Next to Miaotou Village in Huangpu District, Guangzhou, there is a temple of worship for more than 1,400 years. It is the largest and most complete temple of the four sea gods in China. It is an important place for emperors of all dynasties to worship the sea. It is also one of the birthplaces of the ancient sea silk road. It is the South China Sea Temple.
The entrance of the Nanhai Temple Scenic Area
The Nanhai Temple was built in Kaihuang Tenth SuiKomiksFourth year (Parque 594), it was located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, emperors of all dynasties have sent important officials to worship the sea. The imperial inscriptions of Kangxi and Hongwu were written by Emperors of the Imperial Palace, and Su Shi and Han Yu left behind thousands of years of poems. 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 and became one of the birthplaces of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
Nanhai Temple Scenic Area Information List
North China Sea Temple has become a national key cultural relics protection unit and a national 4A-level tourist attraction, and every year on February 11th of the lunar calendar. The “Bolo Dan” temple fair from the 13th day to the 19th is also a national intangible cultural 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 Komiks. 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 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 Huangpu Miaotou) on the estuary of the Pearl River on the north bank of the Pearl River, facing 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 for entry and exit from Guangzhou in ancient times. Through this, 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 South China Sea Temple
In the 14th year of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty (594), Emperor Wen of Sui issued an edict to build the Four Sea TempleBabaylan to worship the four seas, in the South China SeaKomiks built the Nanhai Temple, and invited a wizard to preside over the sweeping of the temple and worship the Nanhai God. The temple also planted pine, cypress and trees in the temple, so the Nanhai Temple 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 alias is related to a Gentile Da Xi Sikong.
Statue of Daxi Sikong in the South China Sea
CinemaThe statue of Daxi Sikong in the temple
It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a tribute envoy in the ancient Polo Kingdom (ancient India) named Daxi. After coming to Beijing to pay tribute, he came to Cinema went to Guangzhou Nanhai Temple to celebrate and worship, and planted two Polo tree seeds brought from the ancient Polo Kingdom in the temple. Because of obsessed with the exquisiteness of the temple, the sea boat that missed its return journey, so he looked at the sea all year round, raised his left hand on 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 Gui Wangbolu”, and the temple was also called “Polo Temple”.
“Polodan” Temple Fair
Polodan is also known as the South China SeaCinemaThe birthday of the gods is from the eleventh to the thirteenth 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 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 Liang Yitao Photo
At that time, a long stall set up outside the temple, filled with delicious food such as Polo chickens and Polo rice dumplings. The people in the temple prayed for blessings. Young men and women dug love beans under the red bean tree to pray for beautiful love. Therefore, the saying “The first trip to Polo, the second marriage to marry a wife” is circulated among the people.
The Polo Dan Temple Fair is rich in content, containing the most representative traditional folk culture and profound marine cultural heritage in the Lingnan region. In 2011, “Polo Dan” was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list project.
The first naming place of “Eight Scenery of Yangcheng”
Now in the South China SeaCinemaThe sun bathing pavilion on Zhangqiugang on the west side of the temple was a good thing to watch the sunrise on the sea in the past.The place is facing water on three sides, with vast smoke and waves, and the scene is extremely spectacular, and it is called “CinemaFu Xu Bathing in the Sun”.
Under the Sun Pavilion
NorthKomiksIn the early years of the Song Shaosheng (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 of 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 “NanKomiksFlag of the Square Stele Forest”?
The South China Sea Temple contains a lot of precious information about the Maritime Silk Road and Guangzhou’s history. Emperors of all dynasties often sent officials to worship the South China Sea God, repair the Sea God Temple, and erect monuments to record events. The South China Sea Temple currently has 47 steles (1 Tang stele, 3 Song stele, 3 Yuan stele, 17 Ming stele, 4 Qing stele, 10 copy stele, 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 Monument”.
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 the four big words “The sea does not rise and fall”. The archway is facing theThe mouth of the Xu, the bay of yellow wood” is a must-pass place for Chinese and foreign merchants to enter and exit Guangzhou. BabaylanThe four words “the sea does not rise and the 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 and the waves”
Some sources: South China Sea Temple