The Dule Temple (

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

: 獨樂寺;

Simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...

: 独乐寺;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: ''Dúlè Sì''; lit. 'Temple of Solitary Joy) is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

located in Jizhou District of suburban

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

, China. The temple is of historical as well as architectural significance. Its oldest surviving buildings are two timber-frame structures, the front gate and the central hall (pavilion) that houses a colossal clay statue of the Eleven-Headed manifestation of the

Bodhisattva Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

(

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...

). Both structures date back to the

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

and are among the oldest surviving wooden buildings in China.Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt, Liao architecture, University of Hawaii Press, 1997
/ref>

History

The origins of the Dule Temple date back at least to the early

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. However, no buildings from the Tang Dynasty era have survived on the site. The oldest buildings still in existence, the Shan Gate and the Guanyin Pavilion, were constructed during a renovation of the temple in the second year of Tonghe Emperor of the

Liao Dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

(984 AD). These buildings, both central features of the temple, were designed and constructed by local architects and craftsmen on the basis of the Tang architectural technology and carving techniques. In 755,

An Lushan An Lushan (; 20th day of the 1st month 19 February 703 – 29 January 757) was a general in the Tang dynasty and is primarily known for instigating the An Lushan Rebellion. An Lushan was of Sogdian and Göktürk origin,Yang, Zhijiu, "An Lushan ...

held a rally in the Dule Temple at the onset of his

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

against the Tang emperor. The name of the temple could be a reference to An Lushan, who was also known as An Dule. However, the name could also have originated from the Dule River that flows to northwest of the city, although it is not clear if the river's name predates that of the temple. In 1928, a unit of soldiers commanded by warlord

Sun Dianying Sun Dianying (; 1889–1948) was a Chinese bandit leader, warlord, and National Revolutionary Army commander who fought in the Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War, and Chinese Civil War, earning notoriety for changing sides multiple times in co ...

was stationed in the Dule Temple and used the main hall as barracks. Sun Dianying and his troops were responsible for the

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

of the nearby

Eastern Qing Tombs The Eastern Qing tombs (; ) are an imperial mausoleum complex of the Qing dynasty located in Zunhua, northeast of Beijing. They are the largest, most complete, and best preserved extant mausoleum complex in China. Altogether, five emperors (Shun ...

. A leftover from the military occupation of the temple are bullet holes in the timber frames that were inflicted during target practice. In the early 1930s, Dule Temple was studied by

Liang Sicheng Liang Sicheng (; 20 April 1901 – 9 January 1972) was a Chinese architect and architectural historian, known as the father of modern Chinese architecture. His father, Liang Qichao, was one of the most prominent Chinese scholars of the early 20t ...

, the author of the China's first modern history on Chinese architecture. In the same decade, the temple was converted into the Jixian Village Normal School.

Description

The grand temple complex is located in the north and faces the south. The Shan Gate of Dule Temple

Shanmen

The

shanmen The Shanmen (), also known as the Gate of Three Liberations, is the most important gate of a Chinese Chan Buddhist temple. Etymology The origins of the name "sanmen" are debated. One theory is that "''Shanmen''" takes its literal meaning of "Mo ...

(

: 山門;

: 山门;

: ''Shānmén'') is a single-story building that stands 10 meters tall and has three single-eaves Wudian roofs (

: 廡殿頂;

: 庑殿顶;

: ''Wǔdiàn Dǐng'' i.e., roofs with four slopes and five ridges). It functions as the front gate on the temple's south side and houses the statues of two guardian kings. The ''

Chiwen ''Chiwen'' () is a Chinese dragon, and in Chinese mythology is one of the 9 sons of the dragon. He is depicted in imperial roof decorations and other ornamental motifs in traditional Chinese architecture and art. The name for this dragon is ...

'' on both ends of the main ridge are the origin structures made in the

(907-1125). Under the south eaves is a plaque which is said to be the handwriting of the prime minister

Yan Song Yan Song (; 1480–1567), courtesy name Weizhong (惟中), pseudonym Jiexi (介溪), was a Chinese politician and regent of the Ming dynasty. He was notorious for being corrupt and for dominating the Ming government for two decades as Grand Sec ...

(1480-1567) in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368-1644). Inside the hall are two colored clay statues of

Heng and Ha Heng and Ha () are two generals of the Shang dynasty in Chinese mythology, featured within the 16th-century Chinese fantasy novel ''Investiture of the Gods''. These two fictional characters were created by the author of ''Investiture of the Gods' ...

made in the Liao dynasty and frescos of the

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the a ...

drawn in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644-1911).

Guanyin Pavilion

The Guanyin Pavilion (

: 觀音閣;

: 观音阁;

: ''Guānyīn Gé'') is a three-story timber structure with five single-eaves Xieshan roofs (

: 歇山頂;

: 歇山顶;

: ''Xiēshān Dǐng'', i.e., half-hipped, half-gabled roofs). The pavilion has a height of about 23 meters and consists of more than one thousand individual pieces. Inside the hall there is a clay statue of the Eleven-Headed Guanyin (

: 十一面觀音;

: 十一面观音;

: ''Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn''). The statue, measuring 16 meters in height, is the biggest of its kind in China.Dule Temple - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> This statue of Guanyin was constructed in the Liao dynasty (907-1125), but the artistic style is similar to that in the flourishing period of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618-907). On both sides of the statue of Guanyin are statues of his attendants, also made in the Liao dynasty. The pavilion centers with the statue of Guanyin and has two rows of column pillars around. The design which sets ''

dougong ''Dougong'' () is a structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, one of the most important in traditional Chinese architecture. The use of dougong first appeared in buildings of the late centuries BC and evolved into a structural net ...

'' on the pillars and

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can ...

s on the ''dougong'' in each layer separates the pavilion into three stories and makes it easier for people to pay tribute to Guanyin from different angles. The architrave are placed around the statue and the patio formed in the center is covered with an octagonal caisson (), which closely integrates the entire interior space and the statue. The thousands of beams, columns and architraves in the pavilion are arranged in an ordered way with high technique, which shows the excellent wooden architecture technology and achievements in the Liao dynasty.

Gallery

File:独乐寺大雄宝殿正面2018.jpg, Temple courtyard File:Dule temple - panoramio.jpg, View from within the Guanyin Pavilion File:Dule temple roof scape 2011 11.jpg, Temple roof exhibiting a xieshan hip-and-gable style

Location

The Dule Temple is located in the center of Jizhou District. Its address is 41 Wuding Street, Jizhou District, Tianjin ().

Notes and references

External links

Illustration of inner structures
(''Ji County'' is written as ''Jixian'' in the title there) {{Liao dynasty topics Buddhist temples in Tianjin Guanyin temples Liao dynasty architecture Tang dynasty Buddhist temples Timber framed buildings in China Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Tianjin 10th-century Buddhist temples 984 establishments 10th-century establishments in China Colossal Guanyin statues