The world of 'Suspended Sculpture Masterpieces' in Xiaoxitian is fascinating
🛕 Xiaoxitian, originally named Qianfo An, was founded by Zen Master Dongming in the second year of Chongzhen (1629). Xiaoxitian is built on a solitary peak west of Xixian city, with clear streams flowing from its flanks and earthen hills extending from its wings, resembling a phoenix spreading its wings, hence it was named Fenghuang Mountain.
⛩ The architecture of Xiaoxitian is mainly divided into the lower temple, upper temple, and front temple. The Wuliang Hall is built into the earth as a cave, forming the lower temple in front of it; the Daxiong Baodian is built on top of the Wuliang Hall cave roof, forming the upper temple; on the top of the Gu Tong Peak, there are the Guanyin Pavilion and Kuixing Pavilion, below which is the front temple. The temple covers an area of just over 1100 square meters, and within this extremely limited space, there are more than 20 buildings, with a rigorous layout, staggered and orderly, small and exquisite, which is admirable.
🕋 The Daxiong Baodian originally had 1978 large and small suspended Buddha statues, with 1673 still existing, accounting for 14% of the province's existing Ming and Qing dynasty colored sculptures, which number 11630. The sculptures are vividly shaped and exquisitely crafted. The Daxiong Baodian's colored sculptures come in three forms: round sculpture, relief sculpture, and suspended sculpture, with the large suspended sculptures being hailed as the 'masterpieces' of the history of Chinese sculpture art, enjoying a unique status at home and abroad and a reputation for their enchanting artistry.
✅ The upper part of the north wall and the mountain flower spire of the Daxiong Baodian are adorned with the 'Six Desires Heaven' suspended sculpture group, which is an extremely precious Buddhist ideological history sculpture. The south wall features the 'Glazed Holy Realm' suspended sculpture group, with 'Glazed Holy Realm' referring to the entire paradise.
✨ Between the north and south ends, there is the 'Mingwang Palace' suspended sculpture group, which depicts the ten great Mingwang figures. There are four groups of celestial musician sculptures, located on the first-floor platform of the Amitabha Buddha niche, the Shakyamuni Buddha niche, the Vairocana Buddha niche, and the upper part of the Three Saints image on the west side of the south wall.
🌟 There are more than 1600 of these small suspended sculptures, all arranged above the wall columns and beams, creating scenes and images with meaning, complementing the activities of the figures with heavenly palaces, pavilions, terraces, and waterside pavilions, celestial orchestras, and jeweled canopies, as well as birds and beasts, flying dragons and dancing phoenixes🐉, a dazzling array, each with its own wonderful aspects. They fully demonstrate the ability to float in the air and tread the void, depicting the ethereal paradise of the Western Pure Land of imagination, aptly used. Inside the heavenly Buddha land, with its layered pavilions, exotic flowers and plants, Dragon Flower trees🌲, and a myriad of characters and animals🦅, the solemnity of preaching and the joy of music and dance, it's like a movie scene rolling past you.
💫 These cold objects seem to have turned into flesh-and-blood spirits, each one coming to life: the flying Apsaras soaring freely, the musicians dancing gracefully, the Mingwang patrolling the clouds, and the many officials busily attending to their duties.... Everything appears solemn, austere, harmonious, and joyful.
Suspension plastic is very beautiful, super recommended! Xiaoxitian's architectural style and characteristics can be summarized with the words "small, clever, exquisite, strange". The monastery is well arranged. The hall is densely constructed, carefully carved, and "fine" is subtle. It is really unique in the history of architecture. The unique scenic spot is not big. It can be visited in 1 hour.
The Daxiong Palace in Xiaoxitian is very worth watching! Very shocking and exquisite! This Daxiong Palace is worth it! Please explain and take a look and listen! More than a thousand hanging shapes are absolutely perfect! Some photos are not convenient to post! Go see for yourself!
The journey starts with a small yellow car. As the mainstream transportation method to Xiaoxitian, it only costs 70 yuan to go back and forth, which can easily solve the travel problem. The art of hanging in the temple is the protagonist. Every hanging is carefully crafted, brightly colored and simple. It is rumored that it was built during the Ming Dynasty, and the Buddha statue did not provoke dust because of the dust. When I lost my way, I also met a master who lived here for 10 years by chance. We talked very happily, from the history of the temple to the protection of the hanging art, the master's words are full of wisdom and affection, let me know more deeply about Xiaoxitian, but also have a sincere respect for the guardians of this cultural heritage. The whole tour plus lunch, about 2 hours. If you stay more, you can also taste the local jade fragrant pear. As I left, I couldn't help but look back at the land full of stories, and I promised myself that I would visit this place again in the future to continue to explore the unfinished stories and the unfinished beauty.
隰县小西天,又名千佛庵,位于山西省临汾市隰县城西凤凰山巅,是一座佛教禅宗寺院,由明代东明禅师创建于明崇祯二年。初因大雄宝殿内有佛像千尊而得名,后因重门额题“道入西天”,又为区别城南另一座明代寺院“大西天”而更名“小西天”。隰县小西天全寺建筑面积1100多平方米,建有大雄宝殿、文殊殿、普贤殿、无梁殿、天王殿、韦驮殿、地藏殿、钟楼、鼓楼等许多殿舍,并洞为门,把上院、中院、前院分割开来。实际上寺院三分之二殿堂均为双层建筑结构。隰县小西天内悬塑彩画为独一无二。隰县小西天现为全国重点文物保护单位。
It is worth coming. I also invited a tour guide and told me in detail. It is indeed very beautiful, but it is very inconvenient to go. It is only necessary to drive a chartered car or report a group. In winter, there is no public group.