Sunday Times 2
In picturesque Shanxi, China’s Buddhist culture glows
The Yellow River dubbed “the Tragedy of China” flows through the picturesque Shanxi province in Northern China, adding colour to its beauty. It is surrounded by Hebei to the east, Henan to the south, Shaanxi to the west. The province with a population of 33 million houses three of the 40-odd world heritage sites of China. They are Pingyao, one of the oldest cities of China, Yungang grottoes, where the world famous Buddhist architecture is found and Wutai, a mountain revered by Buddhists.
The ancient city of Pingyao
It is believed that this city is 2700 years old and looking at it one could get an idea about the appearance of a Chinese city 200 years ago. UNESCO declared Pingyao as a world heritage site in 1992. The history of this city goes back to the periods of Ming and Qing dynasties. This city, fortified by a high rampart with several watch towers, reflects the culture, economy and social conditions of ancient China on its shops, government offices, religious places and well paved roads. This city takes the shape of a turtle, when viewed from the sky. In the Chinese tradition, turtle symbolises longevity. The ancient Chinese had built an effective drainage system to prevent floods.
Several Buddhist temples in the city attract tourists. They include the Temple of the Town God, the Temple of Martial Valour, the Country-guarding Temple and the Double Forest Temple. These temples were commended by the UNESCO. The Country-guarding Temple situated extending up to 15 km was built between 910 and 960 A.D. The Thousand Buddha Hall is another early Buddhist
White Pagoda of Wutai Mountain
temple made of wood. More than 1000 years old Buddhist murals could be seen on temple walls. The Double Forest temple is more than 1400 years old. This temple built during the Ming dynasty displays the high quality of ancient Chinese paintings.
Pingyao was an important city on the silk route and by 19th century it became one of the foremost trade centres and a residential centre of traders. This was one of the first cities of China to carry out trade and transaction using money. Rishengchang was one of the famous money houses of the city. It was opened in 1824.
Even China’s banking system has its origins in this city regarded as the oldest financial hub of China. Some 22 of the 51 financial institutions were housed in this city. Some of these money houses had branches in other countries. The front part of these money houses was used for business purposes and the rear part for dwelling. It is also said transactions by bank orders — without using money -originated in this city. The bank order that was obtained by crediting money in one city could be encashed in another city.
The city still has some 400 large mansions with courtyards and parapet walls indicating it was a residential area for rich merchants. At one time, it had 3800 big mansions which were built in such a manner to maintain heat at optimum level during winter and to have a cooling effect during summer. Of the old cities of China this city has become of the main tourist attractions.
Yuangang Grottoes
Buddhist architecture came to China along the silk route. This city is blessed with many Buddhist creations. Of these the Yuangang Grottoes are world famous and have been declared a world heritage. It is a vast complex of Buddhist temples. The sculptures resemble Indian Buddhist sculpture. It is said that sculptors from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal had worked there. This complex of Grottoes is situated at Datong city in Shanxi Province. Historians believe the work on these grottoes began around 460 AD, under the patronage of Emperor Wencheng. It is believed that a Buddhist monk named Tanyao was instrumental in building this temple and nearly 4,000 workers took part in the making of these grottoes which extended for about a kilometre. They house about 51,000 Buddha statues. Most of the Buddha Statues were made under the watchful eyes of monk Tanyao. It had taken about five years to construct these statues. The tallest statue is about 16.8 metres and the shortest is about 13.5 metres.
An inscription here says that 54 Buddhist devotees initiated a fund here. This place shows a high degree of Buddhist calligraphy. In reality, this was a repository of Buddhist art. Some of the paintings depict Vishnu and Siva. One of them shows a five-headed Vishnu with six hands seated on a peacock. The attainment of Buddha-hood depicted by musicians and dancers in cave 12 was a treat to the eyes. The dresses worn by these musicians and dancers were similar to what is worn by some minorities. The biggest collection of Grotto artwork of China is found in this complex which was named a world heritage site in 2001.
Wutai Mountain
The Wutai Mountain is situated in Xianghou, about 240 km from the capital of Shanxi, Taiyan. In this mountainous Buddhist Shrine, Buddhist architecture, statues murals, books and music are well preserved. According to records, emperors of Wei, Tang, Song and Yuan from 4th century to 19th century patronised the places of worship here. This area vividly displays the evolution of Buddhist architecture through different eras.
About 2,000 Buddhist monks live in 53 Buddhist Temples in the area. The Wenfo Temple also known as the Thousand Buddha Temple attracts thousands of tourists. This is a famous abode of Han Buddhist priests and Tibetan Lamas. The area is famous for pagodas. The most famous pagoda of this area is the 75-metre tall Big Pagoda (The White Pagoda). It was built in the Nepalese Architectural style during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. The sound of wind chimes tied to the Pagoda transport people into the sacred world. This was a UNESCO-declared world heritage site.
In addition to the three world heritage sites, two other places in the province also attract many tourists.
The Midair Temple
The Midair Temple, built during the rule of northern Wei dynasty, is located at the cliff between the peaks of Tianfengling and the Cuipingfeng of Herlgshan mountains. The temple was built on the rock face of a sheer cliff and the highest point of the temple is about 50 metres above the ground. It looks like as though it had been suspended from the cliff face. The temple has more than 40 halls and rooms and it houses 78 bronze, iron, coloured clay and stone statues.
Heikou Waterfalls
The Heikou waterfalls of the Yellow River are situated about 25 kilometres west of Jixian county. When the Yellow river flows to the place, the water is squeezed by mountains on both banks into a narrow gorge like the spout of a pot and rush rapidly, forming the grand waterfalls with a height of 20 metres. The mountains echo with the deafening sound of the roaring water, which could be heard several kilometres away.
This area which has attracted millions of tourists is reachable by air and train from China’s capital Bejing.
(The writer is Secretary of the Sri Lanka China Society)
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