Sacred Land Temples and Monasteries Grottoes Stupas Tombs

Author: Wang Luxiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Every historical and cultural relic, without exception, has experienced the vicissitudes of rise and decline, being subjected to the relentless forces of time and weather. What is considered permanent is merely a slow erosion and eventual dissolution into dust within the relentless waves of time.
Preface: The Tang Dynasty poet Chen Zi'ang, upon standing at the ruins of the Golden Terrace built by King Yan of Yan, felt an overwhelming sense of solitude: "Before me, no ancient worthies; behind me, none yet to come. Contemplating the vastness of heaven and earth, I alone weep in sorrow!" This is the immense charm of historical and cultural relics. Compared to individual human lives, these relics are undeniably more enduring, evoking an inexplicable melancholy. At the same time, every historical and cultural relic has, without exception, undergone the vicissitudes of rise and decline, being shaped by the relentless forces of wind and rain and the rise and fall of dynasties. The so-called permanence is merely a gradual erosion and eventual dissolution into dust within the relentless currents of time. Therefore, Du Fu, while searching for Zhuge Liang's memorial hall in Chengdu, only saw "Green grasses reflecting on the steps, bathed in spring's hues; orioles singing through the leaves, their melodies empty and vain." Li Qunyu, by the Xiling Gorge, only witnessed "A wild temple faces the river, silent in spring's stillness; ancient steles stand, overgrown with lush grass." As for Du Mu, in Jinling, he could only imagine "Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, how many pavilions shrouded in mist and rain!" Perhaps, from a historical perspective, nothing is truly eternal. Yao's capital, Shun's land, Yu's domain—the thousands of years of civilization—what do they amount to in the universe? Despite this, even the most detached person cannot help but be moved when facing historical and cultural relics. After all, humans are both the subjects and transients of history. Almost all religions firmly believe in the immortality of the soul. When we stand before historical and cultural relics, it is this latent psychology that surfaces: we are engaging in a dialogue with the souls of the past. Those souls that have existed and then vanished, that have created and then been extinguished, that have loved and hated, borne and toiled—all of them, in the end, have faded into nothingness. These souls are worthy of reverence. Over the sky of every historical and cultural relic, do not countless such revered souls swirl?
Humans have souls, tribes have souls, history has souls, and nations have souls. Relics will eventually turn to dust, but souls endure. Land watched over by countless noble souls is a sacred place.
"The great river flows eastward, waves washing away the great figures of ages. By the old ramparts on the west, they say it is the Red Cliff of Zhou Lang of the Three Kingdoms." In the relentless tide of history, cultural relics are the surviving islands. They stubbornly preserve the memory of civilization. One day, these historical islands will also vanish. But as long as they endure, they will preserve the uniqueness of history to the greatest extent possible, allowing each era to leave something great for future generations to remember.
The past has both glorious peaks and insignificant valleys, yet all are unique. When legends and epics fall silent, only relics speak. Relics are not cold bricks, stones, or timber; they are not abandoned ruins. Relics are sealed memories, needing our careful brushing; they are ancient steles overgrown with moss, requiring our thoughtful touch. Relics are an ancient well, from which you can still draw gushing springs; they are an ancient bell, silent until struck—lightly struck, it rings softly; struck hard, it rings loudly.
The 125 ancient Chinese cultural relics introduced in this book are merely randomly selected from the countless stars of cultural relics. Some are already famous, while others remain obscure, yet all are rich in cultural significance and historical information. They cover almost every aspect of Chinese cultural relics, including primitive villages, tombs, city sites, palaces, residential houses, bridges; grottoes, pagodas, temples and monasteries; rock paintings, cliff carvings; ancient astronomical observatories, the Great Wall—and so much more. These relics are like a string of pearls, connected by the 7,000-year historical tapestry of the nation. Touching them is like touching the weathered body of our motherland, which has known both glory and dreams, as well as sorrow and helplessness.
However, I would rather readers approach these ancient cultural relics with the following mindset: Who lives in the remnants of snow? Where does the lone smoke rise? By a small bridge, a thatched inn, a fishing boat. The light of the stream knows no end, the green of the mountains is boundless. How many plum blossoms? How many bamboos? How many pines?
Every historical and cultural relic, without exception, has undergone the vicissitudes of rise and decline, being shaped by the relentless forces of wind and rain and the rise and fall of dynasties. The so-called permanence is merely a gradual erosion and eventual dissolution into dust within the relentless currents of time.
The 125 ancient Chinese cultural relics introduced in this book are merely randomly selected from the countless stars of cultural relics. Some are already famous, while others remain obscure, yet all are rich in cultural significance and historical information. They cover almost every aspect of Chinese cultural relics, including primitive villages, tombs, city sites, palaces, residential houses, bridges; grottoes, pagodas, temples and monasteries; rock paintings, cliff carvings; ancient astronomical observatories, the Great Wall—and so much more. These relics are like a string of pearls, connected by the 7,000-year historical tapestry of the nation. Touching them is like touching the weathered body of our motherland, which has known both glory and dreams, as well as sorrow and helplessness.