Liaocheng Longxing Temple and the Iron Pagoda of the Song Dynasty!!!

Liaocheng Longxing Temple and the Iron Pagoda The newly built Longxing Temple Hall's painted sculptures are truly exquisite and stunning. I have always wondered what the newly created painted sculptures in Shanxi looked like when they were first made. They should be like this, but they lack the charm of the original sculptures and cannot compare with the craftsmen of that time. The modern ones look more like they were made on an assembly line. The Huguo Longxing Temple was first built during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD) and flourished in the early Ming Dynasty. It was one of the eight national protection and blessing sites of Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang. It once covered an area of over a hundred acres and was known as the ancient temple north of the Yangtze River and the Buddhist kingdom of the water city. During the late Ming Dynasty, one of the four great monks, Zen Master Zibai Zhanke, once resided here and wrote the "Longxing Temple Reconstruction Fundraising Appeal" for it. Over the long course of history, Longxing Temple has experienced cycles of prosperity and decline. The once magnificent temple has been entirely occupied by residential houses, with only the 12-story iron pagoda standing tall, weathered but unchanged, overlooking the vicissitudes of life. One of the eight ancient sights of Liaocheng, "Iron Pagoda Smoke and Mist," refers to the pagoda of Huguo Longxing Temple (now known as Liaocheng Iron Pagoda). The iron pagoda itself has no inscriptions, and there are no records in local documents. Based on the analysis and comparison of the pagoda's shape and relief style, it was initially built in the early Northern Song Dynasty and is the oldest existing building in Liaocheng. It collapsed during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty and was rebuilt in the second year of Chenghua (1466 AD) through donations from monks. For thousands of years, the iron pagoda has not only witnessed the history of Liaocheng but also added much glory to the city. Later generations listed it as one of the eight sights of Liaocheng. Ming Dynasty scholar Xu Dongwang wrote a poem as evidence: "The top reaches the clouds, distant geese fly away, evening clouds lean on trees, and the pond echoes with calls. Competing for spring in the dim smoke light, mirages clearly emerge from the sea."