◎Shenggu Temple

As a major historical and cultural site protected at the provincial level,Shenggu Temple is located in Anping County,Hengshui.According to historical records,“it was crowded with pilgrims offering incense from Yan,Zhao,Qi and Lu States,though thousands of miles away.” At present,there is only a large platform left.

It is said that Shenggu Temple was built for a local filial daughter surnamed Hao in the Zhou Dynasty.She refused to marry because her father had sores on his back.She prayed for her father every day and sucked pus with her mouth,eventually helping him recover successfully.It is also said that Liu Xiu was chased by Wang Lang in the Late Han Dynasty and fled to this place.Liu Xiu and his attendants and their horses were thirsty very much.A woman approached with two buckets of water on her shoulder.People crowded to drink water.More than a hundred attendants drank water,and the water filled the buckets again and again all by itself.When the attendants and horses finished drinking,the buckets were still full,but the woman had disappeared.When Liu Xiu entered the temple nearby,he saw the statue as the same as the woman,so he immediately worshiped on bended knees.After he ascended the throne,he was grateful for the goddess’s contribution of water to the people and horses,so he gave her the title of “Xiaogan Shenggu” and ordered to rebuild the temple.The supervisor of the building work asked Liu Xiu,“How high and how big will the temple be?” Liu Xiu said without thinking,“Build the temple until I can see its main gate when I’m standing in Luoyang City.” Anping was thousands of miles away from Luoyang.How high would it be!Several supervisors all failed to make it as a result.Later,a wise old officer thought of a way to build the Xiaogan Shenggu Temple in Anping County and a mountain gate (main gate) in Luoyang.After the completion of the temple and when Liu Xiu stood in the palace and looked up to the north,he saw the gate of Shenggu Temple as expected,and suddenly felt very happy.This is why the temple was so high and no gate was equipped with it.

The murals of Shenggu Temple and the architectural style of the whole temple,which adopted the tenon and mortise structure,are regarded as a wonder in the history of ancient architecture,and were appreciated by the famous contemporary scholar and architect Liang Sicheng.

【注释】
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[1]Yi Jiefu,a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in the Ming Dynasty,was born in Fucheng,and used to serve as the vice surveillance commissioner of Shandong Province.

[2]There is no textual record about the author.

[3]Built in the Western Han Dynasty,Jindeng Temple is located on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River,2.3km east from the ruins of the ancient city of Fucheng (Jianzicheng).Covering a vast area,it was exquisitely designed and magnificently constructed.It was elegant and spectacular.The temple has been destroyed,and its remains exist today).