[2024 Jingzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Zhanghua Temple (Updated Nov)

Chu Mei Tang Apricot Agarwood Well, old traces and new looks at Zhanghua Temple

In 535 BC, King Ling of Chu, who had a penchant for slender waists, spent five years building a luxurious Zhanghua Terrace, ten zhang high, just to house the slender-waisted beauties he had collected for his pleasure. Therefore, it was also called the 'Slender Waist Palace.' Legend has it that after the completion of Zhanghua Terrace, King Ling of Chu invited feudal lords from all over the world to come and enjoy it. Many visitors had to rest several times while climbing the terrace, indicating that this towering Zhanghua Terrace was indeed sky-high. Zhanghua Terrace has long been buried in the river of history, and Zhanghua Temple was evidently built in association with the name of Zhanghua Terrace. In the second year of the Taiding era of the Yuan Dynasty (1325 AD), people built Zhanghua Temple on the site of Zhanghua Terrace. The place that was once filled with vibrant flowers and singing birds has turned into a serene Buddhist sanctuary. The slender-waisted beauties who once danced gracefully have now been replaced by the sound of wooden fish and bells. It is known as one of the 'Three Great Forests of Hubei' along with Guiyuan Temple in Hanyang and Yuquan Temple in Dangyang. The temple layout is orderly, with a palace-style architectural pattern, reasonable layout, and splendid decoration. The existing temple buildings cover an area of 12,000 square meters. The main buildings include the Mountain Gate, Hall of Heavenly Kings, Hall of Wealth God, Hall of Weituo, Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, Amitabha Hall, Sutra Library, Meditation Hall, Buddha Recitation Hall, Jingyue Hall, Dining Hall, Guest Hall, Abbot's Room, etc. The scale is enormous and magnificent. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the high monk Jingyue of Zhanghua Temple was summoned to the capital by imperial decree and was highly appreciated by Empress Dowager Cixi and the court ministers. He was bestowed with a set of the 'Dragon Sutra,' half of the imperial carriage, and other court treasures. Jingyue was conferred the title of Fourth Rank Grand Monk and Imperial Abbot. The ancient plum trees, agarwood well, ancient ginkgo trees, and ancient stone inscriptions in Zhanghua Temple are known as the 'Four Ancient Wonders.'

The first thing I saw after entering the Zhanghua Temple was the Tianwang Temple. On both sides, the bell tower and the drum tower were dedicated to Guan Gong and the head of the wealth. Behind the Tianwang Hall is the Daxiong Hall. There are also two words on the plaque on the side of the plaque. This shows that Zhanghua Temple was a place of great favor today. There is a piece of ancient plum called Chumei in the temple. This is one of the three ancients of Zhanghua Temple. The second antiquities are the ginkgo trees in the courtyard. The time can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. The third antiquities are agarwood. Dry well. Interested friends can explore it in person.

Jingzhou, the ancient name of "Jiangling", the prefecture-level city of Hubei Province, is the location of the capital city of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Jingzhou has a long history and a splendid culture. With a history of more than 2,600 years, Jiancheng is the birthplace of Chu culture and the center of the culture of the Three Kingdoms. As a native of Jingzhou, I am very proud to see the development and changes of my hometown for so many years. In Jingzhou, I can not only feel the ancient history and culture, but also become more and more modern. Although I feel happy when I am building my hometown better and better, I also miss the time when I was a child, all the old roads, and every old house left a lot of good memories. Now I only have time for vacation. If you walked the previous road, you will find a lot of feelings. Many streets have not changed much. It may not be seen in a few years. You can't help but pick up the camera and record it.

###trip# Zhanghua Temple has Sangu, the first is Chumei, and the second is the ginkgo tree of the Tang Dynasty. The third is Shenxiang Gujing, but unfortunately did not see it. This ginkgo tree is very different from what you usually see, and it is much thicker and more vicissitude than those on the roadside. I don't think of the inscription in front of it. I thought it was an apricot tree. This Tang Xing is also the object of worshipping people. The trees are full of red cloth strips with blessing words, carrying the expectations of people. From the front of Tang Xingqian, you can see Guanyin Ganlu Pagoda. It is also the name of the temple tower of Zhanghua Temple. It is named after the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva Ganlu. The tower is 66.88 meters high and has seven levels of seven-level floating map. The Guanyin murals outside the tower and in the tower are drawn according to the different styles of the various dynasties of Han, Yi, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. The tower body stone column is a dragon. White elephant. Kirin. Master. Colorful clouds. More than 500 white deer and other forms are different. As a hometown, there are still a few beautiful scenes in Amway.