Dule Temple is located in Yuyang Ancient Street, Jixian County, Tianjin City. It was first built during the Sui Dynasty and rebuilt during the Liao Dynasty. It is one of the three remaining Liao Dynasty temples in China. The mountain gate, Guanyin Pavilion, and the statues inside the two buildings are all historical sites of the Liao Dynasty, with a history of over 1000 years. Other buildings were built after the Ming Dynasty, and there are also numerous historical sites inside that can be visited. Dule Temple is not large, and its main buildings are located along the central axis. Visitors can visit one building after another along the central axis. In the Tang Dynasty, this area was under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains. In the Liao Dynasty, it was a remote area. Although the architectural style of the Central Plains changed, it still followed the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty. Compared with the ancient buildings that are mostly in the Ming and Qing styles that have been preserved today, it is very special. One of the architectural features of the Tang Dynasty is the large roof. The temple's gate, which tourists first see, has a very large eave and is one of the earliest surviving mountain gates with a pavilion roof in China. The tail of the dragon on the roof is flipped inward, which is different from the tail flipping outward of the dragon in Ming and Qing temples, and is an earlier physical object of the tail. The three character plaque "Dule Temple" hanging on the door is said to have been written by Yan Song, a treacherous minister in the Ming Dynasty. The painted sculptures of the "Hmph and Ha Generals" from the Liao Dynasty on both sides of the mountain gate, as well as the murals from the Qing Dynasty, are all very exquisite. Passing through the mountain gate is the main building of Dule Temple, Guanyin Pavilion, which is entirely made of wood and does not use a single nail. It is one of the earliest surviving wooden structures in China. Looking up and paying attention to the eaves, you can see layers of mortise and tenon structures that are interlocked by the wood grooves dug out. The four character plaque "Guanyin Pavilion" hanging on the door of Guanyin Pavilion is said to have been written by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The attic looks like it has two floors from the outside, but there are actually three floors inside, with a dark layer sandwiched between the upper and lower floors. The Dule Temple Guanyin Pavilion is home to the "Treasure of Zhensi" - a large colored Guanyin clay statue in China. The 16.27 meter high Guanyin statue passes through three levels of pavilions and reaches the top of the building, with 10 small head sculptures on top, known as the "Eleven Faced Guanyin". Unfortunately, due to the need for cultural relic protection, one cannot go to the Guanyin attic and can only stand on the first floor to admire the Guanyin statue. In addition, the ancient Bodhisattva statues on both sides of the Guanyin statue, which are in line with the painting style of Tang Dynasty ladies, and the exquisite Ming Dynasty murals on the surrounding walls are all worth a visit. Behind Guanyin Pavilion is an octagonal pavilion named Weituo Pavilion. Behind Weituoting is the Gratitude Home. In the front hall of the Bao'en Temple, the Maitreya Hall, statues of Maitreya and the four mad monks Hanshan, Puhua, Fengbo, and Jigong are placed together, which is a rare layout and worship of Bodhisattvas like the Dule Temple. The rear hall of the Bao'en Temple is the Hall of the Three Buddhas, and the east and west side halls are respectively the Hall of Manjusri and the Hall of Samantabhadra. One building that is not on the central axis of Dule Temple is the Qianlong Palace in the east. It used to be a place for Qing emperors to rest on their way to the Dongling Mausoleum, and now houses 28 imperial inscriptions by Qianlong. The other is the exhibition hall in the northwest, which displays some ancient cultural relics of Jixian County, allowing tourists to further understand the history of Jixian County and Dule Temple. There is also a White Pagoda Temple to the south of Dule Temple. The White Pagoda in the temple is in the focus of the Guanyin statue in Dule Temple. The unique shape of the White Pagoda is a "mix and match" of several architectural styles from China and India. The temple is only 300 meters away from Dule Temple, why not walk over and take a look. On the birthdays and anniversaries of various bodhisattvas, Dule Temple holds ceremonies. The annual Spring Festival takes the Dule Temple as the center, and temple fairs will be held on several adjacent streets. At that time, there will be lion dancing, stilts, acrobatics and other performances, as well as handicraft stalls and snack stalls selling kites, windmills, noodles Paper Cuttings, Bingtanghulu, Lvdagur (Glutinous Rice Rolls with Sweet Bean Flour), etc., which are very lively.
Travel Tips
Address: No. 41 Wuding Street, Jizhou District, Tianjin
Phone: 022-29142907022-29142904
Opening hours: 5/1-10/1 08:00-18:00; 10/2-4/30 08:00-17:30
Ticket: CNY40