,900 years ago during the Eastern Han Dynasty is its sacred way gate. Although it has moved several times, it has never been interrupted. It is said that the Celestial Master Zhang Daoling once practiced on Mount Songshan, and the Taoist tradition is pure and long-lasting. 📍 The existing building complex was renovated in the Qing Dynasty, imitating the layout of the Forbidden City. The "Tianzhong Pavilion," with its "Zhongyue Miao" plaque, resembles the Tiananmen Gate in appearance, complete with ornamental columns, red walls, and gate towers. The only difference is that the glazed tiles on the roof are green. 📍 It is grand in scale, with seven courtyards on 11 levels, covering 110,000 square meters, the largest of the Five Sacred Mountains. The main hall, "Junjue Dian," has a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, nine bays, three-sectioned six-panel rhombus lattice windows, and yellow glazed tiles, all of the highest grade, reflecting the high status of the God of Mount Songshan, the "Chongsheng Dadi Zhong Tianwang." 📍 In the first courtyard inside the Junji Gate, there are four halls on the east, south, west, and north sides, each dedicated to one of the Four Sacred Mountains, guarding the main hall, seemingly highlighting the status of Mount Songshan as the "center of the four directions, unifying Tai, Hua, Heng, and Heng"? ✅ Caught in a sudden drop in temperature during the spring chill, I passed by in a hurry, and the most impressive thing was the inscriptions. 📍 Five Sacred Mountains Diagram. For the first time, I learned that the Five Sacred Mountains are not just mountains but are transformed from true forms, and they look quite cute and full of spiritual power, which was an eye-opener. There are many interpretations of this shape, which seem to be divided into legendary and scientific versions. Legendary version: Azure Dragon of the East (rain-bringing dragon), Vermilion Bird of the South (food-eating bird), White Tiger of the West (grinning cloth tiger), Black Tortoise of the North (three-legged turtle), surrounding the person in the middle house. Or they correspond to "water, fire, metal, wood, and earth." Scientific version: Contour map of the Five Sacred Mountains, pointing to the mountain shape and spiritual veins. However, one thing is certain: it is a Taoist amulet. 📍 Wei Stele. "The Stele of the Zhongyue Songgao Lingmiao Temple," the oldest stele in the temple, is full of vigor. ✅ There are also four iron men from the Song Dynasty, the "Zhenku Generals" guarding the divine treasury, still majestic after thousands of years, with full muscles on their backs. It seems that the Song people had a healthy aesthetic! ✅ The wind and rain were fierce, and I only caught a glimpse, full of regret. I'll leave a thought and come back to visit the temple fair next time.