Putian → Xianyou Longji Temple: An Ancient Legend
🌟Summary: Many may not have heard of Longji Temple, but it houses numerous historical relics. Come explore and you're bound to discover something amazing. You can make a brief stop at Sanxing Temple on the way. Afterward, drive 5 km to Shima Bridge. You'll always find unique ancient bridge scenery along the Mulan River.
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➡️First Stop: Longji Temple (Photos 1–12)
●Location: Neilong Mountain, Gaiwei Town, Xianyou County
●Parking: Free
●Admission: Free
●History: Longji Temple was originally built in the late Han Dynasty and officially established during the early Tang Dynasty. It reached its peak during the mid-Tang Dynasty and underwent several periods of prosperity and decline. In the 25th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1899), Master Ruiyi presided over the reconstruction of the hexagonal God of Heaven Pavilion and the Buddha Hall, laying the foundation for the current structure.
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●Origin of the Name: The temple's location on Neilong Mountain resembles a coiled dragon, and the God of Heaven Pavilion sits on the "dragon's head," hence the name "Longji Temple." In ancient times, it was also called "Longqi Yuan," and its name is linked to the legend of the He family's nine immortals transforming into dragons at Jiuli Lake.
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●Main Structures: These include the Hexagonal Pavilion (God of Heaven Pavilion), Buddha Hall, Yuefei Temple, Guanyin Pavilion, and Mazu Temple.
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●Hexagonal Pavilion (God of Heaven Pavilion): (Photos 7–8)
☑Double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, wooden octagonal caisson ceiling structure, exquisite carvings.
☑The outer walls feature niches housing 500 Arhat statues made of Dehua white porcelain from the late Qing Dynasty. Each statue is about 1.2 feet tall, with unique postures, and is known as a "treasure of Fujian."
☑Preservation Status: Fujian Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit.
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●Buddha Hall: (Photos 1–6)
☑Houses a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. In front of the hall are embossed dragon pillars and a coiled dragon stone platform. Preserved within is a gold-lettered inscription board written in regular script by Master Ruiyi, documenting the temple's construction history.
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●Notable Historical Figures:
☑Cai Xiang, a famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, visited Longji Temple (then known as Longqi Yuan) and wrote poems such as "Inscription on the Wall of Mr. Dai's House."
☑Zheng Ji, Minister of Revenue during the Ming Dynasty, initiated the "Qile Society" here, gathering retired officials to compose poems and essays, leaving behind works such as "Qile Poems."
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●Sanxing Temple: (Photo 12)
☑700 meters from Longji Temple, you'll see this temple. The entire wall painting is beautifully carved, so it's worth a look.
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➡️Second Stop: Shima Bridge (Photos 13–18)
●Location: Shima Village, Gaiwei Town, Xianyou County
●Parking: Free
●Admission: Free
●History: Initially built during the Jiading reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1208–1224) by Chen Dang, the Marquis of Qingyuan, it was soon destroyed. In the 25th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1392), the monk Fang Shi raised funds to rebuild it and constructed a pavilion on the bridge. Over the following centuries, it suffered damage from floods and was repaired by successive county magistrates. The most recent large-scale renovation was completed in 2019.
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●Structure: The bridge is 190 meters long, 2 meters wide, and 8 meters high, supported by 18 boat-shaped piers. The piers are pointed at both ends and slightly concave in the middle.
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●Decoration and Carvings: Arhat reliefs adorn both sides of the bridge, with a pair of stone lions at the bridgehead. A stone horse from the Song Dynasty remains at the west end of the bridge. The bridge winds like a dragon swimming in the waves, earning it the name "Thousand-Foot Golden Turtle Spanning the Water."
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●Folklore: Legend has it that a man lost his life in a flood, and his wife vowed to donate a pier if a bridge were built. When the bridge was constructed, it was originally planned to have 17 piers. However, her sincerity moved the people, and they added an 18th pier, resulting in the shorter distance between the two southernmost piers.
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