Taizhou Station 8 - Guoqing Temple.

Upon arriving at Guoqing Temple, the first thing you see is the golden rice fields (Figure 1). It is said that the monks of Guoqing Temple, in addition to chanting and praying, also take care of the fields. There are 50-60 acres of land outside the temple, used to grow rice and vegetables. Inside the temple, there are grains drying on the ground (Figures 7, 8), and you can't help but respect the monks of this temple. It is also said that the vegetarian meals at Guoqing Temple are only 2 yuan and are very filling. The vegetarian meals here have been featured on "A Bite of China". The ingredients for the vegetarian meals are all grown and harvested by the monks themselves. Guoqing Temple was originally named Tiantai Temple, and together with Lingyan Temple, Qixia Temple, and Yuquan Temple, they are known as the "Four Uniques" in the world. Master Zhiyi is the founder of the Tiantai Sect. He had a special relationship with Yang Guang, and the two of them gave each other official titles. In the 11th year of Sui Kaihuang (591), Prince Jin Yang Guang invited Zhiyi to Yangzhou. Zhiyi gave Yang Guang the Bodhisattva precepts and the Dharma name "Zongchi". Yang Guang gave him the title of "Master Zhiyi". After Master Zhiyi passed away, Yang Guang, who was then the governor of Jiangnan, sent someone to build Guoqing Temple according to Master Zhiyi's wishes. Guoqing Temple became the main venue of the Tiantai Sect of Buddhism. (Among the eight major sects of Chinese Buddhism, the Tiantai Sect, founded by Master Zhiyi in Tiantai Mountain during the Sui Dynasty, is the earliest.) In the first year of Sui Daye (605), Emperor Yang of Sui bestowed the name "Guoqing Temple". The two characters "Guoqing" imply a clear and bright country and a peaceful world. This has been used to this day. The four characters "Duo Dai Gu Cha" in front of Guoqing Temple were written by Zhao Puchu. The character "Duo" is missing a "Gong", which is not a typo. The four characters "Da Xiong Bao Dian" of Guoqing Temple are written vertically, decorated with dragon patterns. Only temples that have been bestowed by the emperor can have a straight plaque. There are also thousand-year-old Sui plum trees (Figure 9), nine-story Sui pagodas, Wang Xizhi's half "goose" handwriting (Figure 19)... and the ancient bridge where the old man leads the cow in the classic picture (Figure 20). Guoqing Temple is the earliest temple to be restored after the "Cultural Revolution". National 5A Tourist Attraction, free admission.