Why is Quanzhou the "World Religious Museum"?

"Chi Di has a taste of the sea, and Yanzhou is built in 3,000 buildings", which is the description of Quanzhou, a famous historical and cultural city, by Chen Tao, a poet in the Tang Dynasty. Quanzhou, located in the southeast coast of China, has a long history and prosperous culture, and is the only starting point of the Maritime Silk Road recognized by the United Nations. In the heyday of ancient maritime trade, Quanzhou, as the support point of the international trade network between East and West, had an important position. In Kyle Poirot's travels, Quanzhou Port is also known as the largest port in the East and the "City of Light". It can be seen that Quanzhou has an important historical position in ancient times. Quanzhou, which has a long history, is still radiant today, and has many laudatory names such as "hometown of overseas Chinese in China" and "city of light".

Today's Quanzhou, not only has pleasant scenery and superior climate, but also is a cultural treasure house of ancient and modern inheritance and the intersection of east and west. Tradition and modernity, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, Hinduism, etc. , and many cultures are intertwined, forming today's unique Quanzhou culture. Among them, Quanzhou's Buddhist culture has a prominent position, which can be described as shining. Next, I will lead you to feel the Buddhist culture in Quanzhou, which has been popular in Quanzhou for more than 1000 years. It has a long history and a deep social foundation, which deeply affects all aspects of Quanzhou. Since the Tang Dynasty, Quanzhou has been known as the "all-southern Buddhist country". According to the custom of old Quanzhou, the 26th day of the lunar calendar is the "Buddhist Day" of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, which is one of the most famous Buddhist activities.

Later, this day also developed into a temple fair in West Street. This tradition of Kaiyuan Temple has existed since the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War. At that time, because of the hardships of the people, the temple decided to open a warehouse to help the victims, and it has continued since then. On this day, West Street and Kaiyuan Temple were crowded with people, and stalls of flowers, gold paper and various special foods came to occupy a good position in the early hours of the morning. People and pilgrims from all over Quanzhou also rushed to the temple with offerings. After the "Buddha worship" at noon 12, believers lined up to eat a bowl of vegetarian noodles and add a "sesame oil money" to pray for all the best in the coming year. The Buddhist architecture in Quanzhou also fully demonstrates the Buddhist culture in Quanzhou. As early as the Song Dynasty, with the development of Quanzhou's overseas trade, Quanzhou monks gathered a lot of wealth and built unprecedented bridges and towers, which promoted the local traffic and economic development.

For example, Luoyang Bridge and Anping Bridge in Quanzhou are famous long stone bridges across the sea in China. Luoyang Bridge was called Wan 'an Bridge in ancient times, and Buddhist monks played an important role in the construction of Luoyang Bridge. The Moonlight Bodhisattva Tower located in the middle and upper part of the bridge is engraved with "Built in the Year of Jihai" (AD 1059), which proves the completion time of Luoyang Bridge, the existing Buddhist stone towers and figures, and shows the unique religious, artistic and other cultural connotations of Luoyang Bridge.

On both sides of the long bridge, there are ancient stone pagodas and carved Buddha statues. The balustrade is carved with lifelike stone lions of men and women and stone statues of general protecting the bridge, all of which are stone carvings of the Southern Song Dynasty. There are five "rest places" in the east, west and middle of the whole bridge for people to rest, all of which are equipped with statues of bodhisattvas. There are four symmetrical square stone pagodas and a circular jade pagoda in the water on the two wings. The tower is carved with Buddha statues, full of charity and Buddhism. In addition to the bridges built by monks, Buddhist temples in Quanzhou are also very distinctive and well-known, among which Chengtian Temple and Kaiyuan Temple are representatives. Chengtian Temple was built in the Southern Tang Dynasty, formerly known as "nanzenji", and was named Chengtian Temple in the fourth year of Jingdezhen in the Northern Song Dynasty (1007). Its scale is second only to Kaiyuan Temple, and it is one of the three jungles in southern Fujian, because it is the first mountain gate of the temple.

The famous master Hong Yi has lived in Quanzhou for 14 years, and Chengtian Temple is the place where he usually lives in Wuxi. In recent years, compatriots from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as overseas Chinese laymen and monks have come to visit Chengtian Temple, and good men and women have actively donated money. The temple was repaired according to the original scale, gradually restored to its old appearance, and the incense was flourishing. Another temple, Kaiyuan Temple, is even more legendary. One day, a monk named Kuang Hu came to see a temple. Although Huang Shougong is a devout Buddhist, he is unwilling to donate a large area of mulberry forest for no reason. Because it was difficult to shirk, I lied that the mulberry forest was full of lotus flowers, so I donated the land. The Zen master Kuang Hu smiled and drifted away. The next morning, his family knocked at the door and told him that the mulberry forest was full of lotus flowers. Huang Shougong didn't believe it, so he went to the mulberry forest together and found that all the mulberry branches in the garden were full of lotus flowers.

He asked the monk how much land he needed to build a temple. The Zen master said that as long as a cassock is big enough, Huang Shougong nodded happily. He didn't want to take off his cassock and throw it into the air. He immediately built the whole mulberry forest. Huang Shougong marveled at the boundless Buddhism, so he donated the whole mulberry forest and built the largest temple in Fujian Province. Zhen Guo Tower and Renshou Pagoda are both made of stone, and they are the only large stone pagodas in China, which are well-known at home and abroad in the name of "Erythrina Twin Towers". The figure statues of the two pagodas and the Buddha statues on Wan 'an Bridge and Brahman painted stone pagodas in Anping Bridge are all stone carvings that promote Buddhist culture. The Daxiong Hall of Kaiyuan Temple has the elegant name of "Hundred Beads Hall", and the flying sculptures at the top of the hall are mixed with those introduced from India.

The architectural art style is extremely unique. In addition, other ancient Buddhist stone carving arts in Quanzhou are also very famous, such as the Five Dynasties Amitabha statue in Jiuri Mountain, the Song Dynasty sculpture of Ruixiangyan in Qingyuan Mountain, the three saints sitting in Bixiaoyan West, and the Amitabha statue in Amitabha Rock. , all have high artistic value. There are countless Buddhist works like this in Quanzhou, and Quanzhou's rich Buddhist culture is also reflected in martial arts, music, skills and so on, which has also brought a very positive impact on society. In the late Tang Dynasty, there was a southern Zen Shaolin Zhaoqing Temple in Quanzhou. Up to now, "Taizu Boxing" and "Wu Zu Boxing" are still popular in Quanzhou, which is famous for its Buddhist music, calligraphy and opera. In modern times, in order to meet the needs of the masses to run Buddhism, the monks of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou organized big Kaiyuan, small Kaiyuan classes and monk groups, which were called "Dacheng Opera", and their musical tunes were Buddhist songs, Taoism and harmony.

In addition, the activities organized by Quanzhou Buddhist Office, such as Chengtian Temple Yingshan Yixue, Kaiyuan Cier Hospital, Wenling Nursing Home, Tongfo Temple, etc., as well as the voluntary burial team during the Anti-Japanese War, all had a good influence on the society. The "Free Clinic of Quanzhou Buddhism" founded by Zhuo Yuan, Vice President of Chinese Buddhist Association and abbot of Chengtian Temple, and the Quanzhou Buddhist College founded by Chen Zhenzhen, an old monk in Quanzhou, have benefited the society and people of Quanzhou and made Quanzhou famous far and wide.

"This place was called the Buddhist Kingdom in ancient times, and the streets were full of saints", which was inscribed by Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, inscribed by Zhu, a philosopher in the Southern Song Dynasty, and written by a master. Sumitomo of Kaiyuan Temple has a Hindu lion statue, the arch of Ursa Major has a wonderful bird statue, and the East West Tower has 80 Buddha statues, which contain disciples and Buddhist scriptures. It is only 300 meters away from Quannan Christian Church in Zhongshan Road and Tumen Street, including Confucian Temple, Jing Qing Temple, Guan Yue Temple, Chengtian Temple in Nanjun Lane, Chongfu Temple in Ji Cheng Road, South Shaolin in Dongyue Mountain, Laojunyan Statue in Qingyuan Mountain, Mystery Temple in East Street, Tianfei Palace in Jubao Street, Zhenwu Temple in South Wudang in Stone Street, Manichaeism (Zoroastrianism) in Cao An, Jinjiang, and so on. There are 60 thousand-year-old temples in Quanzhou, covering three major religions: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Incense is flourishing, believers are devout, there are many cultural relics and historical sites, and the cultural accumulation is rich. Known as half-city fireworks, half-city immortals.

Quanzhou is a famous historical and cultural city, located in the southeast coast of Fujian Province. It is the main starting point of China's Maritime Silk Road. It was once the "largest port in the East" and a famous hometown of overseas Chinese. It is also the most important ancestral home of Taiwan Province compatriots and an important part of the Straits culture. In addition, Quanzhou is the gathering place and radiation point of the world's religious culture, and is known as the "all-southern Buddhist country" and "religious museum". As a famous historical and cultural city, China's traditional culture is the core, and after historical precipitation, it has formed a multi-regional culture with rich connotations and unique styles, among which religious culture is an important part.

As a local religion in China, Taoism has a history of 1800 years. The spread of Taoism in Quanzhou can be traced back to the Taikang period of the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 280-289), when the earliest Taoist temple "Baiyun Temple" was built. Later, in the Tang Dynasty, Taoism developed faster because it was advocated by local officials. Because Quanzhou was located in the southeast corner of the sea at that time, the society maintained long-term stability, the economy and culture developed continuously and rapidly, and the population was large, which provided good communication conditions for Taoism. Taoism has been circulating in Quanzhou for more than 1000 years, and it has had a far-reaching impact on many aspects of Taoism teaching in Quanzhou in the long history. Today, Taoist culture still permeates the hearts of countless Quanzhou people. Since the Qing Dynasty, the ninth day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the birth day of "Born in Heaven" and the Jade Emperor. On the ninth day of the first month of each year, various large-scale activities will be held in all parts of Quanzhou, and a grand parade will be held in Quanzhou. From religious ceremonies to folk customs, it has continued to this day.

According to Shu Min, Islam was introduced to China shortly after its establishment. Prophet Mohammed has four disciples and great sages. Tang Wude came to Korea and preached in China. Three sages and four sages preached in Quanzhou. Islam spread in Quanzhou from the Northern Song Dynasty. 1983 After the founding of New China, the second Muslim Congress was held in Quanzhou, and Huang Qiurun was re-elected as the director of the Iraqi Association. In the same year, Jing Qing Temple was completely renovated, and more than ten families were moved out of the temple. Since 1985, Imam Jing Qing Temple has been hired from Ningxia, Anhui and other places to give lectures and hold Arabic classes to translate Arabic stone tablets in Song and Yuan Dynasties. In the past few years, we have received some ambassadors and counsellors from countries in the Middle East and the Near East to visit the temple. It is worth pointing out that in 2004, former Indonesian President Wahid came here to seek his roots and visited Jing Qing Temple.

Modern Christianity was introduced into Quanzhou with the unequal treaties after the Opium War. The Western Christian Church called the Sino-British treaty of nanking a "turning point" in missionary work in China, and Christianity took this opportunity to enter. Modern Christianity was mainly introduced to Quanzhou by the Presbyterian Church, which was the earliest and most influential Christianity introduced to Quanzhou. 1856, Father Du Jiade went to Anhai to preach from Xiamen. 1863, the power developed to Quanzhou. Then it gradually developed to Jinjiang coastal area, Nan 'an, Anxi, Yongchun and Dehua. By 1900, Quanzhou Christian Church was basically controlled by Presbyterian Church. In addition, there is the British London Association, 1865, which developed from Xiamen to Hui 'an, and its power was concentrated in Hui 'an, Jinbei River City, Majia and Luoxi.

Manichaeism was originally called Zoroastrianism in China. Cao An in Jinjiang in Yuan Dynasty was carved with stone sculptures. Cao An was founded in Shaoxing in Song Dynasty, formerly known as Cao Zhu. From Yuan Shundi to Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1399), it was converted into a stone frame building. Three rooms are wide and two rooms are deep, with arches under the eaves. A circular Buddha box with a diameter of 1.9 meters was carved in the Hall of the Great Hero, and a sitting Buddha was embossed in the circle. The Buddha statue is 1.52 meters high and 0.83 meters wide, with a round face, a shawl with eyebrows and two beards under the jaw. Face, body and hands are cleverly constructed with rocks of different natural colors, with different styles. The back is carved with dazzling patterns. This shows that Zoroastrianism has developed into an idolatrous folk religion in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. In the Yuan Dynasty, Ming people in Xiedian City of Jinjiang also built nameless temples in the countryside. This shows that Zoroastrianism has evolved into a folk religion in the vast rural areas in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and it has been closely combined with secularized Taoism and Buddhism, and has become the place where Ming believers "pray for the early birth of Buddhism".

Buddhism has the largest number of temples and followers among all religions in Quanzhou. According to documents, the earliest Buddhist temple buildings in Quanzhou were in the Western Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties. The rapid rise of Quanzhou's social economy and culture in the Tang Dynasty provided a favorable social foundation for the spread of Buddhism in Quanzhou. The construction of Buddhist temples is an important symbol of the prosperity and development of Buddhism. There are more than 40 Buddhist temples in Quanzhou (Tongan, Hui 'an, Anxi, Nan 'an and Jinjiang), which shows the prosperity of Quanzhou Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty. Today, Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou still preserves the hexagonal Buddha-crowned Buddhist scripture architecture in the eighth year of the Tang Dynasty (854). Although Quanzhou Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty was hit by the "extinction of Buddhism" by Wuzong during Huichang period, it was quickly corrected. Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty gradually merged with the traditional culture of China, forming a Buddhist system with national cultural characteristics. The east and west towers of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou in the Song Dynasty not only reflected the social and economic development, but also reflected the wealth accumulated by Quanzhou Buddhist temples. Kaiyuan Temple East Town National Tower is 48.24 meters high, and Xirenshou Tower is 44.06 meters high. In addition, there is the Shishi Wanshou Pagoda, also known as "Guansuo Pagoda" and commonly known as "Gusao Tower", which is located on Baogai Mountain. According to Shan Zhi Biography of Quanzhou Prefecture, the gate tower of Shuikou Town is closed. It is expected that there will be business contacts, and a monk interface was specially built between Song and Shaoxing. Therefore, Wanshou Pagoda is not only a Feng Shui Pagoda, but also a beacon tower for ships entering and leaving Quanzhou Bay.

In addition to Taoism, Islam, Christianity, Manichaeism and Buddhism mentioned above, there are also different religious factions in Quanzhou, such as Catholicism, Japan, Hinduism and Judaism. The phenomenon of various religions is not unique to Quanzhou. In China or other parts of the world, the coexistence of different religions and factions has existed for a long time. However, the specific situation of religious existence in Quanzhou is absolutely rare in the world. In the history of world religious development, different religions often repel each other, resist each other and even lead to war. For a long time, dozens of religions have been able to coexist in a city, a block and the same temple in Quanzhou. The harmonious religious atmosphere of mutual tolerance and friendly coexistence has enabled all religions to develop and communicate fully and freely.