In early November in Haidian, the fall light is just right and the breeze is not dry. Haidian District Library (North Library) invited the Beijing History, Geography and Folklore Society's Mr. Shi Guisheng to lead the readers to ride on the legendary "cartoon train"-Western Suburbs Line, starting from the Biyun Temple to Xiangshan Park, to have a field trip to visit the Haidian Citywalk classic route!
This route is one of the most beautiful routes to visit hutongs and alleys explored by the Beijing Daily, together with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management, the Office of the Capital Spiritual Civilization Construction Committee, and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and it is also a classic route for roaming around the "three mountains and five gardens" in Haidian.
Early in the morning, the readers gathered at the entrance of Biyun Temple, which was also the first stop of today's activities. Mr. Shi Guisheng, holding thick literature and historical materials, introduced the history, structure, and architectural concepts of Biyun Temple, and an autumn roaming tour blending nature and history began.
Located at the foot of Fragrant Hill (Xiangshan), Biyun Temple is an ancient temple with a history of nearly 700 years. The scale of the temple is grand, and the "Ten Scenes of Biyun" are famous in the capital. In this late autumn, the ancient trees in the temple have long since faded green, put on golden or scarlet clothes, showing the vicissitudes of history against the backdrop of the simple and elegant temple buildings.
Lohan (the Buddhist arhat) Hall was built in the 13th year of the Qianlong reign, covering an area of more than 1,100 square meters, with a very chic architectural style. Inside the hall, there are 508 wooden and gold lacquered Buddhist arhat statues, in a square block-shaped layout, without the slightest sense of crowding. This is one of the few well-preserved halls of 500 Buddhist arhats in China, which can be regarded as the treasure of the hall.
Stone and brick carvings are one of the biggest attractions of Biyun Temple, and the white marble archways in the Pagoda Courtyard are beautifully carved and rich in content. What are the prototypes of these delicate and detailed sculptures? What kind of philosophy did the ancient people hold in the sculpture elements such as lions, dragons, and auspicious clouds?
Standing in front of these beautiful buildings that have passed through the centuries, Mr. Shi led everyone through the layers of mists of history, looking for the spirit of ancient craftsmen hidden in the details, and experiencing a "beautiful meditation".
In the buildings of Biyun Temple, plaques and couplets can be found everywhere, and Emperor Qianlong also left many poems there. In front of each landscape, Mr. Shi explained the connotations of these words in detail, so that people would no longer gain a shallow understanding through cursory observation in Citywalk, but everyone could look for the spiritual treasures in the landscape.
Readers lowered their heads, picking up all kinds of autumn leaves and fruits; looking up, the garden buildings are vaguely visible, which look more quiet and solemn surrounded by mountains; raising their cell phones, everyone was praising the "endless autumn scenery of Xiangshan!"
As the one-day Citywalk drew to a close, readers still wanted more, and photos and videos of the event continued to be shared in the activity group.
