Quanzhou Shaolin Temple Review

South Shaolin has many gates, parking lot also has a gate, is a stone archway, seemingly ancient, did not pay attention to the age, but it is not a passer-by's entry gate. The Mountain Gate is also called Sanmen, which represents the three liberation gates of Buddhism - "empty gates, no opposite gates and no making gates. Over the main entrance hangs a rectangular red-bottomed gold plaque with three characters "Shaolin Temple". The bright red retro-architecture is in front of us, especially under the blue sky and white clouds. From the entrance of the gate, we can see that the steps are still very old, and the stone carvings of the South Shaolin site are marked not far away. Along the steps, there is a fork. On the left is the main hall and on the right is the martial arts arena. Following the steps, we first go to the martial arts arena and then take the main line. The martial arts hall is pushed by stones. The date is Jiaxuchun. It should be newly built. In the shade beside the martial arts arena, someone happened to be practicing martial arts here. Although they couldn't understand it, they were worth the trip. Whether they were martial arts masters or not, let's take them for granted. As a matter of fact, the Shaolin Temple is very quiet. Under many dense trees, it feels a little cool. The little monk sitting in the mountains, smiling at the visitors, seems to be welcoming. The woodland paths, shaded by trees, the pagodas and the scenery merge into one, as if sitting here to recall the splendor of the time. At present, the Shaolin Temple is still under repair, some of which are not fully open. The main buildings are Bell Tower, Tianwang Hall, Daxiong Palace, Long Corridor, Guanyin Pavilion and Tibetan Sutra Pavilion. Bell Tower on both sides and Tianwang Palace in the middle are taken outside the temple because of respect for Buddha. The solemn and quiet Tianwang Palace is generally the first temple of the temple. It mainly worships the four great heavenly kings, Maitreya and Wei Qian Tianhong. Surrounded by two banyan trees, the grand hall has a long history and is considered as a fine building. The four magnificent characters "Shaolin Zen Temple" on the front are written by Mr. Zhao Puchu, former president of the Chinese Buddhist Association, with vigorous handwriting. The three-storey Guanyin Pavilion, which is about 22 meters high, is built in accordance with the traditional architectural style of southern Fujian. The statue of Guanyin is carved from two African pineapple grids and is 12 meters high. The statue of Guanyin is 9 meters high, the base is 3 meters high and the width is 2 meters. Guanyin foot stepped on Lotus flower, holding a pure bottle, "Lotus" "bottle" and "Peace "homonym), so this Guanyin is named "Peace Guanyin". Peace Guanyin not only implies praying for world peace and national peace. From the Guanyin Pavilion staircase up is Puxian Pavilion and Wenshu Pavilion. Hidden in the deepest part is the Tibetan Sutra Pavilion, which is also at the highest point. Only when the ancient steps enter the Rihui Gate or Yuedermen Gate can the Tibetan Sutra Pavilion be reached. At present, it is not open, and its appearance is almost repaired.