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Outdoor Architecture
Outdoor architecture (Buildings)
Area related
Xi'an (China)
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The Da Ci'en Temple complex can be divided into three parts : the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Da Ci'en Temple, and the North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Originally built in 589 A.D. in the Sui Dynasty, Da Ci'en temple was named Wu Lou Si Temple. In 648, to commemorate the dead virtuous queen, Emperor Li Zhi, then still a crown prince, ordered the building of a temple named "Ci'en" (Mercy and Kindness), for which the status and scale far exceeded all others. Today, with an area of 32,314 square meters, one seventh of the original area, it still retains its grandeur.
The temple, with 13 separate courtyards, contained 1,879 magnificent-looking rooms altogether and was a place of grand extent in the Tang Dynasty. However, it went into gradual decay after the downfall of the Tang Dynasty. The halls and rooms that have survived the ages are structures that were built in the Ming Dynasty. The Tang Regime gave orders to build a chamber for the translation of Buddhist scriptures in an effort to have the then widely renowned Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka) agree to be the head of the temple.
Before the temple, there stands a statue of hierarch Xuanzang, the meritorious hierarch. Walking on and across a small bridge, visitors will see the gates of the temple. With guarding lions, the temple seems stately for lions were said to function as talismans.
Entering the temple you will see two buildings - Bell Tower in the east and Drum Tower in the west. Inside the Bell Tower hangs an iron bell 15 tons in weight. It was molded in 1548 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Along the central axis are arranged the Hall of Mahavira, Sermon Hall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Hall of Xuanzang Sanzang. In the Hall of Mahavira are three carved statues of Sakyamuni, and 18 arhats as well as Xuanzang.
The Sermon Hall is where Buddhist disciples would listen to a sermon. A bronze statue of Amitabha is dedicated and a Buddha statue is collected by Xuanzang as oblation. The Hall of Xuanzang Sanzang is north of Big Wild Goose Pagoda. In this hall are Xuanzang's relic and a bronze statue of a seated Xuanzang. The inner wall is chiseled with murals depicting this hierarch's story.
North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Surrounding Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the scenery is also quite charming, especially the square north of the Da Ci'en Temple. Covering about 110,000 square meters (131563 square yards) plus 20,000 square meters (23920.6 square yards) of water area, it holds many records: in Asia, it is the biggest Tang-culture square, the biggest fountain and waterscape square, and the largest-scale sculptures area. In the world, it has the most benches, the longest light-belt, and the largest-scale acoustic complex.
The entire square is composed of waterscape fountains, a cultural square, gardens and paths, and a 200-meter-long sculpture groups on the theme of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
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