The Temple
of the Azure Clouds was built on six different levels, and each of the
interconnecting courtyards has a special character. The most famous
buildings inside the temple, however, are the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall,
the Five Hundred Arhats Hall and the Vajra Throne Tower.
A stone-paved
road leads from the front gate of Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills) Park directly
to the entrance gate of the temple. The gate of Azure Clouds which is
faced by the stone lions is called the Mountain Gate. A brook runs outside
the temple and passes before the gate of the park.
On both
sides of this temple are two Buddhist guardians which were carved during
the Ming Dynasty and each being five meters in height. Inside
the first compound are the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, while in the center
stands the Devaraja (Heavenly Kings) Hall, which houses a bronze image
of Maitreya Buddha cast in the Ming Dynasty. A goldfish pond in this
courtyard is surrounded by ancient sal trees, white-bark sandalwood
trees and gingko trees.
The second
courtyard contains the main hall of the temple complex. Inside the hall
stand images of Sakyamuni and his disciples. A series of clay figurines
standing against the walls make up a diorama of the monk Xuanzang¡¯ s
passage to India in quest of Buddhist scriptures.
The principal
building in the third courtyard is the Hall of Bodhisattvas. The two
roofed corridors that once stood here have fallen into decay.
The buildings
in the fourth courtyard consist of the Rear Hall and its auxiliary halls,
all of which are laid out in an orderly and harmonious manner. This
complex now serves as the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. There
is a red wooden plaque hanging above the front gate of the Sun Yat-sen
Memorial Hall, the words on the plaque which is engraved in gold was
written by his wife, Song Qingling. Inside this hall lies an empty crystal
coffin presented by the USSR government in 1925 in memory of Sun Yat-sen,
because his body had already been buried elsewhere, the coffin was left
here till now. Photos of Sun Yat-sen, his handwriting, his books and
his statue are also on display inside this hall. Behind this is a stone
memorial archway, which leads to the Diamond Throne Pagoda.
The principal
building in the western courtyard is the Hall of the Arhats, designed
in the form of a Greek cross. The Hall of Five Hundred Arhas is modeled
on the Jingci Temple in Hangzhou. There are altogether 500 gilded wooden
images and seven Buddha mages crowded in to the hall. Each of these
fine specimens of Qing Dynasty woodcarving has its own individual personalities
and expressions. In addition to these life-sized images, there is also
a miniature statue of Jigong perching on an overhead beam. The legend
tells that having arrived late, he was unable to find a seat among the
other immortals.
In the
northern part of the compound are the Spring Garden, the Azure Hall
of Study and the Eyeglasses Pond. In the Spring Garden on the western
side of the temple, underground streams from a mountain spring can be
seen gushing out of the crevices in the rocks. Rocks, pavilions, pines
and cypresses embellish the spot, making it ideal for relaxation and
meditation.
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