The two three-storeyed buildings with upturned eaves are the bell and drum towers rebuilt in 1894 during the reign of the Qing Emperor Guangxu. The bell tower in the east houses a giant bronze bell, two meters high and weighing 6,500 kg. When the bell rings at night, people within a few miles can hear it. The "Evening Bell at Longhua" is one of the eight great attractions in Shanghai. At night on every New Year's Eve, the "Striking Longhua Bell" ceremony is conducted here.

** Heavenly King Hall

The second hall at Longhua Temple is the Heavenly King Hall. The inscription on the horizontal tablet overhead was written by a famous calligrapher named Sha Menghai. In the hall are four tall and imposing sculptures of the four Buddhist heavenly kings, each of them guarding a part of the world. According to Buddhist teachings, there are four continents in the human world, each guarded by one of the four kings.

The Eastern King, King of Protection for Buddhism, named "Dhrtarastra" in Sanskrit, is dressed in white. He is holding a knife in his left hand and a spear in his right. (In some temples the Eastern King is holding a bow and arrow.) The Southern King, King of Developing Merit, named "Virudhaka", is dressed in blue, with a sword in his hand. The Western King, King of Far Sight, named "Virupaksa", is dressed in red and wields a spear in his left hand and a rope in his right. (In some temples he is holding a sword.) The Northern King, King of Virtue, or "Vaisremana", is dressed in gold and has a miniature pagoda in his left hand, a trident in his right, and is stepping on a demon. These statues are typical of the four heavenly kings of ancient Chinese Buddhism, especially in Buddhist paintings during the Tang Dynasty. After the Song and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Buddhism among China's Han nationality was further integrated and became rife with Chinese superstition, including the four heavenly kings. They became the four Buddha warrior attendants guarding the gates to the Buddhist heaven. The Eastern King, sculpted in the Yuan Dynasty, is holding a pipa (a stringed instrument with a fretted fingerboard) in his hand; the Northern King, sculpted in the Ming Dynasty, is holding an umbrella; and the Western King from the Qing, is holding a snake-like animal. These images have now become popular present-day representations of the heavenly kings. In the Chinese myth "Ordaining the Gods," the four heavenly kings are described as the four great generals, indicating the Han influence.

Page:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8