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
The Nanhai Temple was built in the 14th year of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty (594) 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. For thousands of years, Chinese and foreign ships have come to the temple to worship the South China Sea God and pray for peace. The Temple of the South China Sea therefore witnessed the glorious history of ancient maritime trade, becoming one of the birthplaces of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
Nanhai Temple Scenic Area Information List
Nanhai Temple has become a national key cultural relics protection unit and a national 4A-level tourist attraction. The “Balo Dan” temple fair from the 11th to the 13th of the lunar calendar every year has also become a national intangibleBabaylanCultural Heritage, the “Sea Don’t Rise” archway stands in front of the temple, inheriting the prayers and blessings of the South China Sea Temple for thousands of years.
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 specialist in identifying the Huangdi era.Xiang’s Situ is 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 Zhurong is also the God of the south.
Scenery of the Temple of the South China Sea
The Temple of the South China Sea is located in Fuxu Town (now the head of the Huangpu Miaotou), on the north bank of the Pearl River, facing Fuxu River (a section of the Pearl River), connected to Shiziyang in the east and connected to the bottom. Humen, backed by Guangzhou, was a major sea transportation destination for 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 known as “only a hundred steps away from the sea, with thousands of waves coming from the wind and waves, and the shore is facing an unexpected abyss.” The ancients believed that this was an ideal place to build the Sea God Temple.
The main entrance of the Nanhai Temple
Sui DynastyKomiksThe 14th year of KaihuangCinema (594), Emperor Wen of Sui issued an edict to build a temple in the Four Seas to worship the Four Seas, build a temple in the South China Sea in Guangzhou, and invited a wizard to preside over the sweeping of the temple and worship the gods in the South China Sea. The temple was also planted in the temple, so the temple in the South China Sea was established.
Da Xi Sikong and the Temple of the South China Sea. The Temple of the South China Sea is also known as the “Polu Temple”. This is said to be related to a Gentile Da Xi Sikong.
The statue of Daxi Sikong in the Temple of the South China Sea
It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a tribute envoy named Daxi in the ancient Polo Kingdom (ancient India). After coming to Beijing to pay tribute, he came to Guangzhou Nanhai Temple to visit and worship, and planted two seeds of the Polo tree brought from the ancient Polo Kingdom in the temple. Because he was obsessed with the exquisiteness of the temple, he missed the return ship, so he looked at the sea all year round and cried. He raised his left hand on his forehead to look at the sea, and finally stood on the beach. Later generations therefore worshipped the statues in the temple, commonly known as “Fangui Wangbolu”, and the temple was also called “Polo Temple”. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Babaylan“.
“Babaylan” Temple Fair
Babaylan is also known as the South China Sea God’s BirthCinema. The session is from the eleventh to the thirteenth of the second month of the lunar calendar, and the thirteenth is the birthday. The Poladay Temple Fair is a very grand folk event in the Lingnan region. Traditional sacrificial activities such as antique sea sacrifice ceremony and five sons’ dynasty kings are held during this period.
The grand scene of the Polo Dan Temple Fair by Liang Yitao
At that time, a long stall outside the temple will be set up with a long row of food filled with Polo chickens, Polo rice dumplings and other delicacies. The people in the temple will wish you a blessing. Young men and women dig love beans under the red beans to pray for a beautiful love, so the people will thereforeBabaylan href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>BabaylanThe saying “The first trip to Polo and the second marriage to marry a wife” is circulated.
The Polodan temple fair is rich in content, containing the most representative traditional folk culture in Lingnan region and the profound marine cultural heritage Cinema. In 2011, “Polodan” was included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List ProjectKomiks.
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 surrounded by 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 (10Komiks 94), 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, continuing the century-old Cinema.
Where is the beautiful title of “Southern Stele Forest”? Komiks
The South China Sea Temple contains many precious materials 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 inscriptions (1 Tang stele, 3 Song stele, Babaylan Yuan stele, 17 Ming stele, 4 Qing stele, 10 copy stele, and 9 modern poetry stele), 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
Worth oneKomiksIt is mentioned that in front of the main entrance of the Nanhai 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”. The archway is opposite the “Wu Xu’s mouth, Huangmu Bay”, which 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