Taiyuan Chunyang Palace with a rich history

The hotel I stayed in was in Liuxiang, not far away was Chunyang Palace, also known as Lu Zu Temple. There was indeed a person named Lu Dongbin in history. He was from Shanxi and you must pay homage to him when you go to Shanxi. Lü Dongbin believed in Taoism. Taoism was popular in the early Yuan Dynasty. Kublai Khan demolished the Lü Gong Temple and built the huge Yongle Palace for Lü Dongbin. It is the Nangong Palace among the three large Chunyang Palaces in Shanxi. The one in front of us in Taiyuan City is the Zhonggong Chunyang Palace. Since Chunyang Palace was a branch of the former Shanxi Museum in history, there are many ancient cultural relics such as stone tablets and Buddha statues here. It is not only a Taoist holy place with many cultural relics, but also can be understood as a fusion of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. When you come here, you will pay close attention to the "three wonders" of Chunyang Palace. As you enter the gate, you will see the roof covered with green glazed tiles and a wooden archway inscribed with "Lü Xian Tian Temple", which highlights Lü Dongbin's Taoist status. The stele gallery on the left is amazing. The stone statues from the Han, Wei and Tang dynasties have extremely high historical and artistic value. Here is the (first unique) "Nirvana Transformation Monument". Written in the second year of Tianshou in the Wu Zhou Dynasty of the Tang Dynasty, it depicts the story of the Nirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni, with a total of 8 pictures. There are a total of 6 pictures on the front, which should be read from bottom to top. They are pictures of the scenes in which the Buddha admonished his disciples before his death. The dual practice of nirvana and the funeral procession around the city are later called cremation. There are also pictures at the back, which mainly say that Maitreya Buddha is the reincarnation of Buddha, and Wu Zetian is the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha. There is an explanation carved on this stele. Everyone has heard of the "Dayun Sutra", which was a product of that time. It survived the anti-Buddhist movement, so it is particularly precious. Walking through the door of morality is not the morality we understand, but the door of spiritual practice. Entering it has the meaning of spiritual practice. Behind it is the sacrificial hall, with carved exotic beasts on all four sides supporting the offerings. The one in the middle is Maitreya Buddha. The Buddha is a Buddhist statue, but the base is a carving of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. The fusion of Buddhism and Taoism is immediately apparent. (The second unique feature) Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Courtyard: The fourth courtyard is the only Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Courtyard in the country. The bottom floor of the courtyard is constructed according to the directions of the Eight Diagrams: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui, and together with the square bottom floor of the second-floor corridor pavilion, it forms the Nine Palaces underground. The brick cave dwellings on the ground floor of the entire courtyard can be described as "evil and crooked", with diagonal paths inside and exquisite sculptures from different periods. (The third wonder) Statue of Changyang Tianzun in Qianzhen Cave: It is located behind the "Weige" exhibition hall in the fifth courtyard. It was built in the seventh year of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty and is carved from white marble. The stone statue wears a lotus-shaped crown and a wide Taoist robe, looking like a peaceful Laozi. Chunyang Palace has many cultural relics and is also the Shanxi Ancient Architecture Museum. It has many stories and a rich history. I came here in a hurry and ignored some of it.