Imperial court music from 500 years ago has been preserved through the unique tradition of temple melodies. A eunuch shaped an era, leaving behind a magnificent temple that stands as a testament to his legacy. Every visitor to Zhihua Temple is invariably awed by its artistic grandeur. Despite the ravages of time and the fading of its former glory, as we draw near, we are still profoundly captivated by its enduring beauty.……
I'm back in Beijing（China） again, but this time I'm exploring the city on a bike with a monthly pass, which allows me to travel at any time.
My destination this time is the Zhihua Temple（智化寺）, where I came specifically to listen to "Jing Music（京音乐）”.
In Chian, open https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sY41197RA/ Watch the video
Zhihua Temple isthe ancestral temple of Wang Zhen.According to the History of Ming Dynasty,"the most luxurious and high-end materials of that time".The temple's grand architecture was a testament to this, and its music was no exception.At that time, the temple recruited children under the age of 13 to become apprentices, where they studied music for seven years. During their training, they practiced listening and pronunciation daily, and had to practice blowing and percussion on narrow benches until they could play continuously for four to five hours in the cold winter or hot summer, while maintaining a true and full tone and proper pronunciation. Only then would they be considered qualified to truly play the instrument. With strict training by the music monks and the "oral transmission and heart-to-heart teaching" method, the Jing Music has been passed down from generation to generation, with limited contact with the outside world, making it a "living fossil" of Chinese music. Despite being over 500 years old, it still retains the relatively intact characteristics of the Ming Dynasty, making it a true treasure.”.
Today, the temple still retains its original architecture, including the bell and drum tower, Zhihua Gate, Zhihua Hall, Rulai Hall, and Dabeitang. The main buildings in the temple have black glazed tiles on their roofs with ridge beasts. Despite numerous repairs throughout the ages, the beams, brackets, and painted decorations still retain the early Ming Dynasty style. The carvings on the scripture cabinet, Buddha statues, and prayer wheels are simple and ancient, yet skillfully crafted, showcasing the exquisite artistry of the era.
In the West Wing of Zhihua Temple, there is a precious wooden prayer wheel cabinet, which is one of the three remaining prayer wheel cabinets in Beijing. The other two are located in Yonghe Temple and the Summer Palace, both of which were made during the Qing Dynasty.However, the prayer wheel cabinet in Zhihua Temple dates back to the Ming Dynasty and has a history of over 560 years, making it even more valuable.。
This prayer wheel cabinet is about 4 meters high and has an octagonal shape. It consists of three parts: a white marble base, a wooden eight-sided scripture cabinet, and a statue of Vairocana Buddha sitting facing east at the top. Each side of the scripture cabinet has nine rows of five drawers to store Buddhist scriptures. Each drawer has a relief of a Buddha statue, with the Thousand Character Classic inscribed on it to help locate specific scriptures. The prayer wheel cabinet showcases superb craftsmanship in both carving and painting and is considered an artistic treasure of Ming Dynasty architecture.
Finally, let's take a look at the "Bojin(拨金)" craft.
The process of this technique is similar to the general gold gilding, but what sets it apart is that a layer of lacquer is applied over the gold and then scraped off with a tool while the lacquer is still semi-dry, revealing the original gold color. This technique is extremely difficult and is almost no longer practiced due to the lack of skilled craftsmen.
Travel tips
1. To catch up with the music performance, you can arrive at least half an hour in advance and listen to the volunteers from Zhihua Temple. They are really very, very good!
2. It is said that the first 200 visitors on Wednesday are free of charge.
3. You can choose subway 1/2/5/ Go to visit on Line 6.
This article was originally published on the WeChat public account "悠悠逛天涯" and first appeared on December 31, 2023.