Fengguo Temple is located in Yi County
It covers an area of 60 thousand square meters
This royal temple
Was first founded in 1020 during the Liao dynasty
There are seven “Buddhas of the past” in Fengguo Temple
The seven enormous and breathtaking wooden polychrome Buddha statues, approximately 9.5 meters in height, dominate the temple
They are the oldest, biggest and most magnificent Buddha statues in the world
A scene in Wong Kar-wai’s “The Grandmaster”
Is the camera panning over the Buddha statues
An expert once said in The Imperial Palace
Taihe Dian in the Imperial Palace doesn’t hold a candle to
The Mahavira Hall in Fengguo Temple as a wooden architecture
During the Liao Dynasty
Yi County was the hometown of the Empress Dowager, Xiao
The emperor
Was the sixth ruler of the Liao Dynasty
Shengzong Yelü Longxu
Buddhism is a main religion during the Liao Dynasty
Emperor Shengzong claimed himself to be the reincarnated Sakyamuni
In honor of the first five emperors
His mother and himself
Seven in total
This grand royal temple was built
Fengguo Temple was constructed along the north-south axis
There is a splendid outer hill gate measuring five bays
And long corridors measuring two hundred bays
The Mahavira Hall is the climax
The Small Hill Gate, and the Wuliang Hall were constructed in the Qing Dynasty
The plaque that writes “Temple of Grand Buddha”
Dates back 200 years ago, which is older than America
The Mahavira Hall
Is the temple’s only building surviving from the Liao Dynasty
Measuring nine by five bays (55 by 33 meters)
Five and nine are numbers of the emperor
Temples in the south generally have pronounced eaves and ridges
Whereas Fengguo Temple in the North
Has smooth roof and ridges
Taking on a rough and concise appearance as well as one of grandeur
The eaves are supported by Dou Gong brackets of 7 tiers
The bracket arches underneath the eaves were made of thick and bulky materials
Fixed layer upon layer, the arrangements bear the load of the roof
These brackets are like baskets of flowers
The three horizontal inscribed boards were Emperor Qianlong’s handwriting
The vertically written one is “Daxiong Dian”
It misses one character “Bao”
The other two is “Milun Yuzhou” and “Wuliang Shengjing”
These are the oldest and biggest clay polychrome Buddha statues in the world
On the high altar, seven Buddha statues were arranged from east to west
According to the time they became Buddha, the statue of Sakyamuni is the leftmost one
It is said that before Sakyamuni, six Buddhas came to the world to save sentient beings
Each Buddha statue is dignified and solemn, lofty and auspicious, and awe-inspiring
Buddha statues have the same faces
But are different in their mudras
Their hands are big enough to fit in a person
They are really grand statues
Each Buddha statue is flanked by two bodhisattvas
2.4 to 2.5 meters in height
Even taller than Yao Ming
Murals, there are five Buddha paintings on each hill wall, ten in total
The opening of “The Grandmaster” features murals of Fengguo Temple
The Feitian figures in Fengguo Temple covers an area of over 2000 square meters
Zhang Ziyi felt lonely during the filming of “The Grandmaster”
A coworker of us told her the story of Fengguo Temple
Zhang Ziyi was deeply touched and said thank you
Ordinary people like us would never forget it
The morning and evening in Fengguo Temple are heavenly
As sunset bathes it in hazy orange light
The building stands solemnly in mystery