Have you noticed the weathered inscription above the entrance? It reads “Great Calendar Ancient Vestiges. Ten Thousand Buddhas Dragon Spring Precious Hall”. Welcome to \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802\u6751\u8fc7\u8857\u697c. This site is a treasure. It includes the \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802. It also has the Kongshui Cave carvings and pagodas.
\u4e07\u4f5b\u5802\u6751\u8fc7\u8857\u697c is in the village of \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802 in Beijing’s Fangshan District. This area is a significant Buddhist site. It features the \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802. The site also contains the Kongshui Cave carvings. Additionally, there are Liao Dynasty flower pagodas and Yuan Dynasty pagodas.
The \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802 was built during the Tang Dynasty. Zhu Xicai. He was a military governor. Zhu Xicai funded the construction of a temple. It was near Kongshui Cave. This original temple was the predecessor to the \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802.
Over time the temple faced destruction and reconstruction due to war. Two pagodas were built around the \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802. During the Ming Dynasty, a white jade carving from the Tang Dynasty was moved inside the \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802.
Let’s step closer to the \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802. It stands on a stone platform. The platform was built against the mountain. The hall has three bays. Its roof is a hip-and-gable style without beams. Gray tiles cover the roof. Large eaves support the structure.
Look at the main entrance. Side bays each have a window. White jade is used for the window carvings. These carvings feature flying birds and flowers.
Above the door is a stone tablet. It is inscribed with the characters. The inscription reads “Great Calendar Ancient Vestiges. Ten Thousand Buddhas Dragon Spring Precious Hall.” Smaller characters indicate. The hall was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty. Lotus flowers are carved around the stone tablet. The windows are semi-circular arches. The window lattices feature stone carvings. They depict mesh patterns.
Inside \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802, the walls display stone carvings. These carvings form a picture. It is called “Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Assembly”. The carving is about 23 meters long and 2 meters high. Thirty-one pieces of white jade make up the relief.
The central figure is Sakyamuni. His hands are raised to preach. He has spiral hair. He wears a wide robe. His feet are bare. Below him are figures. They hold night forks and Mani beads.
On each side stand Manjusri and Samantabhadra. They wear crowns and flowing ribbons. Attendants such as Bodhisattvas, gods, and heavenly kings surround them. Above Sakyamuni is the image of a wheel-turning king. He has wings. He holds the sun and moon. He steps on two dragon girls. Additional carvings include flying apsaras and musical performances.
Thousand Buddha images are carved on the left, right and top. An inscription is on the southern wall. It includes the date. It is the fifth year of the Dali reign.
Note the mismatched patterns. Nineteen ink inscriptions mark locations. These markings suggest the carvings were separate. They were originally placed on three mountain walls.
Below \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802 is Kongshui Cave. It is a natural karst cave. The cave entrance features stone bricks carved with water beasts. Two swimming dragons flank the entrance. Spring water flows from the base.
Inside the cave are statues and sutras. These date from the Sui, Tang and Jin Dynasties. The statues sit above the carved scriptures. There are two niches. One niche contains a Buddha with two Bodhisattvas. The other features a seated Bodhisattva. Carvings of the Sui Dynasty cover the walls.
To the northwest, you’ll see the Liao Dynasty flower pagoda. It stands on the hillside. It is unique in Beijing. The pagoda is about 20 meters tall. It has an octagonal shape.
The pagoda’s base is plain. Above it is a Sumeru pedestal. The pedestal has carvings of lotus petals. False palace doors display lion heads. The Sumeru pedestal supports a decorated waist. The eight corners feature warrior figures. Between the pillars are false doors. These doors contain images of musicians.
Finally, to the southeast is a Yuan Dynasty stupa. It is about 18 meters high. It is a brick stupa. It resembles stupas in the Silver Mountain Pagoda Forest.
In 1979, \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802 and Kongshui Cave were listed as protected sites in Beijing. In 2001, the entire site became a national protected site. This ensures \u4e07\u4f5b\u5802\u6751\u8fc7\u8857\u697c will be preserved for generations.