The origin of Xianguding details

Xianguding is located in the northwest of Wangdao Village, Huancui District, Weihai City, with an altitude of 375 meters. It is a national 2A-level tourist attraction integrating natural scenery and myths and legends. Xianguding is the main peak of the Weifeng Mountains. There are many scenic spots such as Foding, Tieguailing, Wuyinya, Shimen Peak, and Tashan in the north. In the east, you can see Pixiu Mountain, Jinxianding, Maitreya Peak, Dadupo and the ruins of Xianqing Temple; In the south are the rugged Dengjiazhai, Shenlujia, Niuxian Mountain, Buge Cliff, and Shichuan Valley; while Xiaoxitian stretches across the western skyline, with steep cliffs and ethereal nothingness. Buddhism calls it the "Pure Land of Samadhi". Weifeng Mountain is called "Xiangu Peak" because there was a Xiangu Temple built on the top of the mountain in ancient times. In the old days, there were two stone tablets in front of the ancient temple. One was erected in the fourth year of Jingde (1007) by Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. The inscription was engraved alternately in Han and Liao scripts and was written by Zhang Wei; the other was the inscription on the Xiangu Temple that was renovated in the third year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. . After many vicissitudes of life, the ancient temple no longer exists, and the stone tablets of the past thousand years are also mottled and broken. By 1992, the Xiangu Temple was rebuilt by the people, and scenic spots such as stele arch, stone pagoda, Juxian Pavilion, Wanghai Pavilion, Luzu Cave, etc. were added, inscriptions were written, and the Xiangu Mountain Fair held on the 15th day of the third lunar month every year was restored. At that time, Yangko, gongs and drums, lion dancing, dragon dancing, Peking opera, and Lu opera compete with each other, making it very lively.

One of the legends: the legend of Guo Xiangu

The legend of Guo Xiangu has a long history. According to legend, Guo Xiangu was born more than a thousand years ago in a village called Guojiazhuang in Dongbozi in front of Wangdao Village in Weihai City today.

She lost her mother in her early years and was dependent on her father. She has tempered and trained herself in the hardships of life since she was a child. She is industrious and frugal, willing to give charity, knows how to repay kindness, respects virtue and righteousness, accumulates good practices, and lives in harmony with her neighbors. Many families in the village have received aid and help from her. Before Guo Xiangu attained Taoism, a shipwreck took away her husband's life. In the difficult situation of life, she supported the family, respected her parents-in-law, and adhered to her chastity. When the plague was raging and a catastrophe was imminent, she stepped forward regardless of her own safety, crossed mountains and ridges, climbed rocks to collect herbs, prepared medicines for the villagers, and finally sent away the god of plague. Her good deeds moved God, turning her from a mortal into an immortal, and built the Xiangu Temple (located in Xianguding, a famous mountain in Weihai), so that she could always better pray for the people to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings in the vicissitudes of life.

After the Guo Xiangu Temple was built, the incense continued. People with difficult and complicated diseases came to ask the fairy to cure their illnesses; people with no children came to ask the fairy to give them children; people who were shipwrecked at sea came to pray to the fairy. Those who lead extradition; those who encounter difficulties and dangers and come to seek help from the fairy to save their lives... In short, anyone who is in trouble can seek help from the fairy anytime and anywhere. As long as you obey the laws of nature, the fairy will help and bless you.

The legend of Guo Xiangu and the written records of Xiangu Temple are supported by the Han and Liao steles written in the fourth year of Jingde reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. In 1007 AD, a group of people from the Liao Kingdom traveled through mountains and rivers, crossed the sea in boats, and brought fat cattle, sheep and worship gifts. They devoutly came to the Xiangu Temple in the north of Bailu Township, Wendeng County, Wendeng County, Jingdong East Road at that time, to worship. The main reason why people of the Liao people worshiped the fairy is that the ships of the Liao Kingdom lost their way on the foggy sea. In the confusion, a spiritual light flickered on the top of the fairy, guiding the ships to find a way out. After the crew returned home, they widely publicized the fairy's rescue. When the king knew about this, he sent envoys from the Liao Kingdom to worship the fairy here, and asked Zhang Wei, a local Gongsheng student in Bailu Township, Wendeng County, to write both Han and Liao inscriptions, which were published and carved in stone to set the goal. This monument now stands in front of Xiangu Temple. It is also the earliest written record of the legend of Xiangu and Xiangu Temple discovered so far, dating back thousands of years.

After different eras, rise and fall, Guo Xiangu has been constantly mythologized, forming a complete idol of immortal culture. At the same time, she has become a historical theme that affects a party's humanistic cultivation and educates social morals. However, under the impact of strong culture, Legend is facing unsustainable embarrassment. Most young people have not heard of the legend systematically, middle-aged people's narrations are fragmented, and a few elderly people are weak. The folk literature form "The Legend of Guo Xiangu" is on the verge of being lost and urgently needs to be protected and passed on.

Legend 2:

Five kilometers south of the old city of Weihai, there is a village called Wangdao (called Mangdao in Weihai dialect). This village is composed of Lu Jiatuan and Meng Dao. It consists of three villages: Jiatuan and Majiatuan. To the west of the village is a mountain with an altitude of 375 meters. The mountain is steep, with beautiful peaks, winding paths and lush jungles. There is a temple on the top of the mountain called Xiangu Temple, which is famous far and near. . Everyone living in Weihai knows that the Xianguding Temple Fair is held on March 15th of the lunar calendar every year, but not all Weihai people know the origin of the Xianguding Temple Fair. Today I will talk about the legend of Xianguding.

Legend has it that a long time ago, on Kanniu Mountain south of Xianguding, there lived an old man surnamed Guo and his daughter. When he was sixteen years old, he suddenly contracted a serious illness. From then on, he stopped eating or drinking, and he did good deeds and accumulated good deeds. He often collected medicines and cured diseases for the people and rescued people in distress. He was deeply loved by the surrounding villagers. Miss Guo likes cats and has many cats at home. One year, the local people were infected with the plague, which spread quickly and killed many people. In order to save her neighbors, Guo Xiangu personally went to the mountains to collect medicine and boiled medicine for the people to drink. Everyone's illness was quickly cured. The rats that spread the plague were also bitten to death by Guo's cats (in memory of these contributing cats, There used to be many stone cats in the temple.) Miss Guo prayed to Buddha day and night. After years of practice, Miss Guo finally achieved enlightenment and became an immortal. From then on, Guo Xiangu became more charitable and protected her neighbors. Because the Kanniu Mountain where Xiangu lives is very small, cowherd boys often go up the mountain to herd cattle, which disrupts the quiet fairyland. Therefore, after old man Guo passed away, Guo Xiangu wanted to move to Xianguding.

One night, a rich man living in Majiatuan dreamed that a fairy in a white gauze skirt floated into the house, clasped her hands to say hello, and offered to borrow his bay-red horse to move his home. Go to Xianguding. The rich man agreed, took out the horse and lent it to the fairy. After daybreak, the old rich man remembered what he had dreamed about at night and hurried to the stable to check. He saw that the bay-red horse was sweating profusely. The saddle and carrying frame were still on the horse's back, and he saw that there were two gold ingots in the carrying case. Now the old rich man was very happy and spread the story of the fairy girl's dream everywhere. When the villagers in the surrounding villages discovered that the fairy who was watching Niushan had really disappeared, the rich contributed money, and the poor contributed their efforts to build a temple on the top of the fairy, and named it: Fairy Temple. There is also the Xianguding Temple Fair held on March 15th every year. On weekdays, people often go up the mountain to burn incense and kowtow to worship the fairy to pray for her blessings.

Now, Wangdao Group has fully explored the beautiful legend of Xianguding, developed tourism resources, built a beautiful mountain gate at the foot of Xianguding, renovated the Xiangu Temple, and improved the roads and environment. The planning has not only enriched the traditional folk culture of Xiangu Temple, but also created good economic value.

Legend No. 3:

The top of the Immortal Aunt Temple is dedicated to an immortal aunt. It is said that the immortal aunt has never been married. She is kind-hearted, beautiful and gentle, and she wholeheartedly works for the local people and responds to their requests. According to inscriptions, the legend of Fairy Girl has been circulating since the Song Dynasty. It is said that the girl's real name is Guo, and she and her father depended on each other. When she was sixteen or seventeen years old, she contracted some strange disease and refused to eat or drink. Still alive, over time he attained enlightenment and became an immortal, becoming "Guo Xiangu". There are two stories about fairy aunts appearing in folklore, one is "the fairy aunt moves away" and the other is "the fairy aunt kills herself".

First let’s talk about the legend of “Xiangu moving”: It is said that Xiangu first lived on Nanshan Mountain opposite Xianguding. Later, the mountains were dirty by the children herding cattle, so Xiangu decided to move. So he entrusted a dream to the old man Tian at the foot of the mountain, saying that she was in a hurry to move and wanted to borrow their bay-red horse. The old man was always generous, so he happily agreed, took the beloved bay-red horse out of the stable, and personally helped Xiangu prepare it. Saddle and load the panniers. When he woke up at dawn, the old man recalled what happened in his dream. He seemed to believe it or not. He hurried out the door and saw his beloved bay-red horse, dripping with sweat. The saddle and pan were still on the horse's back. Taking a closer look, he saw two large ingots placed at one end of the basket, and the old man suddenly felt at ease—this was a gift from the fairy aunt as a thank you. Old man Tian hurriedly told his neighbors about this strange incident. Everyone rushed to tell each other and prayed to the mountain. Afterwards, the villagers decided to build a fairy temple on the mountain to pray for the fairy's blessing.

Let’s talk about the legend of “suicide”: It is said that Deng Kexin, the leader of the peasant uprising in the Ming Dynasty, lived in Dengjiazhai opposite. They were surrounded by the Ming Dynasty’s army many times, but every time because of The fog made it difficult to see the target, but it was not wiped out. Once again when he was surrounded by the Ming Dynasty army, Deng Kexin casually said to his subordinates: "No matter how hard they work, it's useless. The girls on the mountain opposite are protecting us. We can't be attacked safely." Who knows that as soon as he said these words, the people on the mountain would The fog disappeared immediately, and the Ming army successfully attacked the mountain, forcing Deng Kexin to commit suicide on the mountain road, so Likou Mountain got the name "Suicide Road". The old people always said that Deng Kexin disrespected the fairy by calling her "little girl", which made the fairy angry.

Two beautiful legends make Xiangu Ding very famous. People nearby worship Xiangu devoutly in order to pray that she can eliminate disasters and diseases and bless safety. Therefore, paper money can be seen everywhere on the mountain road. Xianguding is a very unique landscape. It's just that young people don't agree with this phenomenon very much. They think about safety and say that such paper money pressed by stones has the hidden danger of causing forest fires.

The origin of Fairy Girl

There are many sources of immortality in ancient China, but the fairy of Weihai Fairy Xiang only has the surname (Guo). The people say "Guo Fairy" orally, but they don't know where it comes from and there is no way to study it, so it is suspected to be a local belief. It is speculated that Guo Xiangu should be a local god among the people. She had meritorious service and filial piety in the local area, so she was made a god and a temple was built to offer sacrifices. However, it is not recorded in the official history and it is a long time ago, so the details are unknown. Therefore, the Daoguang edition of "Wendeng County Chronicle" records: "I don't know where the fairy girl is from, the old records are not recorded, and there are also ignorant people in the city."

The legend of Guo Xiangu is said to have been passed down locally for nearly 2,000 years (or may be slightly exaggerated). Through oral creation, dissemination, interpretation, belief and sacrifice by the people, a relatively complete local case of Tao culture has been formed. However, the overall content is slightly insufficient and unsystematic.

The origin of Fairy Girl

Legend 1: A local fisherman from Guojia Village lost his mother at the age of eight and became a child bride at the age of eight. Do more good deeds throughout your life. Later, when her husband went to sea to fish, she never came back. The fairy girl watched her husband by the seaside and waited for many years. She moved the world and turned into a god to protect the people. There are many stories about rescue at sea, such as sending lights at sea, guiding people who are lost, etc. For example, in the fourth year of Jingde reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 1007), envoys from the Liao Kingdom came to pay homage and wrote articles and erected monuments. Rumor has it that they were a caravan from the Liao Kingdom. They were in danger while sailing and were rescued by a fairy, so they made a special trip to repay their kindness. Because there is a saying that the fairy girl rescues people from danger at sea, the fairy girl is also said to be the incarnation of Guanyin or Mazu on the sea.

Legend 2: According to legend, in the Song Dynasty, a fairy (whose name is unknown is unknown) traveled eastward to Weihaijing and saw the beautiful scenery of Weifeng Mountain, so she practiced cultivation here. From this, today's fairy culture gradually formed. However, "Wendeng County Chronicle" records: "In the old Weihai Zhixiangu, it is said that she was the place where Magu became a monk and practiced", so the fairy is also regarded as the incarnation of Magu.

Legend 3: "Taiping Qinghua" records that the fairy aunt's surname is Li and her given name is Qiongxian. She is from southern Guangdong. She wandered in her fantasy. Later, she followed her sworn brother Wang Yuan to Mount Laoshan to learn Taoism. After completing her studies, she moved to Mou. Guyu Mountain in the southeast of the state was once canonized as a real person (also known as Xiangu) to protect the people.

The legend of Xiangu Temple: Xiangu Temple has a long history, and the direct witness are two temple monuments. A temple stele was erected in the fourth year of Jingde (1007 AD) by Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. It has a history of more than a thousand years. The inscription was written by Zhang Wei and was made of Chinese characters interspersed with Liao script seals. It is the earliest one found in the Weihai area so far. Ancient temple stele has high historical value. Another temple stele was erected when the Xiangu Temple was rebuilt in the third year of Kangxi (AD 1664). The inscription on the stele reads "The ruins of Xiangu are far away from the Qin and Han Dynasties." From this we can see how old the Xiangu Temple is.

Historical records

1. The year of its founding is unknown

2. It was rebuilt in the third year of Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1664 AD)

3. It was rebuilt in the early years of the Republic of China, with a "square eight feet" layout

4. It was destroyed in 1964

5. It was rebuilt in 1989 and was demolished again after a few years.

6. In March 1992, it was rebuilt. The three characters "Xiangu Ding" on the mountain gate were inscribed by the famous Chinese calligrapher Liu Bingsen.

Tian Fengquan, a well-known literary figure in Weihai, wrote an article "Rebuilding the Immortal Aunt Temple"

7. From 1993 to 2009, the Xiangu Temple Fair was held for 16 times.