Next to Miaotou Village in Huangpu District, Guangzhou, there is a sea-sacrificial temple that has been passed down for more than 1,400 years. It is the largest and most complete sea-sacrificial temple preserved among the four sea-sacrificial temples in China. It is an important place for emperors of all dynasties to worship the sea and one of the birthplaces of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. It is the South China Sea Temple.
The entrance of the Nanhai Temple Scenic Area
BabaylanThe South China Sea Temple was built in the 14th year of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty (594th year of the park) and is located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, emperors of all dynasties have sent important officials to sacrifice to the sea. The imperial inscriptions of Kangxi and Hongwu were written by Su Shi and Han Yu. Here, there are 47 steles of dynasties in the temple, which are called “Southern Stele Forest” by later generations. And for thousands of years, Chinese and foreign ships will come to the temple to worship the gods of the South China Sea and pray for peace. The Temple of the South China Sea therefore witnessed the glorious history of ancient maritime trade and became one of the birthplaces of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
NanhaiKomiksScenic Area Information List
Nanhai Temples have become The “Babaylan” temple fair on the 10th day of the lunar month of the second lunar calendar has become a national intangible cultural heritage. The “Sea Don’t Rise” archway stands in front of the temple, inheriting the thousands of years of the South China Sea Temple.Pray and blessings.
The legend of “South Sea God”
The name of the South Sea God is Zhurong, and some historical books also call it Zhu Chi. There are many folk legends about who Zhurong is. Some legends say that Zhurong was a Chinese emperor and a musician; some legends say that Zhurong was a Situ who specialized in identifying directions during the Huangdi era, and was the ancestor of the Chu people. There are also legends that Zhurong is originally the God of Fire, and the south is also belongs to fire, so Komiks Zhurong is also the God of the south.
Cinema<a The scenery of the South China Sea Temple Gate
The South China Sea Temple is located in Fuxu Town (now Huangpu Templetou) on the estuary of the Pearl River on the South China Sea. It is located on the north bank of the Pearl River and faces the Fuxu River (a section of the Pearl River). It is connected to Shiziyang in the east, Humen in the bottom, and Guangzhou back. It is a major sea transportation area between Guangzhou in ancient times. After traveling to and from the sea, you can reach various countries in the South China Sea. Fuxu Town has a very superior geographical location and is called BabaylanKomiks “It only takes a hundred steps to get to the sea, and it has always been windy and waves. Babaylan‘s shore is facing the abyss of the surging of Babaylan”. The ancients believed that this was an ideal place to build the Sea God Temple.
The Temple of the South China SeaIn the 14th year of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty (594), Emperor Wen of Sui issued an edict to build a temple for the Four Seas to worship the Four Seas, build a temple for the South China Sea in Guangzhou, and invited a wizard to preside over the sweeping of the temple and worship the God of the South China Sea. The temple also planted pine, cypress, trees, etc., and the Temple of the South China Sea God was established.
DaCinemaCinemaCinemaCinemaCinemaCinemaThe Temple of the South China Sea is also known as the “Polu Temple”. This alias is related to a Gentile Da Xi Sikong.
The statue of Da Xi Sikong in the South China Sea Temple
It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a tribute envoy named Da Xi in the ancient Polo Kingdom (Ancient India Cinema). After tribute to Beijing, he came to Guangzhou to visit and sacrifice, and planted two Polo tree seeds brought from the ancient Polo Kingdom in the temple. Because he was obsessed with the exquisiteness in the temple, he missed his return journey, so he looked at the sea all year round and cried, raised his left hand in front of his forehead to look at the sea, and finally stood on the beach. Later generations therefore worshipped statues in the temple, commonly known as “Fan Guiwang Polu”, and the temple was also called “BabaylanPolu Temple”.
“Balo Dan” Temple Fair
Balo Dan is also known as the Birth of the South China Sea God. The session is from the eleventh to the thirteenth day of the second lunar month every year, and the thirteenth is the birthday. The Polo Dan Temple Fair is a very grand folk event in Lingnan area. Traditional sacrificial activities such as antique sea sacrifice ceremony and Five Son Dynasty King were held during this period.
The grand scene of the Polo Dan Temple Fair by Liang Yitao
At that time, a stall outside the temple will be set up with long dragons filled with Polo chickens and wavesThe people in the temple pray for food such as Luozong, and the people in the temple pray for blessings. Young men and women dig love beans under the red bean tree to pray for a beautiful love. Therefore, the common saying “The first visit to Polo and the second to marry a wife” is circulated among the people.
The Polo Dan Temple Fair is rich in content and contains the most representative traditional folk culture and profound marine cultural heritage in Lingnan. In 2011, “Polo Dan” was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list project.
The first named place of “Eight Scenerys in Yangcheng”
The sun bathing pavilion on Zhangqiugang on the west side of the South China Sea Temple is a good place to watch the sunrise on the sea in the past. It is facing water on three sides, with vast smoke and waves, and the scene is extremely spectacular. It is called “Fu Xu Bathing Sun”.
Under the Sun Pavilion
In the early years of Shaosheng in the Northern Song Dynasty (1094), the great writer Su Dongpo worshiped the god of the South China Sea. He climbed to the Sun Bathing Pavilion, marveled at the magnificence of the sunrise on the sea, and wrote the poem “The Sun Bathing Pavilion in the South China Sea” with emotion. As soon as this poem was released, the Sun Pavilion became famous and attracted countless literati and poets to visit. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the eight scenic spots in Yangcheng were selected for the first time, and “Fu Xu Bathing on the Sun” was rated as the first scenic spot, which lasted for a hundred years.
Where is the beautiful title of “Southern Stele Forest”?
The South China Sea Temple contains a lot of precious information about the Maritime Silk Road and Guangzhou history. Emperors of all dynasties often send officials to worship the South China Sea God, repair the Sea God Temple, and erect monuments to record the events. The South China Sea Temple currently has 47 steles inscribed in the inscriptions (1 Tang stele, 3 Song stele, 3 Yuan stele, 17 Ming stele, 4 Qing stele, 10 copy stele, and 9 modern poetry stele), the Tang Hanyu stele, Song Kaibao stele, Ming Hongwu stele, etc. are all very precious cultural relics. Therefore, the South China Sea Temple is also known as the “Southern Stele Forest”.
The inscription in the South China Sea Temple
It is worth mentioning that in front of the main entrance of the South China Sea Temple, there is an ancient stone archway. The archway is a Qing Dynasty building with four big words “The sea does not rise and fall”. ArchwayFor “The mouth of Fuxu, the bay of Huangmu”, it is a must-pass place for Chinese and foreign merchants to enter and exit Guangzhou. The four words “The sea does not spread waves” represent the most sincere wishes for peace and good fortune when emperors and ministers, merchants, helmsmen and shipmen walked out of this prosperous ancient port for thousands of years.
The Qing Dynasty archway “The sea does not rise”
Some sources: South China Sea Temple