Chapter 895 891 [Dabaoen Temple has become a park]
Chapter 895 891 [The Great Baoen Temple becomes a park]
The Nanjing Dabaoen Temple, which cost 2.5 million taels of silver and mobilized 100,000 craftsmen, military personnel and civilian workers, took 19 years to build. Not only was it not demolished in the new Datong Dynasty, but it was even funded by the royal family for repairs.
Four years ago, Zhao Han allocated a full 150,000 taels of silver to repair the decaying palaces and strengthen the top of the tilted pagoda.
The monks were very excited about this, feeling that the emperor finally worshiped Buddhism.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Han asked craftsmen to erect a monument at the entrance of the temple. The general content is: Nanjing is densely populated, and the common people lack places to relax. The temple occupies a vast area and has beautiful scenery. It can be convenient for the common people. When welcoming monks, the common people must not be turned away.
Outside the door, we are not allowed to forcefully collect incense money from ordinary people.
To put it bluntly, it is a temple-like park.
Even the name of the temple "Dabaoen Temple" was changed to "Zhongshan Temple" by Zhao Han himself. From "Lu Shi Chun Qiu", Yao was good and everyone was good, Jie was wrong and everyone was wrong.
The unscrupulous monks in the temple have long been ordered to return to secular life, and all the temple land has been given to farmers.
The monks now only have two incomes, one is money for incense and donations from believers, and the other is printing and publishing Buddhist scriptures.
There is a complete set of negative plates of "Yongle Nanzang" here, with a total of 1,640 Buddhist scriptures engraved. You can print whichever one you want. Most of the Buddhist scriptures in the country are printed here.
Since the number of monks has dropped sharply, it should be used for other purposes.
The temple originally had more than 30 pavilions, 148 monasteries, 118 corridors, and 38 sutra rooms. It was the largest temple in China's history. A fire during the Wanli period destroyed many buildings. After Zhao Han rebuilt it, he set aside
A separate gate is opened in an area - used to accommodate envoys from various countries.
The number of foreign envoys coming to Nanjing is increasing, and sometimes there are dozens of people in one envoy. Honglu Temple is very troublesome. Sometimes they can't find accommodation, so they can only throw the accompanying people into the inn.
If you want to build another fanguan in the city, you can't free up such a large space, so you have to demolish some residential buildings.
Isn't there a place called Da Bao'en Temple? Although it is outside the city, it is not far from the South City Gate.
Of course, now it’s time to call it Zhongshan Temple.
On the day when Zhongshan Temple reopened its doors, countless people and devout men and women came to visit and watch the excitement.
The envoys from various countries who stayed in Nanjing also moved into an area through the side door. When they looked up, they could see the 78.2-meter-high glazed pagoda.
This is also an important reason why Zhao Han threw the envoys from various countries here. The pagoda made of pure colored glaze is almost 80 meters high, and 146 ever-bright lamps are lit at night. You envoys from foreign countries, please watch me day and night. In the future, you will do more to China.
Retain some respect.
Prince Charles and two London country boys currently live here.
They have already registered at Jinling University, and their tuition fees come from the British princess's gift money. The semester starts in August of the lunar calendar, and they will move to the school in a few days.
The envoys live in the temple, and they don't eat and drink for free. They usually only entertain them for free for two months. If they exceed the period, they have to pay for it themselves. They can stay for up to half a year. After half a year, they won't be allowed to stay even if they are paid, and they will go to the city on their own.
Find an inn.
Of course, the French, Persian, and Mughal envoys were exceptions.
Especially in France, the king and the queen mother were so kind. They gave Zhao Han a golden carriage and many horses to be shipped to China. French friends can stay wherever they want, for three to five years, and they don’t have to pay any room and board fees.
!
On the night of the move in, envoys from various countries saw the glaze pagoda glowing at night for the first time, and they watched it up close inside the temple - during the four-year renovation period, the lights were not turned on.
Everyone raised their necks and looked at the pagoda in a daze.
At this time, the glazed pagoda was brighter than before. Because of the addition of glass convex lenses, the brightness was several times higher than before.
The envoy sent by the King of Cambodia to ask for help knelt down and worshiped devoutly, then put his hands together and recited scriptures.
In today's Southeast Asia, the center of Buddhism is in Laos, and monks from all over the world go to Laos to study Buddhism. The envoy in front of him, together with the monks on the mission, have already regarded this place as a holy place for Buddhism.
Several French visiting scholars are now in a daze.
Among them were writers, artists, and architects. During the day, they visited the Glazed Pagoda, studied the pagoda's architectural structure, and tried to return to Paris to build one for Louis XIV.
But after studying for a while, these people felt even more powerless. Even if they learned it, the French royal family lacked the manpower and material resources to build it.
French painters and architects planned to paint the glazed pagoda and throw it to Louis XIV for his enjoyment. If he had to imitate it, just build a twenty-meter-high one outside Paris. From now on, it could also be called
"European Little Nanjing".
There is also a French writer who praised Zhao Han in his notes:
"This great Asian monarch used his extraordinary achievements to end wars and plagues in China, and defeated the ferocious Tatars in the north (who mistook Jurchens in Jianzhou for Mongolia)... Under his governance, China
Everything became in order. His art of governing even spread across the ocean to Europe, benefiting each of us a lot..."
"He is an upbringing of the upper class, and all his qualities are reflected in him. His appearance, manners, and figure are all breathtaking. He shows a kind of grace in his majesty. His inner quality is even more respected..."
"He has decisive decision-making power and can give the most reasonable answer to any problem, allowing officials to implement his instructions... His unique understanding of art is unmatched by the world, and he even has a comprehensive understanding of European culture and institutions.
He understands the direction, these are the reasons why people are willing to obey and respect him..."
In fact, this writer had never met Zhao Han at all and only got a few words from the mouth of the French envoy.
The less I have seen the emperor in person and the more I see the prosperity and grandeur of Nanjing, the more mysterious and great the Chinese emperor becomes.
…
When Baykov arrived in Nanjing, Prince Charles had already gone to study.
Prince Charles paid all the tuition fees for the three British students, and they were given a lot of gifts for marrying the British princess. To treat these foreign students, Jinling University has special teachers who were transferred from primary school teachers.
A group of Russian envoys were shocked and numb on the road.
Baykov even tore up the certificate of credence, soaked it in water, and destroyed all the offensive content. Because in the certificate of credence, there was a sentence asking the "Emperor of Khitan" to surrender to the Tsar.
What the heck are you giving in to? Baykov, who has lived in Moscow since childhood, felt like he came from the countryside when he arrived in Yangzhou.
They were taken to Nanjing City, and after reporting at Honglu Temple, they went to stay at Zhongshan Temple outside Nancheng.
When they were in the city, they saw the Glazed Pagoda. When they got out of the city gate, it became clearer that a pagoda towering into the clouds stood there.
Baykov, who had been shocked countless times, now faced the pagoda and became stunned again.
"That, that, that, that... what is that?" Baykov asked.
The general officer of Honglu Temple replied: "Buddha."
As the number of foreign affairs increased, Honglu Temple grew stronger and even had a group of translators.
It is not necessary to learn all the languages of European countries, as long as you learn Latin. At this time, all diplomatic documents in Europe were written in Latin.
Baykov knew about Buddhism. When he was in Siberia, he had dealt with Mongolians who believed in Buddhism. When he came to China, he also saw some pagodas along the way, but where had he seen such a high one? This is definitely the world
The tallest building is equivalent to a "skyscraper" with more than 20 floors!
Arriving at the envoy's accommodation area, more than a dozen Russians were thrown into a courtyard. The French envoy also lived in the same courtyard (by deliberate arrangement).
Colbert, the leader of the French mission, was reading the Latin version of "Datong Collection" provided by the missionary. He heard the movement outside, walked out of the room and looked for a while, and couldn't help but ask: "Poles?"
Baykov said: "I am Russian."
Colbert said disdainfully: "They are all the same."
They're all the same rednecks!
Colbert was so versatile that he even made friends with the Persian envoys, but he ignored the Russian envoys.
"Which country are you the envoy of?" Baykov asked.
Colbert's nostrils turned upward: "I am sent as an envoy to the country of Datong on the order of the King of France."
Both of them spoke Latin, and although their accents were heavy, they could basically communicate normally.
Baykov, who was still a bit arrogant in Heilongjiang, heard that he was the French envoy, and couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, just like a countryman meeting a wealthy man in the city.
Of course, although he was shorter mentally, he could not lose in terms of momentum. Baykov held his head high, then bent down and saluted and said: "On behalf of His Majesty the Tsar, I would like to say hello to the King of France."
No matter how arrogant Colbert was, he could not lose his diplomatic etiquette, so he bent down and returned the greeting: "On behalf of the King of France, I would like to say hello to Your Majesty."
He is neither called emperor nor tsar, because the French do not recognize this title.
Baykov asked: "Has Khitan established diplomacy with France?"
Kolber said: "This is China, also called Datong, not some Khitan."
Daming Kingdom, Datong Kingdom, this is the official name of China in Europe, and it is a transliteration.
"Okay, Datong." Baykov didn't bother to bother.
Colbert said: "The Emperor of China and His Majesty our country have already exchanged letters long ago. The friendship between their monarchs will surely be spread throughout the world. As the envoy of France, I will bring French literature and art to the East, and will bring French literature and art to the East."
Bring Chinese literature and art back to Europe. What about you? What are you doing here? Are you here to exchange art?"
Baykov was a little angry. He was mocking Russia for not knowing art.
Baykov said: "Russia and China have some minor border frictions, and I was ordered to clear up the misunderstanding."
Kolber laughed: "Does Russia still want to go to war with China? Don't you know? In the past ten years, China first defeated Spain and then the Netherlands. How many troops can Russia send to the East?"
China beats Spain and the Netherlands?
Baykov's pupils shrank sharply. This is important information. It seems that the Chinese army is very powerful.
