Previous life of Qingyang Palace in Chengdu

Previous life of Qingyang Palace in Chengdu

Qingyang Palace is located in the second section of the First Ring Road in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Known as "the first Taoist temple in western Sichuan" and "the first jungle in southwest China", it is also one of the famous Taoist temples in China. Qingyang Palace was built in the Zhou Dynasty, formerly known as Qingyang Temple. By the Ming Dynasty, the temples built in the Tang Dynasty were all destroyed by military disasters. Most of the existing buildings were rebuilt in the 6th to 10th year of the Qing Dynasty (1667- 167 1), covering an area of about120,000 square meters. The main buildings of Qingyang Palace are the mountain gate, Sanqing Hall and Tangwang Hall. The Hunyuan Palace is tall and majestic, and the Bagua Pavilion is the most well-preserved and luxurious building, dedicated to the statue of Laozi riding a green cow.

The "Qingyang" culture circulating in Chengdu has a long history. The earliest historical book that recorded the name of Qingyang was Shu Wang Shu, a historical book written by Yang Xiong at the end of the Western Han Dynasty.

The inscription of Qingyang Palace in Xichuan written by Le Penggui in Tang Dynasty records the origin of Qingyang Palace, which is based on the legend of Laozi in Han Dynasty: "The son of Taiqing County turned sheep into Shu." It can be said that it is a story further evolved from Biography of King Shu. It is mentioned that three years later, Guan Lingyin Xi came to Chengdu Qingyang Company to find Lao Zi as promised. As a result, he met a child holding a sheep in Qingyang Company. It was Taiqing Xianbo Lao Tzu who ordered the boy to transform, and then guided Yin to find Lao Tzu. At this time, Lao Tzu was born in Li Daguan, a white-haired child. Yin followed the sheep-herding child to Li Daguan's house, and Lao Tzu, a white-haired child, suddenly appeared, sitting on the lotus stage and performing for Yin. So, Yin became immortal and went west with Lao Zi.

Whether the author of Biography of the King of Shu is Yang Xiong is controversial in history and literature. For example, Huayang Guozhi, another ancient book that records the ancient legends and events of Bashu, said: "Biographies of Yan Junping, Yang Ziyun, Yang Xuan, Zheng Boyi, Yin Pengcheng, Qiao Changshi and Ren Geshi are chronicles." Sima Xiangru, Yan Zun, Yang Xiong, Yang Chengzixuan, Zheng Yi, Yin Gong, Qiao Zhou, Xi Ren and others have all written Shu Benji, but none of them can be tested except Yang Zun and Qiao Zhen's quotations, but in any case, most of these people who wrote books were from the Han Dynasty or the Three Kingdoms period.

Although the most common saying is that Yang Xiong is the author of "Shu Ben Ji", this possibility is not great. On the contrary, it seems more likely that Shu Benji was written by Qiao Zhou of Shu Han in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As a story to publicize Laozi's missionary deeds, it obviously depends on the occurrence of Taoism. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, there were only some alchemists who advocated Taoist culture, which was quite a few in the Qin, Han and Wu Dynasties, but it was impossible to publicize the legend of Laozi through writings.

Statue of Yang Xiong

From the Han Dynasty, Shu Han Dynasty to the Western Jin Dynasty, the Shinan area in Chengdu has always been south of Shiqiao, including the place where Qingyang Palace is located today, adjacent to Jinjiang. At that time, there was a middle market for trading, which was said to be dominated by black sheep. Young people are black, so they are called Qingyang boss. Fourth, in ancient times, it originally meant buying and selling shops. For example, there is a saying in Zhang Zi's The Analects: "Every worker lives in the fourth place to make it happen." There are also folk sayings about teahouses and restaurants.

The predecessor of Qingyang Palace is called Xuanzhongguan, which is said to have been built in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. In the past, there were even older Guanhe Palace in Chengdu, but unfortunately, they no longer exist. The temples around Qingcheng Mountain, such as Zhenwu Palace (Ancestral Hall), Shangqing Palace, Huang Shang Temple, Huangzhong Temple and Zhangren Temple, all appeared in the heyday of Taoism in Shi Tian in the Jin Dynasty.

Qingyang palace erxian' an

The Xuanzhong Temple in the Tang Dynasty was even smaller than the Qingyang Palace later. Qingyang Palace was rebuilt in the early Qing Dynasty. Today, people in Chengdu know that there is a cultural park next to Qingyang Palace and an Erxian Temple dedicated to Lv Dongbin. The main hall is Lv Zu Hall. Known as the "two immortals", another immortal besides Lv Dongbin refers to Han Xiangzi, but there seems to be no temple dominated by Han Xiangzi. The temples under the name of Erxian 'an, such as Doulao Temple and Jade huang temple, are now considered as temples merged into Qingyang Palace. At the beginning of the construction of Erxian Temple, it was precisely because of its spacious space that it used to be a vegetable garden and garden outside Qingyang Palace and received many officials and guests.

Doulao Temple enshrines the mother gods of many immortals. According to legend, she gave birth to nine sons, including Jade Emperor, Wei Zi, Wolverine, Jumen, Lucun, Wen Qu, Lian Zhen, Wu Qu and Pojun. On the right of Dou Lao is the Queen Mother of the West, the first fairy. There are few temples in the Tang Dynasty, but the most special one that has been circulated in Qingyang Palace is the "Tang Wang Dian", with statues of Tang Wang's father and son Li Yuan, which is the only place dedicated to the emperor in China Taoist Temple. Although the Tang Palace is not an original building preserved from the Tang Dynasty, this tradition has continued from the Tang and Song Dynasties to the reconstruction of the Qing Dynasty, and even remains today. Tang Wangdian clearly reveals the origin of Qingyang Palace.

Since Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, returned to Chang 'an, Chengdu has always enjoyed the status of Nanjing, Tang Dou. The dignitaries who came to work in Chengdu included Wei Gao, Wu, Duan Wenchang, Bai Minzhong, Li Deyu and Gao Pian. There were many buffer zones in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. Although there have been some buffer zones in Tang Xianzong and Tang Wuzong, the situation is sometimes good and sometimes bad. Bashu area is close to Chang 'an, relatively rich and peaceful, and has almost become the most important rear base to maintain the Tang Dynasty. In the early days of Tang Xizong Li Xian's accession to the throne (874), the Great Uprising at the end of the Tang Dynasty broke out in the first year of Ganfu, and soon the bonfire intensified. After the rebels in Huang Chao occupied Luoyang, the eastern capital, they began to attack Tongguan, and the generals who kept the customs fled in succession, just like Xuanzong's Anshi past.

Doulao Hall is the earliest preserved Qingyang Palace building.

Tang Xizong stayed in Chengdu for four years. Unlike Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty, he lived in Xuanzhongguan. Why didn't Tang Xizong live in a bigger Daci Temple like Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty? It seems impossible to verify. At that time, the official department of Chengdu held a national imperial examination to select Jinshi. In these four years, Chengdu has been exercising the functions of the capital. When Tang Xizong lived in Xuanzhongguan, he didn't have time to expand it. Everything is simple. After returning to Chang 'an, Tang Xizong, in order to appreciate the life in the metaphysical view, the Taoist priests gave 2 million books, and changed the "view" to "palace". Taoist priests used the money to build a Taoist temple on a large scale, and then named it "Qingyang Palace".