Fahai Temple Gate

heaven seat King

The inscription was given to Fahai Zen Temple by the imperial edict. It was written by Hu Yu, Minister of Rites, Kunling, and a letter from Wu Qian in Qiantang, which was engraved by Jia Ying.

The stele of Fahai Zen Temple was written by Wang Zhi, Minister of Civil Affairs, by Wu Qian in Qiantang, and by Chen Jingzhuan in Jingkou.

The precious murals are in the Daxiong Hall. You have to buy a ticket and make an appointment before entering. When you change shoe covers, the staff are leading the way with flashlights, and the number of people is limited.

One of the Five Wonders, Mandala Cajing

One of the Five Wonders, white bark pine, is said to be the king of white bark pine trees in Beijing, but I don't think it is as big as the white bark pine trees in Jietai Temple?

This Shurangama Sutra Building made the author of the Fahai Temple murals famous here. The scripture building was erected two years after the completion of the construction of Fahai Temple. It was written by Chen Jing, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Construction. It was painted by 15 people including Lu Gui and Xu Xiang, painted non-commissioned officers Wan Fuqing and Wang Shu, and painted artists Zhang Ping, Wang Yi, Gu Xing, Li Yuan, Pan Fu, and Xu Fulin.

In the Hall of Medicine, you can see the replica murals here.

The Sutra Pavilion will cyclically play the discovery, protection and explanation of the exquisiteness of Fahai Temple murals.

The Great Bell of Fahai Temple is one of the five wonders.

Looking at the donations engraved on the big bell, it can be said that officialdom and literati were among them at that time, and the influence was very great.

There are 9 murals distributed on the walls of the hall. There are 3 murals on the back wall of the shrine. They depict Shuyue Guanyin, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Around them are painted good wealth boy, Wei Tuo, worship Buddha, Ma Chuan lion, elephant trainer and parrot bird, clear spring, green bamboo and peony.

Shuiyue Guanyin has a dignified and kind face, wearing a light gauze with fine patterns that seem to float.

The transparent gauze clothes they wear are six-silk petals made of gold thread by painters. The lines are fine and smooth, and their subtlety and exquisiteness are beyond words. Through the gauze, you can clearly see the skin, as thin as a cicada's wings. In the weak light, the six silk petals gave rise to a mysterious sense of elegance and light.

Manjusri Bodhisattva stands next to the green lion, lion tamer, and holy old man.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva stood beside him with a six-toothed white elephant, an elephant trainer, and a believer.

On the north wall,"Emperor Interprets Brahma's Riding to Buddha and Protecting the Law", painted twenty days and thirty-six attendants. Among them, the 19 bodies of Brahma tribes are painted on the east side, and the 17 bodies of Sakra tribes are painted on the west side. The ones with heads and lights are the various heavens, and the rest are attendants.

The "Picture of Buddhas Going to the Meeting" on the east and west walls depicts a combination of the eight Bodhisattva, the ten Fangs, and the twelve Yuanjue Bodhisattva.

"This hidden and hitherto unknown mural is one of the greatest paintings in the world! I dare say I have never seen any other painting with such a noble and charming style." In 1937, Angela Latham introduced her discovery at Fahai Temple in the Illustrated London News with the title "Comparable to Ajanta."

Fahai Temple murals have various line drawing techniques. Iron line drawing and hairspring drawing are combined, and flowing water drawing and nail head and mouse tail drawing are also used. The line drawing is slightly thinner than the line drawing of Yongle Palace, but it is good for being round and soft, especially long belts and streamers, especially so. Although the streamers on their shawl of some characters are several feet long, they can still be drawn in one stroke to the end. They curl with the wind, bend and turn backwards, and change in all directions. They have the charm of "Wu Dai is the norm". The Fahai Temple murals are in the same line as the painting styles of the Tang and Song Dynasties murals, reproducing the ancient style and clear charm of the pure Buddhist murals of the Tang and Song Dynasties. They are the peak of the creation of traditional Chinese large-scale temple murals in the Ming Dynasty. Their craftsmanship reaches the extreme of traditional ancient murals in our country, and they are so meticulous that even the capillaries on the ears of the fox are completely visible.

Mr. Pan Jiezi, a famous painter, commented: "I have seen many murals in the Ming Dynasty, but they are not as good as the murals of Fahai Temple when they are well preserved, finely produced, and have a high artistic level. This is due to the fact that the murals of Fahai Temple are masters of court painters.""The existing Buddhist temple murals in the Ming Dynasty should be the first."

Where to find the secluded scenery in the west of Beijing? The green pines and cypresses are lush.

Fan Yulin Palace leaves immortal pens, and the brilliance of the colorful walls moves people's hearts.

Dunhuang is magnificent and mixed with Chinese tribes, and Yongle is exquisite and strict.

The most important thing is that the law is called meticulous, but which is more beautiful and magical.