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2024 Jingchuan Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in December)
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Pingliang-Tianshui 3-Day Tour: Make the Most of Every Moment and Avoid Detours.
First time visiting Pingliang-Tianshui? Don't miss this super practical 3-day tour guide, which will help you easily explore the two places and enjoy the beautiful scenery and delicious food!
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📅 Itinerary:
Day 1: Dayun Temple and Queen Mother Palace -> Dayun Temple and Queen Mother Palace
On the first day, visit Dayun Temple and Queen Mother Palace to experience the profound historical heritage and the charm of myths and legends.
Day 2: Fuxi Temple -> Tianshui Ancient City
On the second day, visit Fuxi Temple to trace the footsteps of the ancestor of humanity, and then stroll through Tianshui Ancient City to experience the long-standing cultural atmosphere.
Day 3: Maijishan Grottoes
On the last day, visit Maijishan Grottoes to appreciate the exquisite combination of Buddhist art and natural scenery.
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Places to visit:
🏞️ Maijishan Grottoes: A treasure of Buddhist art, embedded in magnificent mountains and rivers, where you can feel the harmonious coexistence of faith and nature.
🛕 Fuxi Temple: Explore the beauty of ancient architecture, including the theater, archway, and gate, and immerse yourself in the weight of history with every step.
🏰 Tianshui Ancient City: Travel back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, stroll through the quiet old streets, and listen to the stories of past prosperity in every courtyard.
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Some tips:
🚗 Airport transportation: It is recommended to drive or take a bus between Pingliang and Tianshui, and don't miss the scenery along the way.
❄️ November climate: Remember to bring a cotton coat, as it is cooler at night and suitable for activities during the day. Drink more water to prevent dryness.
🎉 Customs: Experience Fuxi culture, respect local customs, and feel the charm of the ancient city and its people.
📸 Photo spots: Dayun Temple and Maijishan Grottoes are great places for taking photos, so don't forget to bring your camera!
🍜 Food recommendations: Be sure to try the local specialties in Tianshui and let your taste buds travel too.
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Gansu Jingchuan Museum: A Low-Key Treasure
❤Recommended Reason: Jingchuan County Museum is located in the Chenghuang Temple courtyard on Anding Street, Jingchuan County. The museum was established in 1984, and its predecessor was an antiquities display office during the Republic of China period. It is a comprehensive history museum.
Exhibition Overview: We were the first group of visitors that day, and we registered directly at the entrance to get in. On the right-hand side after entering is the "Jingchuan Buddhist Relics Essence Exhibition" hall, housed in an ancient-style bungalow. Directly opposite the main entrance is the Chenghuang Temple, which serves as a temporary exhibition hall for the "Brilliant Bronze - Jingchuan County Museum Bronze Artifacts Conservation and Restoration Achievements Exhibition." Outside, along the walls, is the "Wall Stories - Jingchuan County Youth Mural Copying Exhibition." The space in the courtyard, though not large, is cleverly and naturally arranged, giving no sense of crowding.
🌟Highlights: The museum houses 630 sets of precious cultural relics and 889 sets of general cultural relics. Among them, the skull fossil of the "Jingchuan Man," which is enough to rewrite the history of human evolution, is the museum's treasure, though unfortunately, it was not on display. Other precious artifacts include a wide-mouthed painted pottery jar from the Neolithic Majiayao culture, a jade dagger-axe from the Shang Dynasty, bronze jue and gu vessels with inscriptions from the Western Zhou Dynasty, gold and silver coffins from the Tang Dynasty, dated tile beasts from the Yuan Dynasty, and Buddha statues from the Northern Song Dynasty Longxing Temple hoard. These artifacts are vivid and lifelike in shape, with intricate details, rich types, and complete categories, making them very worth seeing.
👍Most Recommended: Another major highlight is the Chenghuang Temple in the courtyard, built in the Ming Dynasty architectural style. The Chenghuang Temple was first built in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370) and underwent four major repairs in the 21st year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1841), the 8th year of Xianfeng (1858), the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), and 2011. The existing front and rear halls face north to south, with a grand and solid structure. The large rafters and columns, ancient and heavy, with water stains and mottled marks, are likely original parts of the temple. It is the only complete ancient building in the county and one of the better-preserved Ming Dynasty wooden structures in Gansu Province. It is listed as the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural relics protection units in Gansu Province.
✅Must Experience: Beside the hall are two Qing Dynasty steles, both with inscriptions in regular script. One is the "Stele Record of the Reconstruction of the Chenghuang Temple," recording the names and inscriptions of the donors who funded the restoration. The other is the "Stele Record of the Common Donation for the Reconstruction of the Chenghuang Temple," recording the funding details. Both steles were erected in the 21st year of Daoguang (1841). There is also a stele erected by the Jingchuan County People's Government in 2011, titled "Record of the Chenghuang Temple Protection and Restoration Project."
📍Detailed Address: No. 131 Anding Street, Chengguan Town, Jingchuan County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province
🚉Transportation Guide: Take bus No. 1 in Jingchuan County and get off at the "Museum Station"; Drive directly to "Jingchuan Museum" using navigation, and you can park your car in the courtyard of the Jingchuan Hotel opposite.
🕙Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 09:00-17:00, closed on Mondays (except national public holidays).
💰Ticket Price: Free admission
Gansu Jingchuan Dayun Temple
Dayun Temple, known as Daxingguo Temple during the Sui Dynasty, was renamed by Empress Wu Zetian. Dayun Temple was built on the original site of the Daxingguo Temple of the Sui Dynasty. The stone casket, relic vial, and relics underneath the original pagoda foundation were taken out, and made into gilded bronze caskets, gold and silver coffins, and then the 14 Buddha's bone relics were placed in a colored glaze vial, reburied in the underground palace in 694 AD, and a pagoda was built for worship, which is 180 years earlier than the Famen Temple underground palace in Shaanxi. In April 2007, the construction project of Dayun Temple Museum was launched and completed in May 2010, covering a total area of 364 acres, with buildings such as the main exhibition hall, relic pagoda, and auxiliary exhibition hall.
Dayun Temple chose to build the pagoda and establish the temple on the site of Daxingguo Temple. At the start of construction, the relics offered during the Sui Dynasty were discovered. The empress's decree to build Dayun Temple coincided with the discovery of the Buddha's relics, which was considered a very auspicious coincidence. Therefore, a master of gold and silverware was invited to select gems and pearls to make copper, silver, and gold coffins, and to place the 14 Buddha bone relics in a sulfur glass vial, accompanied by a stone casket, with clear inscriptions of the dynasty, location, and quantity, and to build the underground palace and establish the temple.
The 14 relic beads have 5 layers of packaging. A graduate of the History Department of Lanzhou University and a staff member of the county cultural center, Zhang Yingwen, wrote an excavation report: The underground palace has a door, with a stone semicircular arch, the front of which is lined with auspicious clouds surrounding the sacred vessel, with two flying figures soaring in the air. The arch is supported by two four-sided stone pillars on a stone threshold. The front and inner sides of the pillars are carved with protective deities.
Inside the underground palace is a stone casket about half a meter square, with a cover shaped like an inverted bowl, inscribed with the 16 characters 'The casket of relics from Dayun Temple in Jingzhou, Dazhou, totaling fourteen beads'. The body of the casket is inscribed all around. Inside the casket is a copper box 4 inches square, very similar in appearance to the stone casket, with a lock on the box, and the key tied to the box with a fine gold chain, which can still be opened. Inside the copper box is a rectangular silver coffin, slightly smaller than the box, with a tile-shaped lid and a low railing around it, and a pair of small rings on each side of the coffin body. The surfaces of the box and coffin are finely carved with plain patterns of winter jasmine flowers. Inside the silver coffin is the gold coffin. The gold coffin looks similar to the silver coffin but is slightly smaller, with a lotus pattern made of gold leaves all around, with various colored gems inlaid in the flowers, and larger white pearls embedded in the center and sides. Inside the gold coffin is a very small spherical fine-necked colored glaze vial containing 14 white crystals, the 'relic beads'.
The 'Encyclopedia of Chinese Archaeology' records the Jingchuan gold and silver coffins as a major event in national archaeology in 1964, with a color print of the pagoda foundation. The book 'Fifty Years of Gansu Cultural Relics Work' includes a 'Chronicle of Major Events in Fifty Years of Gansu Cultural Relics'.
Gansu Jingchuan Wangmu Palace Grottoes
Wangmu Palace Grottoes, also known as the Great Buddha Cave (also known as the Thousand Buddha Cave), was established in the third year of Yongping of the Northern Wei Dynasty (510 AD).
Wangmu Palace Grottoes are carved on a gray sandy rock layer, which is a central pillar grotto, the largest central pillar cave in Longdong Grottoes. On May 25, 2006, Wangmu Palace Grottoes were announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. The cave type and statue style of Wangmu Palace Grottoes are similar to those of the central pillar caves in the second phase of Yungang, which is a typical example of the influence of the Yungang model to the west. Wangmu Palace Grottoes face east to the west, 11 meters high, 12.6 meters wide, and 13 meters deep. The front wall has been destroyed, and the late Qing Dynasty buildings in front of the cave still exist. There are more than 200 images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, Arhats, and strong rib servants on the north, west, and south walls and the four sides of the central pillar in the cave.
Luohandong, what happened to you?
There is such an inconspicuous place among any marks on the map, Luohandong Township, Jingchuan County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province. On the side of the national highway, I saw the sign of Luohandong Grottoes, a cultural relic protection unit in Jingchuan County, and walked through the potholes and unpaved roads. Standing in front of the grottoes on the rural road, you will still be shocked by the majestic mountains and empty grottoes.
I was lucky enough to enter this grotto, which is known as the "Abandoned Cave". All the Buddha statues and stone carvings have been completely destroyed. Although only part of the complete stone body can be seen, it is still deeply affected by the graffiti-covered painted murals and exquisite clay reliefs. shock. Standing in the desolate cave wall, I fell into deep thought. Due to the lack of relevant information, I compiled the interview information through my observations: 1. Luohandong Township is named after Luohandong Grottoes, which should have existed for a long time in history, because the grottoes Exposed to the natural environment over a large area, a considerable part of the color has been preserved. The entrance of Qingxiao Cave is marked with the words "Qingxiao Baodong was rebuilt in the 20th year of Guangxu's reign". It is inferred that the Ming and Qing Dynasties were constantly rebuilt, and the style of the incomplete Buddhist sculptures is similar to that of the Northern Wei Dynasty. They should all belong to the early Northern Wei Dynasty. Buddhist grotto style. 2. The grotto is paved with a wooden plank road, which was obviously valued at one time. Most of the graffiti on the murals are modern fonts and tones. It is obvious that there is a serious lack of protection. The heads of the Buddha statues and murals were seriously damaged. They have obviously experienced many times of man-made destruction for various historical reasons. 3. Personally, I feel that the clay statues and murals in Luohan Cave are not just the coating of one dynasty. On the existing surface, you can see pictures similar to those describing the stories of characters in the Three Kingdoms period or the stories of characters in Water Margin. It seems that there are also some pictures of the Eight Immortals, door gods, and landscapes. It remains to be verified when the ground floor of the modern-style murals was built and what the patterns were.
Nowadays, Luohan Cave is located on the edge of the Jinghe River beach and has been filled with sand, gravel and silt. The cave is severely damp and weathered, and the caves are empty and incomplete. The former glory and majesty can still be vaguely seen. Luohan Cave, how beautiful were you once? What's wrong with you? If any friends know the history of Luohan Cave, please teach me.
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