[4K] Jin Memorial Temple , the earliest existing royal sacrificial garden in China

[4K] Jin Memorial Temple , the earliest existing royal sacrificial garden in China

Jin Memorial Temple located in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, is one of the must-see attractions for tourists to Taiyuan. Jinci Temple, formerly known as Jinwang Temple, was built to commemorate Tang Shuyu (later posthumously named Jinwang), the founding prince of the Jin State, and his mother, Queen Yi Jiang.

The buildings in Jin Memorial Temple bring together exquisite works from the Song Dynasty to the Republic of China, and the colored sculptures and murals in each hall are also national treasures. The buildings on the north side of Jin Memorial Temple are built against the mountain, and the buildings on the south side are towering and surrounded by springs. The scenery is beautiful and makes people linger.

The Holy Mother Hall is the main hall. The maid statues in the hall, the Hard Aging Spring outside the hall, and Zhou Cypress are known as the “Three Wonders of Jin Memorial Temple “.

▶️ Maid Statue
The 43 colored sculptures in the Holy Mother Hall were completed before 1087 (Song Dynasty). The statues are life-size, with accurate proportions and natural postures. They are sculpted according to the “Six Shang System*” of the Song Dynasty court.
They each have their own duties, different expressions, and are lifelike.
✳️Six Shang System
An ancient official title, referring to Shang Yi, Shang Shi, Shang Guan, Shang Xi, Shang Mu and Shang Shu; most of these positions belong to the scope of female officials, involving all aspects of court life.

▶️ Hard Aging Spring
The water of Hard Aging Spring is clear and flowing. Li Bai once left a famous poem “The water in Jin Memorial Temple is like jasper, and the waves are exquisite and the sedge is green.” There is an interesting legend about Hard Aging Spring*.
✳️The legend of the Water Mother Goddess
According to legend, the jellyfish goddess enshrined in the Jellyfish Tower of Jinci Temple is called Liu Chunying. She is kind and married to Gutang Village (Jinci Temple) as a daughter-in-law. She is often troubled by her mother-in-law. One day, Liu went to the river to fetch water. On the way home, she met an old man leading a white horse. The old man asked Chunying to give his horse some water, but only the water in the front bucket (in ancient China, people used shoulder poles to fetch water, and the water carrier had a bucket in front and behind him). Liu readily agreed, and for three days, she fed the old man’s horse with water, and went to the river to fetch water three more times. Three days later, the old man revealed his identity as a god, and gave Liu a horse whip, saying: “Put the horse whip in the water jar, and water will gush out when you lift it lightly, but don’t lift it over the edge of the jar, otherwise it will cause a flood.” Liu thanked the old man and went home happily, and from then on she was freed from the pain of fetching water. But her mother-in-law was very unhappy, and wanted to hide the horse whip when Liu was not at home, but as soon as the horse whip was taken out of the water jar, the flood gushed out in an instant. Upon hearing the news, Liu rushed home and sat on the water jar desperately. The flood suddenly became smaller, leaving only a stream of spring water overflowing, forming the Hard Aging Spring.

▶️ Zhou Cypress
Planted in the early Zhou Dynasty, it is more than three thousand years ago. The tree body tilts to the south, and its shape resembles a sleeping dragon, commonly known as “Wolongbai”. Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty praised the poem: “The land is blessed with abundant moisture, and the ancient cypresses are covered with mist.”

Official website: https://www.chinajinci.com/p/English

[Time list]
00:00 Wonderful moments
01:31 Jinci Temple‘s surroundings
09:23 Water Mirror Platfom
13:00 Golden Man Platfom
15:26 Our Lady’s Hall
20:26 flying bridge across fish pond
25:42 Zhou Cypress
26:38 Hard Aging Spring
33:52 East Garden