learning objectives

Understand the features and history about Foguang temple
Understand the basic structure of Foguang temple
Understand the basic history, structure and functions of Foguang temple
Learn how to talk about Foguang temple

content of lecture

Introduction of Foguang temple
General information about the structure of Foguang temple

foguang temple

Step1: video playing (10min)
Step2: location / legend(20min)
Step3: Dongdadian (20min)

The Eastern Hall of the Buddha’s Hole Temple（东大殿）: on the slope halfway up to mountain, about 32 kilometers northeast of Shanxi Province. The temple lushly grows pine and cypress trees and boasts a clean and quiet environment. First constructed in the Emperor Xiaowen reign period (471-499) of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the temple became prosperity in the Sui and Tang dynasties when its influence reached Japan. In the fifth year of the Huichang reign period (845) of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Wuzong banned Buddhism and many Buddhist temples were destroyed. After Emperor Xuanzong ascended to the throne, Buddhism was restored. The temple was rebuilt in the 11^th year of the Dazhong reign period (857). The Eastern Hall in the temple is large and magnificent, integrating wooden structures, sculptures, murals and painting, and it the only and invaluable building of such kind, and a wonder among the ancient architectural structures of the Tang Dynasty. It occupies an important position in the world architecture history. On the Buddhist altar in the Eatern Hall stand 35 color sculptures of the Tang Dynasty. The color sculptures feature pump faces, smooth lines and natural and well-proportioned bodies. They are masterpieces of color sculptures of the Tang Dynasty. (from Marvel of china)
佛光寺始建于北魏孝文帝时期（471-499），当地人有“现有佛光寺，后又五台山”的说法。
（以上的英文来自marvel of China,汉字来自《走遍山西》。）

Step4: tour-guiding
This is the Foguang Temple. Known as the “Gem of China”, it has a long history and grand scale. It is surrounded by mountains to the east, south and north, but opens out to the west. Numerous pine trees standing around the Foguang Temple give it immediate environment a green complexion and elegant appearance. The Foguang Temple has many Northern Wei Dynasty relics and inscriptions, which are relatively rare now. when talking about the artistic value and historical value of the temple, we must mention its discoverer-Liang Sicheng, who was an architecture expert and son of the modern thinker, Liang Qichao. In the summer of 1937, Liang Sicheng and four other professors excitedly went to the Mt.Wutai. They has been to Dunhuang before and among its many bright and colorful mural, one caught their attention: on the pictures, there were ancient temples and many visitors, and a tower not seen before.
In the Foguang Temple, Professor Liang Sicheng found this tower, which was the same as the one on the paintings, after 1,400 years, the tower still existed! It is an historicrelics of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is not only ancient architectural treasure, but also the monument of the culture exchange between China and India. Liang’s discovery far exceeded his expectations: in addition to the “ancient tower”, the Foguang Temple also turned out to be an ancient treasure house. Since its discovery, the Foguang Temple has been seen as belonging not just to China, but to the entire world as well. Some foreign scholars have publicy called it the “Asian Temple”.
Foguang Temple was built during the Northern Wei Dynasty and was destroyed later. The main hall of Foguang Temple we see was built in the Tang Dynasty. Because it is located on the high ground in the east, it is called East Basilica(东大殿). The Buddha alter is in the Foguang Temple’s center and above it, there are three Buddha and Bodhisattva and other 35 Buddha statues, this is a standard Tang Dynasty arrangement and is similar to the statue placement in Gansu Province’s Dunhuang Grottoes. There are also Bodhisattvas squatting on the tall rosette（莲花座）. This kind of statues is also rare in China-the only other places it can be found is at the Dunhuang Grottoes in Gansu and Huayan Temple in Datong.
This is my entire introduction. Thanks for your cooperation. I do hope my introduction is helpful and enjoyable. I wish you have a pleasant journey.

佛光寺

这就是在佛刹中被誉为“中华瑰宝”的佛光寺，它是一座历史悠久、规模宏大的佛教圣院。佛光寺东、南、北三面环山，只有西向开阔，寺依山势而建，坐东朝西。整个寺区松柏葱翠，殿宇巍峨，环境清雅，寺院布局疏朗，排列有序。寺内有北魏以来的建筑和许多文物古迹，这在全国都是比较少见的。讲到它的艺术价值和历史文化价值我们不能不提起它的发现者——我国古建筑专家梁思成（近代思想家梁启超之子）先生。
1937年的夏天，梁思成先生等四位教授，兴冲冲的来到五台山，在这之前，他们曾去了敦煌，在众多绚丽多彩的壁画中，有一副五台山图，特别引起他们的注意，画面上古刹林立，游人不绝，还有一座不曾见到过的宝塔…
在佛光寺，梁思成教授找到了这座塔，与画面上的一模一样，1400年的风风雨雨，依然健在，它是北魏遗物，双层六角，上实下空，神纹砌砖，由印度的束莲柱，他不仅是我国古建筑的精品，也是中国和印度古代建筑交流的纪念碑。大大出乎梁思成所料的，就是除了这“祖师塔”，整个佛光寺就是一个古代艺术的新大陆，佛光寺不只是属于中国，也属于世界，有的外国学者公开称呼佛光寺为亚洲佛光。
佛光寺始建于北魏，后来被毁。现在佛光寺正殿为唐代所建，其因在寺内东部的制高点上，是佛光寺的大雄宝殿，故名东大殿。在五台山是首屈一指的，正殿正中的大佛坛上面有三佛和菩萨胁寺等像35尊。佛坛的正中间是降魔释迦像，左面是弥勒佛，右边是阿弥陀佛。这是唐代中叶以后菩萨塑像的特性，与甘肃敦煌的塑像同出一范。
另外，供养菩萨均为一足蹲一足跪在高耸的莲座上，这种塑像除了甘肃敦煌石窟和山西大同华严寺外，在国内还不多见。
佛坛的左稍间有普贤菩萨骑像，两个菩萨服侍，獠蛮牵着像，普贤像前有起陀和一个童子像，佛坛的右稍间是文殊菩萨骑狮像，佛林牵着狮子，两个菩萨胁侍。这和通常文殊居左，普贤居右的配置是不相同的。
我的介绍到此就结束了，谢谢您的合作，我希望我的介绍能给大家带来收获和乐趣，祝您一路平安，身体健康。
(form 中国著名旅游景区导游词精选，王浪主编，旅游教育出版社，39-42)

Nanchan temple

Here we are. Before climbing Mt.Wutai from the south, we’ll first visit this ancient temple, which is the most valuable heritage in Mt. Wutai, because Nabchan Temple has the oldest existing wooden structure—the Large Buddhist Hall. You may know, Shanxi Province’s many still existing old buildings make it known as China’s outdoor museum and the best place in the country to study older architecture. Most ancient architecture of Shanxi Province is concentrated at Mt.Wutai, and the Nanchan Temple is one of the mountain’s most ancient buildings.
Nanchan Tample is located on one side of the Galaxy River, near a small village in Wutai County. The temple faces the south, with both the front and the back facing a ridge. Lush forests, clear streams, and red walls surround the temple. Nanchan temple has stood in this beautiful environment for 1,200 years. The temple is not big, with a total area of over 3,000 square meters, and is 60 meters long from north to south, 51 meters in width. It has two courtyards, six halls.
The Large Buddha Hall（大佛殿） is the main building in the temple, which has three rooms outside and one room inside, supported by 12 wooden pillars. The walls are not loaded. Their main purpose is to protect the building from storms and separate inside and outside of the hall. This is a typical Tang Dynasty architectural style. According to the inscriptions on the beams, we can see that this temple was reconstructed in 781A.D., has existed for about 1,200 years, and it is the elder brother of all the existing wooden structure buildings in China. This is the reason why Nanchan Temple is famous worldwide. The statues are from the Tang Dynasty. In the center is the Sakyamuni Buddha, while the Samantabhadra and Bodhisattava are on both sides of the hall; the rest of the statues and disciples are other kings, which create a good solemn Buddhist community and harmonious atmosphere. They are vivid, artistic masterpieces, and their styles and colors are the same as Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. There are 70 brick statues surrounding the Buddhist altar, which rank among the Tang Dynasty’s most valuable artistic treasures. Indeed, when you are in the Nanchan Temple, it is like entering an art hall of Tang Dynasty and you may wonder how the building and its treasures could be so well preserved.
We can find the answer in three ways. The first factor is the mountain’s high terrain and dry climate, which are conducive to preserving such relics. The second factor is its geographical location. Nanchan Temple is far away from Taihuai Town, where most temples concentrate and because it was not very noticeable, the temple was able to escape from the mass destruction and robbery in the aftermath of the Tang Dynasty collapse. The last factor is the diligence of the local population in ensuring that the temple was protected and maintained. For these reasons the 1,000-years-old Nanchan Temple is well preserved. After the Liberation, the Chinese local and national government have paid special attention to the ancient temple, listing it as a key national culture relic unit and allocating special funds for its maintenance. As a result, Nanchan Temple has been well protected.
Now our tour to Nanchan Temple is over. I’ll take you to enjoy another famous Tang Dynasty architecture masterpiece, the Foguang Temple.
南禅寺
  南禅寺到了。我们从南路上五台山，首先游览这座古刹。南禅寺内有我国现存最古老的木结构建筑—大佛殿。大家可能知道，山西素有地上文物博物馆的美誉，现存古建筑，其数量之多、价值之高都居全国之首。山西的古建筑以五台山地区最为集中，而五台山的古建筑又以南禅寺最为古老。
南禅寺位于五台县阳白乡李家村附近小银河一侧的河岸土崖上，庙宇坐北朝南，迎面和背面各有一道山梁，寺旁渠水环绕，林木茂盛，红墙绿树，碧水青山，极为幽静。南禅寺就是在如此美丽的环境中已经存在了1200多年。寺院并不大，占地约3000多平方米，南北长60米，东西宽51米，分两个院落，共有殿堂六座。
大佛殿为寺院主体建筑，面宽和进深都是三间，二内里却是一大间，是单檐歇山顶建筑，公用十二根巨柱支撑殿顶，墙身并不负重，止期间各内卫和预防风雨袭击的作用。四周檐柱柱头微微内倾，四个角柱稍高，使得层层伸出的斗拱翘起。这样，大殿即稳固又俏丽，是典型的唐代建筑风格。据大殿横梁上题记可知，此殿重建于唐德宗建中三年（公元782年），距今已有1200多年，是中国现存所有木结构建筑的老大哥。这也是南禅寺海内外为文明的主要原因。殿内的塑像都是唐代作品，以释迦摩尼佛为中心，两旁是文殊、普贤、而为菩萨，其余为大弟子阿难和迦叶及护法天王等群像，主次分明，错落有致，营造出佛界肃穆而和谐的良好氛围。其风格与敦煌莫高窟彩塑如出一辙。佛坛四周嵌有瓷砖70幅，是唐代砖面浮雕艺术杰作，同样颇具艺术价值。置身大殿内，犹如进入一座唐代艺术殿堂，不论建筑，还是塑像、砖雕均是稀世国宝。
  走出大佛殿，大家可能会产生这样的疑问，这样一座唐代建筑为何能够完好的保存下来？答案应有三方面：从地势和气候上说，这里高而背风，较为干燥，有利于木结构物的完好保存；从所处地理位置上讲，南禅寺远离寺庙最集中的台怀闹区，藏于偏僻山乡之中，不太引人注意，所以能够躲过唐代以后历次大规模灭法和刀兵之劫，最后还要归功于当地人民群众的精心保护，免去了可能发生的其他人为破坏。正是这几方面的原因，使南禅寺这座千年古刹得以保存。新中国成立后，国家队古刹极为珍视，把他列为全国重点文物保护单位，拨专款进行维护，进而使南禅寺达到了更好的保护。
我们的南禅寺之行暂且到此，下面我带大家去欣赏与南禅寺齐名的另一处唐代古建筑—佛光寺。

The Nanchan Tample Hall（南禅寺）: is on the western side of Lijiazhuang, 22 kilometers southwest of the seat of Wutai County in Shanxi Province. It was first constructed in the Tang Dynasty(618-907), with the exact date unknown. An inscription under a beam at the hall proves that it was rebuilt in the third year of the Jianzhong region period(782) of the Tang Dynasty. In the late Tang, most of the Buddhist temples in the country were destroyed due to the policy adopted by Emperor Wuzong, known as the “religious persecutions during the Huichang reign period.” As the Nanchan Temple is in an out-of-the-way place, it escaped by sheer luck. Now it is the oldest wooden architecture in China, a wonder among China’s ancient architectural structures.
The Nanchan Temple Hall has a Buddhist alter, which is covered with color sculptures. The statue of Sakyamuni is in the center, with 17 sculptures of his disciples, Bodhisattvas, heavenly kings, and celestial boys on both sides and in the front. Each of them has a plump face and a natural expression, and wears simple clothes with smooth patterns. They are masterpieces of the ancient Chinese painted sculptures. With a history of over 1,200 years, these color sculptures have been well preserved, a wonder indeed.

南禅寺是我国现存历史最久的寺庙，比佛光寺早75年。
南路上五台山经过的第一座寺院，也是五台山寺院群之外的著名庙宇，始建于唐。南禅寺因远离五台山的中心庙宇群，而躲过了晚唐武宗“会昌灭佛”的浩劫。确切建筑年代以无法考证。
大佛殿，即南禅寺的正殿，是我国现存年代最早的木结构建筑，具有极大的艺术价值和历史价值。全殿没有天花板，也没有柱子，庞大的屋顶全由12根支撑檐柱支撑，简练的结构给人以稳健、庄重的感觉。大殿内有一座佛坛，坛上原有唐代彩塑17尊，属于国宝级雕塑精品，2000年被盗3尊，至今下落不明。双腿盘坐的释迦牟尼佛像居中，文殊、普贤菩萨分列左右、天王、金刚矫健有力，童子赤足立地，形象都很生动。佛坛四周满刻精美的花纹、莲瓣，这是唐代砖雕艺术的精品。

Reference ：
     英语导游教程纪春裴松青旅游教育出版社 2007
     西安导游技巧与实践姚宝荣西安外语音像教材出版社1997
     英语导游必读朱歧新中国旅游出版社 2006

Homework:
prepare the traits of excellent tour guide(P91-106)