Renwei Temple is located in Renwei Temple Qianjie, Longjin West Road, Guangzhou, in the old Pantang Township, covering an area of 2,2 square meters. It is a temple dedicated to the true Emperor Wu of Taoism. At that time, it was the oldest and largest temple word in eighteen townships of Enzhou, Pantang. Historical records show that Renwei Temple was founded in 152, the fourth year of Emperor You in the Song Dynasty. Large-scale construction was carried out in the second year of tomorrow (1622), the years of Qing Qianlong (1736 ~ 1795) and Tongzhi (1862 ~ 1874). Rebuilt during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, the temple only had the first three buildings in the middle road and the west order, and the second building and the east order were added during the reconstruction.
When Renwei Temple was first built, it was called Beidi Temple. It is said that because Emperor Zhenwu was in charge of water, people called him the Northern Emperor or the Water God. Because the northern Zhenwu Xuantian God is known as "Shenwei", it was later renamed Renwei Temple.
There is another story about the name of Renwei Temple.
Pantang, located in Lingnan water town, is famous for its "five shows of Pantang" such as lotus root, water chestnut, arrowhead mushroom, water chestnut and bamboo shoots. In order to "be grateful and invite blessings to God so as not to cause disasters", the villagers in Pantang "worship the gods". It is said that there were two brothers in Pantang in those days. The elder brother's name was Ren and the younger brother was Wei. One day, the two brothers went fishing and found a strange stone. They took it home and made it an idol. Since then, "life has been smooth and handy", and it has spread all over the village, and within ten miles, there are many worshippers. When they went to the village to raise money to build the temple, the villagers changed the name of the temple to "Renwei".
The plane of Renwei Temple is slightly trapezoidal, facing south, with Guangsan Road five steps deep and a row of bungalows to the east. The first three buildings, including the main building, the east and west halls, the fourth hall and the fifth back building. Along the north-south central axis, there are Toumen, main hall, middle hall, back hall and back building in turn, and east and west order on the left and right. The facade is 11 meters wide and 8 meters deep. Outside the gate, there is a granite stone pillar on each side, with a stone lion carved on its head, auspicious clouds carved on its body and two dragons playing with pearls. The lines are smooth and the image is very vivid, commonly known as "Dragon Column".
The main building is 4 meters wide from east to west and 54-6 meters deep from north to south. It is a brick-wood mixed structure. There are 9 beams in the house, and the roof is a 5-step wind-volcano wall, covered with green-gray tube tiles and trimmed with blue glazed tiles. Ceramic figures decorated with tiles, pavilions decorated with ridges and stage opera figures on the main ridge of the roof and the gable tops on both sides were all fired by Wenrubi Store in Shiwan, Foshan, Guangdong Province in the Qing Dynasty. The words "Tongzhi Ding Mao" (Tongzhi for six years, that is, 1867) are faintly visible. Roof beams, beams, humps, finches, etc. are all made into wood carving process components, carved into auspicious patterns such as Kirin, and golden colors are everywhere. The cornice carving is more exquisite, and Ji Xiangwen and opera figures are vividly carved. The brick carving pattern on the head is also exquisitely carved and original. Lotus-shaped bucket arches, fork arms of pillar beams and brackets are all carved in the shape of upside-down pincers. Queti, hump and cornice board are more transparent and exquisite, painted and gilded, which is the style of Chaozhou gold lacquer wood carving. Multi-level complex through carving brings relief, heavy carving and round carving together on the same picture.
The main hall has 9 frames with 4 columns, and the main hall beam frame is connected organically with the four-sandalwood-rolled pavilion beam frame in the form of hooking. All components such as bucket arch, beam frame, sparrow replacement and hump are consistent with the style of the head beam frame. There are auspicious patterns on the hump, such as lion dance ball, dragon and phoenix auspicious, carp jumping over the dragon gate and beaming. Beneath the transverse beam Fang in front of the main hall, there are carvings of immortals celebrating their longevity and blessing them both. At the bottom, there is a smooth ruyi pattern, which has beautiful shape, fine carving and distinct layers. There are figures such as the Eight Immortals carved in the lacquer space between the two gold pillars in the Ming Dynasty. The bottom of all the beams are carved with patterns, and the carving is extremely fine. The figures and animals are lifelike. The wood carvings are all painted with gold.
The third and fourth buildings and the houses in the east and west order are slightly less elaborate, but the architectural styles and styles are basically the same as those in the main hall.
The architectural carvings in the temple are a combination of painters, woodcuts, brick carvings, gray carvings and other arts. Their images are vivid and lifelike, and they concentrate the essence of Lingnan ancient architecture art, so they are known as "Gui Dian Lan Palace". At the same time, the whole temple has different shapes, including square, octagonal and basin-covered. There are stone pillars, wooden columns, square, octagonal, round and corner columns in the cross section. The woodcarving, stone carving and brick carving in Renwei Temple have their own characteristics and exquisite craftsmanship. Pottery and grey sculptures are exquisite and exquisite, with strong local characteristics and styles of Lingnan, just like the Chenjiaci, which leaves a deep impression on people. There are also many tablets in the temple.
It is said that in the past, the third day of the third lunar month was the birthday of the temple, and the temple fair activities were rich and colorful, among which attending the gods, offering incense and singing eight characters were the main activities during the birthday of the temple. There is aged person in the village who will preside over the major events in the village. In the Qing Dynasty, ancestral temples were banned for a period of time. In order to preserve this temple, villagers dedicated their lives to Confucius and Guan Gong in the back seat. At that time, there was a couplet in the temple: "Benevolence in the Four Seas. The City of Wei Town"-the first couplet "benevolence" refers to Confucius, and the second couplet "Wei" refers to Guan Gong Guan Yunchang. There used to be many couplets here, but now most of them have been separated. Among them, there is a pair of couplets: "Rising Sun Zhanzhujiangyuan meets Xiangpu Shimen, and the four seas share Dili;" Longjin Lianpanshui sent Honghong Bridge to Li 'an Qianqiu to bathe in Renwei. " By the second opium war, foreign enemies invaded, so they resumed group training here to resist "foreign harassment." In fact, Renwei Temple has become an important stronghold to fight against foreign invaders in Guangzhou in the late Qing Dynasty.
historically, Renwei Temple has always been a place for people who believe in Taoism to carry out religious activities in the west of Guangzhou and Nanhai, Panyu and Shunde. After the founding of New China, the religious activities in Renwei Temple continued. After the Cultural Revolution, Renwei Temple was restored, and the Taoist believers in Guangzhou repeatedly requested to restore it as a venue for Taoist activities. In December, 22, with the approval of the governments of Guangzhou and Liwan District, Renwei Temple was handed over to Guangzhou Taoist Association, which was opened as a venue for religious activities. Renwei Temple became the fourth Dojo registered and opened by the government after Sanyuan Palace, Wong Tai Sin Temple and Chunyang Temple.
in August, 1993, it was designated as a municipal cultural relics unit by Guangzhou municipal government.
Walking all the way from Renwei Temple Qianjie in the northeast of Liwan Lake Park, crossing streets and lanes, and squeezing through many stalls under the low eaves, a thousand-year-old temple-Renwei Temple is just around the corner. In front of the temple, there is a lake, and the Chinese table stands upright. On both sides, there are ancient houses, which seems to go back in time, making people wonder if they are in Guangzhou.
historically, pantang area includes eighteen townships in enzhou. Because the local villagers are well-known in the province for fishing and planting "water chestnut, lotus, mushroom, ling and water chestnut", it is especially popular to offer sacrifices to Emperor Xuanwu in order to be grateful and invite blessings, smooth disasters and reduce disasters. Xuanwu is a combination of snakes and turtles. It is the ancient northern god of China. Together with Qinglong, Baihu and Suzaku, it is called the Quartet Yuan God. Because water lives in the north, and Emperor Wudi takes charge of water, people call Xuanwu the Northern Emperor and the Water God. Later, it was widely spread among the people. In ancient Pantang Township, there were two brothers, one named Ren and the other named Wei. One day, when they went fishing, they found a strange stone and took it home as an idol. Unexpectedly, since then, they have lived a smooth life all the way, and their lives have been well applied. They are rich and happy, and they feel that the "idol" is even more unpredictable. This happy strange thing spread in the countryside, and the people who heard the news and rejoiced rushed to tell each other, believers gathered, and many people visited Renwei Rock, so the villagers responded with one voice and simply raised funds to build the "Renwei Temple". -The Legend of Renwei Temple
According to the "Continued Revision of Nanhai County Records", Renwei Temple was built in the fourth year of Song Huangyou (152), and large-scale construction was carried out in succession during the apocalypse of Ming Dynasty, the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty and the Tongzhi period. Before the renovation in the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty, only the first three houses in the middle road and the west sequence were rebuilt, while the last two houses and the east sequence were added during the Qianlong period. The most noteworthy thing is that the foundation and construction of Renwei Temple were spontaneously donated by the villagers of eighteen townships in Pantang! This is a temple of blessing and soul built by the people themselves!
Renwei Temple is a typical architectural style in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, paying attention to magnificence, and it is the crystallization of various examples of sculpture art in China. Its main building is slightly trapezoidal, covering an area of 2,2 square meters and facing south. The woodcarving in the temple is very exquisite, and the head door is made into the craft component of woodcarving, carving auspicious patterns and applying golden colors all over the place. And the top is the Wushan wind volcano wall. The main ridge is the tile ridge of the pottery figure shaped by Shiwan Wenru, with the words "Tongzhi Ding Mao" on it. Its exquisite wood carving, rough stone carving and clear brick carving were once known as "Gui Dian Lan Palace". -Renwei Temple's architectural art
Every year, on the eighth day of the second lunar month, Renwei Temple's birthday is celebrated. During the temple fair, there are many activities in the village, like a grand religious festival, where everyone will perform endless and tireless soul bathing, such as attending the gods, offering incense and singing eight tones.
It is said that Renwei Temple was the oldest and grandest temple in the 18th Township of Enzhou, covering an area of more than 5 mu, and there was a big pond in front of it. There are many couplets in the temple, including "the rising sun at the source of the Pearl River meets Xiangpu Shimen, and the four seas share Dili, and Longjin connects Panshui to Hongqiao Li 'an for a thousand years"; There is another couplet, such as "Benevolence is everywhere, Wei Town is three cities" (the first couplet refers to Confucius, and the second couplet refers to Guan Gong), which are all classics, as if benevolence and Wei are both hard and soft, and they look at each other. Looking forward to chewing, it makes people have whimsy; Whether it is a festive or lonely day, an ordinary or important day, a happy or sad day, a bumper harvest or a famine day ... Renwei Temple is always silently welcoming the good men and women who came to burn incense and worship God. They pray for good luck and good luck; They pray for peace and good weather ... The fascinating realm is that there is a vast lotus pond floating with fragrance outside the temple, with pink flowers blooming gracefully in the wind, smiling and nodding at people; In the incense burner in the temple, a ring of smoke rises, and the strange fragrance fills the room. The misty and graceful smoke is covered with a layer of soft light and fog ... This atmosphere is like the ink house of ancient celebrities! However, it is a kind reed of the rural people. Even though it can't spend the long years with many suffering beings, it is enough to be a spiritual home to support people's livelihood beliefs.
The misty rain covered the lotus perfume pond in front of Renwei Temple. In the hot years when the soul was withered, the image of the temple was like a ruin. The water without ripples covered the ripples of prayer, leaving only the ashes of the temple, swaying and breathing sadly everywhere. In the 192s, Sun Ke was the mayor of Guangzhou. The villagers were afraid of commandeering the temple, so they changed Renwei Temple Hall into a school. By the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the amateur school for workers and peasants, the No.1 Central Primary School in Xicun, Pantang Primary School and some houses had been set up as Pantang Street Police Station. In the 196s, when there was a revolution, the police station was abolished, and a plastic factory was simply set up in the temple ... The fate of a temple was shaky in the wind and rain, and it was impossible to survive like waste utilization. The "revolutionary teenagers" who broke the capitalism simply smashed the gods in the temple to pieces without mercy. Fortunately, in order to protect the exquisitely carved beams and columns in Renwei Temple, the villagers in Pantang covered the beams and columns with plaster overnight, so that these exquisite folk art works could be preserved. It was not until August 1983 that the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government "rehabilitated" Renwei Temple's unfair treatment and announced it as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit. Now, Renwei Temple Yu, with its heyday of incense, is gradually restoring its historical original appearance and respect.
There is a Renwei Temple in Xiguan, Guangzhou. It is said that it was built in Emperor You of Song Dynasty for four years, with a history of more than 9 years. It is a temple dedicated to the true Emperor Wu of Taoism, but why do people call it Renwei Temple? It turns out there is a touching legend here.
In the early Song Dynasty, there were two brothers in the village, one named Ren and the other named Wei. Their parents died of illness when they were young. Thanks to the food provided by the neighbors, they became adults. The two grown-up brothers make a living by fishing. Although they are poor, they live in harmony. They went out early and returned late, and sold some of the fish they caught and sent some to their neighbors, which won everyone's praise.
One day, as usual, the two brothers went out fishing in a gray morning mist. Suddenly, the sky was overcast, and a big wave surged on the calm sea. The two brothers hurriedly closed their nets and sailed back. When they returned to the village, the village was already a sea of Wang Yang. People who escaped from the natural world stood on the water bank crying, and the bodies of animals such as pigs, chickens and dogs could be seen everywhere on the water surface. After two days and two nights, the flood gradually receded. Aren and Awei were very sad about the disaster in the village, and they decided to look for treasures that could save the village. One day, a huge stone appeared on the coast where they went fishing. The stone was rectangular, and it looked like a long dragon attached to it. The two brothers thought the stone was unusual and were overjoyed, so they carried it back to the village. When they carried the big stone to the village head, it suddenly became so heavy that five or six people could not move it. So the villagers set incense to Dashi at the head of the village and bowed down, praying for safety. Since then, there has really never been a flood in the village, and everyone lives in peace, with bumper harvests every year. One noon ten years later, the sun was shining, and suddenly there was a thunder in the sky, which split the unusual stone at the head of the village in two. It happened that on this day, everyone didn't see Ah Ren coming back from fishing, the next day and the third day, but everyone looked around and couldn't find their whereabouts. Since then, the two brothers have never been back to the village. Everyone thinks that they moved the jewel of the Hailongwang, and were punished by the Hailongwang and buried in the sea.
In memory of the two brothers, we built a temple at the head of the village, made a gatepost with the stone that was split in half, and named the temple Renwei Temple after the two brothers. Since then, Renwei Temple has become a place where people burn incense and worship Buddha, and perform operas and get together in festivals.