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September 11, 2013

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Temple’s history gives Hupao Park air of mystery

By Wu Huixin | September 11, 2013, Wednesday | Print Edition

Hupao Park is located on the slope of Daci Mountain in the southwest part of Hangzhou. The present-day park was built around Hupao Temple, which dates back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

The Hupao Temple attracted a group of historical celebrities by virtue of its picturesque scenery and profound Buddhist culture, including two legendary monks, Ji Gong and Li Shutong. They left their mark on the temple, enriching its fame and relics.

In 2007, Hangzhou government included the temple and other historic relics into Hupao Park, which features both a natural and a historic landscape.

Shanghai Daily strolled around the park last weekend and found a couple of scenic spots worth visiting.

  Tiger Spring

Hupao Spring, meaning “tiger spring” in Chinese, is shrouded in legend.

During the Yuanhe Period (AD 806-820) of the Tang Dynasty, Hangzhou was affected by a drought. At the time, an eminent monk traveled to Hangzhou and dreamed about an immortal, who told the monk that he would send two tigers to help dig a spring at Daci Mountain.

The next day the monk saw two tigers had scooped out a hole at the place he dreamed about, and spring water gushed out. Inspired by the dream, the monk established the Hupao Temple on the site. Today, the Tiger Spring still gurgles.

The spring water is noted for its sweet quality and abundant minerals. It goes well with famous Longjing tea.

The park allows people to take some of the Tiger Spring water with them for free.

  Ji Gong Pavilion

Ji Gong, whose original name was Li Xiuyuan, was a well-known monk of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) in China.

Ji Gong was ordained a Buddhist monk in Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou at the age of 18. Unlike a traditional Buddhist monk, he always violated monastic codes — openly eating meat and drinking wine, wearing tattered and dirty robes, and wandering the streets intoxicated.

His absurd behavior was not tolerated by Lingyin Temple and he was expelled from the monastery.

But as a warm-hearted person, he always helped treat the sick, fought against injustice and lent a hand to ordinary people. His wild and eccentric behavior did not affect people’s admiration for him. On contrary, the public recognized him as an arhat, a worthy one or enlightened being in Buddhism, like a saint.

In the early 1990s, the life story of Ji Gong was popularized in a TV series called “Legends of Ji Gong.” The popularity of the TV series swept China, leading many people to retrace his footprints in Hangzhou. Hupao Temple was the place where Ji Gong died and was buried. 

The Ji Gong Pavilion has a statue of Ji Gong and displays his life in frescoes. Visitors can burn incense in the pavilion to venerate the compassionate and unusual monk.

  Li Shutong Memorial Hall & Hong Yi Dagoba

Li Shutong (1880-1942), most commonly known by his Buddhist name, Hong Yi, was a master painter, musician, calligrapher, poet and Buddhist monk.

Li was deeply influenced by Western art and music during his studies at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in Japan. In 1912, he came to Hangzhou and became a lecturer at Zhejiang Secondary Normal School (today’s Hangzhou High School and Hangzhou Normal University).

He was the first Chinese educator to use nude models in painting classes and the first teacher at a public school in China to teach Western music. Li’s fame soared in the 1930s. Li was also an accomplished composer and lyricist.

“The Farewell Song,” which he composed, is still performed today. The lyrics were considered a classic — “Beyond the long pavilion, near the ancient route, beautiful grass connecting the sky, the evening wind comforts the willows with the wave of a Chinese flute playing, the setting sun beyond the mountains.”

In his later years, he turned to Buddhism and was ordained a monk at Hupao Temple, beginning a holistic life dedicated to propagating Buddhism and its code of conduct.

The memorial hall displays Li’s calligraphy, art and music works and tells the story of his life in historical pictures.

Li died in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, in 1942. In 1953, his apprentice Feng Zikai, who was a famous cartoonist, moved Li’s tomb to Hupao Temple and erected the Hong Yi Dagoba, which is a dome-shaped shrine containing relics of the Buddha or a Buddhist saint.

 

Hangzhou


 

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