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第一篇:北京导游词英文版
Ladies and Gentlemen, the great hall we are approaching is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the biggest and tallest of its king in the Forbidden City.
This structure covers a total building space of 2,377 square meters, and is know for its upturned, multiple counterpart eaves .
The Hall of Supreme Harmony sits on a triple “H”-shaped marble terrace the is 8meters high and linked by staircases.
The staircase on the ground floor has 21 steps while the middle and upper stairways each have 9.
The construction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony began in 1406.
It burned down three times and was severely damaged once during a mutiny.
The existing architecture was built during the Qing Dynasty.
On the corners of the eaves a line of animal-nails were usually fastened to the tiles.
These animal-nails were later replace with mythical animals to ward off evil spirits.
There are altogether 9 such fasteners on top of this hall.
The number nine was regarded by the ancients to be the largest numeral accessible to man and to which only the emperors were entitled.
There was a total of 24 successive emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties who were enthroned here.
The ball was also used for ceremonies which marked other great occasions: the Winter Solstice, The Chinese Lunar New Year, the Emperor` s birthday, conferral of the title of empress, the announcement of new laws and policies, and dispatches of generals to war .
On such occasions, the Emperor would hold audience for his court officials and receive their tributes.
This area is called the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, which covers a total of 30,000 square meters, Without a single tree or plant growing here, this place inspires visitors to feel its solemnity and grandeur.
In the middle of the square there is a carriageway that was reserved for the Emperor.
On both sides of the road the groud bricks were laid in a special way seven layers lengthwise and eight layers crosswise, making up fifteen layers in all.
The purpose of this was to prevent anyone from tunneling his way into the palace.
In the count yard there are iron vats for storing water to fight fires.
In the whole complex there are altogher 308 water vats.
In wintertime, charcoal was burned underneath the vats to keep the water from freezing .
Why so vast a square? It was designed to impress people with the hall` s grandeur and vastness.
Imagine the following scene.
Under the clear blue sky, the yellow glazed tiles shimmered as the cloud-like layers of terrace, coupled with the curling veil of burning incense, transformed the hall of supreme Harmony into a fairyland.
Whenever major ceremonies were held, the glazed, crane-shaped candleholders inside the hall would be it, and incense and pine branches burnt in front of the hall.
When the Emperor appeared, drums were beaten and musical instrument played.
Civilian officials and generals would kneel know in submission.
The last Qing emperor Puyi assumed the throne in 1908, at the age of three, His father carried him to the throne.
At the start of the coronation, the sudden drum-beating and loud music caught the young emperor unprepared .
He was so scared that he kept crying and shouting,”I don’t want to stay here.I want to go home.” His father tried to soothe him, saying, ”It` all soon be finished .It` all soon be finished ”The ministers present at the event considered this incident inauspicious.
Coincidentally, the Qing dynasty collapsed three years later and there with concluded China `s feudal system that had lasted for more than 2,000 years.
This is a bronze incense burner.
In it incense made of sandalwood would be burnt on important occasions.
There are altogether 18 incense burners, representing all of the provinces under the rule of the Sing monarchs.
On either side of the Hall, 4 bronze water-filled vats were placed in case of fire.
Next to the terrace on either side, there is a bronze crane and tortoise, symbols of longevity.
This copper-cast grain measure is called ”jialiang.” It served as the national standard during the Qing dynasty.
It was meant to show that the imperial ruler were just and open to rectification.
On the other side there is a stone sundial, an ancient timepiece.
The jialiang and the sundial were probably meant to show what the Emperor represented: that he was the only person who should possess the standards of both measure and time.
In the very forefront of the Hall of Supreme Harmony , there are 12 scarlet , round pillars supporting the roof.
The hall is 63 meters from east to west and 37 meters from north to south, It is 35 meters in height.
In front of this architechture, there stands a triple terrace with five staircases leading up to the main entrance .
It has 40 gold doors and 16 gold-key windows with colored drawings on the pillars and beams.
In the middle of the hall, a throune carved with 9 dragons sits on a 2-meter-high platform.
Behind the throne there is a golden screen and in front of it, there is a imperial desk .
The flanks are decorated with elephants, Luduan, cranes, and incense barrels.
The elephant carries a vase on its back that holds five cereals,which was considered a symbol of prosperity.
As ancient legend has it that luduan can travel 18,000 li in one day and knows all languages and dialects.
Only to a wise adjust monarch will this beast be a guardian.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is also popularly known as Jinluan Dian .
The floor of the hall is laid with bricks that turn it into a smooth, fine surface as if water has been sprinkled on it .
The so-called golden brick, in fact, has nothing to do with gold.
Reserved exclusively for the construction of the royal court, it was made in a secretive, and complex way, and, when struck, sounds like the clink of a gold bar.
Each brick was worth the market price of one dan of rice.
The hall is supported by a total of 72 thick pillars .
Of these, 6 are carved in dragon patterns and painted with gold and surround the throne.
Above the very center of this hall there is a zaojing, or covered ceiling, which is one of the Specialities of China `s ancient architure.
In the middle of the ceiling is a design of a dragon playing with a ball inlaid with peals.
This copper ball, hollow inside and covered with mercury, is known as the Xuanyuan Mirror and is thought to be made Xuanyuan, a legendary monarch dating back to remote antiquity.
The placing of the caisson above the throne is meant to suggest that all of China` s successive emperors are Zuanyuan` s descendants and hereditary heirs.
Now you might have noticed that the Xuanyuan mirror is not directly above the throne.
Why? It is rumored that Yuan Shikai, a self-acclaimed warlord-turned emperor moved the throne further back because he was afraid that the mirror might fall on him .
In 1916 when Yuan Shikai became emperor, he removed the original throne with a Western-style, high-back chair.
After the foundation of the People` s Republic of China in 1949 the throne was found in a shabby furniture warehouse.
It repaired and returned to the hall.
the water vats in front of the palaces or house were called “menhai,” or sea before the door by the ancient Chinese.
They believed that with a sea by the door, fire could not wreak havoc.
The vats served both as a decoration and as a fire extinguisher.
They were kept full of water all year round.
During the Qing Dynasty, they were altogether 308 vats in the palace enclosure.
They were made of gilt bronze or iron.
Of couse, the gilt bronze vats were of the best quality.
When the allied forces invaded Beijing in 1900 under the pretext of suppressing the Boxer Rebellion, the invaders ransacked the imperial compound and scraped and gold off the vats with their bayonets.
During the Japanese occupation of Beijing, many vats were trucked away by the Japanese to be made into bullets .
The square architecture before us is called the Hall of Complete Harmony.
It served as an antechamber.
The Emperor came here to meet with his countiers and add his final touches to the prayers which would be read at the ancestral Temple.
The seeds, snowers and prayer intended for spring sowing were also examined here.
The two Qing sedan chairs here on display were used for traveling within the palace during the reign of Emperor Qianlong.
this is the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
During the Qing Dynasty, banquets were held here on New Year` s eve in honour of Mongolian and Northwestern China` s xingjiang princes and ranking officials.
The Emperor also dinned here with his new son-in-law on the wedding day.
Imperial examinations were also held here once every three years.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were three levels of exams: the county and prefectural level, the provincial level and national level.
The national exam was presided over by the emperor.
The civil service exam in ancient China started during the Han Dynasty.
It served the purpose of recruiting Confucian scholars to the ministers and high officials.
During the Tang and Qing dynasties reinstituted and ancient system.
Once every three years, three hundred scholars from all over the country came to Beijing and took exams for three day and night.
This system was abolished in 1905.this is the largest stone carving in the palace .It is 16.73 meters long, 3.07 meters wide and 1.7 meters thick .
It weighs about 200 tons.
The block was quarried in Fangshan County, roughly 70 kilometers away.
To transport such a huge block to Beijing, laborers dug wells along the roadside half a kilometer apart, and used the groundwater to make a road of ice in the winter.
Rolling blocks were used in the summer.
In 1760, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty ordered the carving of the existing cloud and dragon design in place of the old one which dated back to the Ming Dynasty.
Note : From here, the tour can be conducted via three different routes: a western route, a central route or an eastern route .
The commentary for each follows.
第二篇:介绍西安的英语导游词
Xi'an (Chinese:西安),is the capital of the Shanxi province in the People's Republic of China .As one of the oldest cities in Chinese history,Xi'an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China because it has been the capital of some of the most important dynasties in Chinese history,including the Zhou,Qin,Han,the Sui,and Tang dynasties.Xi'an is the eastern end of the Silk Road .The city has more than 3,100 years of history,and was known as Chang'an (traditional Chinese:长安).
Long holidays are usual during Spring Festival,Labor Holiday (1-7 May),and National Holiday (1-7 October).The number of travellers is often greater during Summer (May-August),although the most pleasant season for visiting Xi'an is Autumn.
第三篇:北京英文导游词
The great wall, like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj mahal(1) in India and the Hanging garden of Babylon(2), is one of the great wonders of the world. Starting out in the east on the banks of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province, the wall stretches westwards for 12,700 kilometers to Jiayuguan in the gobi desert, thus known as the Ten Thousand Li wall in china. The wall climbs up and down, twists and turns along the ridges of the Yanshan and Yinshan mountain chains through five provinces-Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and gansu--and two autonomous regions--Ningxia and Inner mongolia, binding the northern china together.
Historical records trace the construction of the origin of the wall to defensive fortification back to the year 656 B.c. during the reign of King cheng of the States of chu. Its construction continued throughout the warring States period in the fifth century B.c. when ducal states Yan, zhao, wei, and Qin were frequently plundered by the nomadic peoples living north of the Yinshan and Yanshan mountain ranges. walls, then, were built separately by these ducal states to ward off such harassments. Later in 221 B.c., when Qin conquered the other states and unified china, Emperor Qinshihuang ordered the connection of these individual walls and further extensions to form the basis of the present great wall.
As a matter of fact, a separate outer wall was constructed north of the Yinshan range in the Han dynasty(206 Bc--1644 Bc.), which went to ruin through years of neglect. In the many intervening centuries, succeeding dynasties rebuilt parts of the wall. The most extensive reinforcements and renovations were carried out in the ming dynasty (1368--1644) when altogether 18 lengthy stretches were reinforced with bricks and rocks. it is mostly the ming dynasty wall that visitors see today. The great wall is divided into two sections, the east and west, with Shanxi Province as the dividing line. The west part is a rammed earth construction, about 5.3 meters high on average. In the eastern part, the core of the wall is rammed earth as well, but the outer shell is reinforced with bricks and rocks.
第四篇:介绍西安的英语导游词
Dear tourists:
There are hundreds of ancient city walls in China, among which the ancient city walls of Beijing, Nanjing and Xi'an are the largest. However, the ancient city walls of Beijing and Nanjing have been demolished or seriously damaged. The ancient city wall of Xi'an, which was built in 1370 ad, is still intact. When Japan came to Xi'an for a visit to China, they did not look at the pit of the terracotta warriors, the "eighth wonder of the world", but boarded the west gate tower, which was built more than 600 years ago, to appreciate the majestic appearance of the ancient city wall. Now, please come with me to visit the ancient city wall of Xi'an.
The origin of the city wall
Dear tourists, we have enjoyed the colorful and simple ancient city wall in the morning or sunset of the car shop these days. Now we come to the foot of the city wall, please walk on the wall tour.
You must want to know what the real meaning of the wall is. The word "city wall" was originally derived from the word "city". According to Shuowen, "Cheng" is the interchangeable word of "Sheng", and "Sheng" is to accept the people, so the original meaning of the word "Cheng" is to encircle the people and form a country, which leads to the meaning of city wall. The "city" of the Great Wall, known as the backbone of the Chinese nation, also means the city wall. But later, with the development of society, the word "city" contains the explanation of today's city.
The word "city" first appeared in the inscriptions of the Zhou Dynasty, which vividly reflected the military use of ancient city walls. The military function of the city wall is to protect the private ownership, and in ideology, the size of the city wall is the strict embodiment of the hierarchical patriarchal system. Obviously, the ruler built the city wall to protect himself and declare the national power. The Xi'an City Wall we see now is one of the most famous city wall buildings in Chinese history. It took eight years from the third year of Honwu in Ming Dynasty (1370 A.D.) to the eleventh year of Honwu (1378 A.D.). It was built on the basis of the imperial city of Sui and Tang Dynasties. After repair, it basically maintained the complete appearance of feudal city wall architecture, reflecting the outstanding achievements of ancient Chinese city building technology.
Scale, structure and facilities of city wall
Dear tourists, how big is the Xi'an city wall? What is its structure? According to the calculation, the perimeter of Xi'an city wall is 11.9 kilometers, including 2590 meters of East city wall, 2631.2 meters of west city wall, 3441.6 meters of south city wall and 3241 meters of north city wall. Such a scale is rare at home and abroad.
You can see a small city with a guard gate outside the four gates of the city wall, which is called the urn city. The so-called urn means that once the enemy enters, he will be attacked from all sides on the wall of the urn, just like a turtle in the urn, unable to escape. Outside the urn, there is also a small city called Yangma city. In ancient times, there was a fixed time for the gate to open and close.
After the gate was closed, people who had not yet returned to the city could go to Yangma city and the park around the city with their own sheep and horses to rest and wait for the gate to open before entering the city. The Yangma city in Xi'an was completely destroyed in the late Qing Dynasty. I remember that in 1986, about 17.5 meters outside the north gate of Wengcheng, Andingmen (West Gate) of Xi'an City, the north gate of yangmacheng was found, 5.5 meters long and 2.4 meters wide. Now you can see the restored Yangma city on the outside of the South Gate urn. The wall is 198 meters long and 9.5 meters high.
Outside the moat, there were four rammed earth cities named Guocheng, which arched the four gates. According to "Xi'an Fu Zhi" volume nine records: Tang Tianyou years, Han construction Dongguo town and Xiguo town. Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasties are all de to this. During the Honwu Period of Ming Dynasty, most of Dongguo small cities were wrapped up in big cities, and those left outside were called Dongguo new city. Xiguo town in the late Ming Dynasty. At present, only part of the wall of Siguan Guocheng remains, and Guomen only has its name on the place name.
Now we come to the northeast of Xi'an City, which used to be the royal city of the Ming and Qin Dynasties. In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanjin appointed his second son as the king of Qin and ordered him to stay in Xi'an to strengthen his control over the northwest.
The whole city is divided into two walls. The outer city wall is called Xiao wall, which is made of soil. The inner city wall is called brick wall because it is built with green bricks outside. After the Ming Dynasty, Xiaoqiang was destroyed. During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of Qing Dynasty, temples were built in Xi'an, and most of the buildings in the palace of King Qin were demolished, and the brick city was changed into the Eight Banners church. At present, there are only a few remnant parts of ramming Earth City in the brick city of Qin Wangfu.
When Xi'an city was built in Ming Dynasty, there were four gates: "Changle", "Yongning", "anding" and "Anyuan". The name of the gate is engraved on the blue stone gate outside the gate. The building built on the gate of the big city is called the city tower, also called the main tower, which is the command post of the commander guarding the city. The building built on the gate hole of Wengcheng is called Jianlou, because there are arrow windows on the wall of the building, which was used for shooting arrows at that time.
In the Republic of China, four gates were opened, commonly known as Xiaosi gate: Zhongshan Gate (Xiaodong gate), which was built at the east end of Dongxin Street to commemorate Sun Yat Sen; Wumu gate (Xiaonan gate), which is at the south end of Sifu street today; Yuxiang gate (Xiaoxi gate), which is at the west end of Lianhu Road, was demolished after liberation; Jiefang gate (small North Gate), formerly known as Zhongzheng gate, was built at the north end of Jiefang Road when Longhai Road was opened to Xi'an. In 1952, it was demolished because of the expansion of the railway station. After liberation, Xi'an also opened up new city gates, including Jianguo gate, Heping gate, Wenchang gate, Zhuque gate and Hanguang gate. The north wall has Shangde gate. The east wall has Chaoyang Gate.
Most tourists know that there were 98 enemy towers on the walls of Xi'an in the Ming Dynasty. However, in 1982, the Xi'an city wall management office found that none of the ancient enemy towers were left, and only some of them still had foundation stones. After that, Xi'an rebuilt 12 enemy towers, which were brick and wood structures, with two stories of double eaves and two corridors on the ground floor.
The ancient city wall facilities not only built the enemy tower and arrow tower to prepare for martial arts, but also built the Kuixing tower to sacrifice Kuixing, the God who dominated the cultural movement. Kuixing tower in Xi'an was built in the east of the South Gate Tower, which was destroyed by the fire. Later, Kuixing building was rebuilt on the original site, which is worth seeing.
第五篇:上海英文导游词
Ladies and gentlemen, today we are going to visit a famous Buddhist temple---the Jade Buddha Temple. Before visiting the temple, I’d like to say a few words about the religious situation in Shanghai. Our constitution stipulates that every Chinese citizen is ensured the freedom of religious belief. There are four major religions in practice in Shanghai, namely, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Christianity, which is sub-divided into the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church. When it comes to Buddhist temples in China, they are usually classified into three sects, i.e. temples for meditation, for preaching and for practicing Buddhist disciplines. The Jade Buddha Temple is a temple for meditation, and is well-known both at home and abroad.
The temple was first built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of Qing Dynasty, when a monk named Hui Gen went on a pilgrimage to Burma and brought back five jade statues of Sakyamuni. On his way back to Mount Putuo via Shanghai, he left two jade statues here, one in sitting posture and the other, reclining. He had a temple specially built as a shrine for these two statues in 1882. later the temple was partly destroyed by fire and in 1928 a new temple was completed on the present site.
Just opposite the temple gate, there stands a giant screen wall. Various designs, such as dragon, phoenix, elephant, crane and peony are carved on it. In Chinese legend, all these things are considered the symbols of fortune, wealth, longevity and auspiciousness. Chinese people used to set up a wall in front of the house so as to keep the evils away.
Now ladies and gentlemen, please turn around. Here we can see the temple gate. It is also called the Sanmen Gate, or say, the Gate of Three Extrications. The door in the middle is called the Door of Emptiness, to its right is the Door of Non-phenomenon, and to its left, the Door of Non-Action. Sanmen Gate is also called the Mountain Gate because most famous temples in China are found deep in mountains. But the Sanmen gate does not open except on the first and the fifteenth of every lunar month. Now this way to the entrance.
Ladies and gentlemen, the first hall is the Heavenly King Hall. We will use the rear door, please follow me.
(in the Heavenly King Hall next to the southern entrance)
Here we can find the statue of a fat and smiling monk with bared belly. He is Bodhisattva Maitreya. His smile is so contagious that you will smile with him and forget all your worries. So he is also called the Laughing Buddha. According to Buddhist scripture, he is now practicing Buddhism in the Tusita Heaven. After 4000 years, which is equal to 5.67 billion years on the earth, he will become successor to Sakyamuni under a Long Hua Tree in Hualin Garden. Hence another name the Future Buddha. But this statue we see here is not the real image of Bodhisattva Maitreya, it is just his incarnation.. it is said that During the Five Dynasties Period, 1000 years ago, there lived in Fenhua in Zhejiang Province a monk named Qi Ci, who always carried a wooden staff with a cloth sack on his shoulder. He often went around towns and in streets to beg alms. Therefore he became known as “the Cloth Sack Monk”. He always smiled and laughed, looking as happy as ever. When he was dying, he left the message saying that he was the incarnation of Bodhisattva Maitreya. So his image is enshrined in the Buddhist Temple as the incarnation of Bodhisattva Maitreya.
(on the eastern side of the Heavenly King Hall)
On the two sides of the hall are enshrined four statues. They are so-called Four Heavenly Kings. In the Buddhist legend, there is in the center of the world a highest mountain called Mount Sumeru. Halfway on it is a mountain called Mount Ghandara with four peaks. On each peak lives a Heavenly King protecting the Buddhist heaven. The first one is the Southern King---King of Developing Merits. His duty is to educate all living creatures and develop king-heartedness. He is holding a sword in his hand which can emit a ray to chop off the enemies’ heads. The one next to him is the Eastern King---King of Protection for Buddhism. He is holding in his hand a pipa, which is somewhat like a guitar. With this pipa, he offers music to the Buddha. Meanwhile this pipa is a magic weapon. It can send out a musical rhythm to defeat the enemy by tormenting brain and causing him to lose combatability. Now ladies and gentlemen, please come over to this side.
(on the western side of the Heavenly King Hall)
The first one on this side is the Northern King---King of Virtue. He is so called because of his virtue. He is holding a parasol-shaped stela in his hand. The parasol can be opened into a canopy in Buddhist processions. It is at the same time a magic umbrella. Once it is opened in the battle field, the sky turns dark and a wind-storm rises, defeating the enemy with a dizzy spell and then it closes up capturing all the enemies. Next to him is the Western King---King of Far Sight. He observes the world with his penetrating eyes. He is holding a dragon-shaped silk rope. The rope is actually a net, with which he converts people to Buddhism just like catching fish with a net. This dragon also has a magic power. It can spurt water from its mouth and drown the enemy in floods.
(in the Heavenly King Hall next to the rear door)
The Statue facing the rear door is Bodhisattva Skanda. He is always dressed in armour with a worrior’s club in his hand. Originally he was one of the eight heavenly generals under the Southern King of Developing Merits. Later he has been enshrined here because of his bravery. He is also a god of message, a fleet-foot runner, so when visitors come to the temple, he will immediately report to the Buddha in the Grand Hall.
Now ladies and gentlemen, that’s all for the Heavenly King Hall. Please follow me and look out the threshold and the steps.
Now we can see a giant tripod in the courtyard. It is actually a giant incense burner. It was donated by some Buddhist laymen who believed that by donating something the Buddha they can help purify the souls of their dead relatives from sins and relieve them from purgatory.
Now this is the main hall, known as the Grand Hall or Grand Hall of the Great Sage. It is the main structure in every Buddhist temple, where the statue of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism is enshrined.
(in the Grand Hall)
Ladies and gentlemen, in the middle of the hall is the statue of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. On his right is Medicine Buddha and on his left is Amitabha Buddha. Each is seated on a lotus blossom and has a back halo. Sakyamuni’s original name was Siddhartha Gautama. He was a contemporary of Confucius. He was born to a warrior’s family in the Himalayan foothill in ancient India, or say, in present-day Nepal. He spent his youth in great luxury. But he renounced the human world at the age of 29 in search of an ultimate solution to the problems of human sufferings. After six years of spiritual discipline he got enlightened at the age of 35. he spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching his religion and establishing a community for monks to continue his work. He was entitled “Sakyamuni”, which means “the great sage of the Sakya Clan”. He died at the age of 80.
On his chest there is a sign that resembles a swastika but it has nothing to do with Hitler’s fascism because it is in an inverted order. It is actually a religious talisman used in ancient orient, symbolizing the concentration of happiness and auspiciousness.
The Medicine Buddha is responsible for the Eastern Bright World. Since he can relieve people of all pains and sufferings, he is called the Medicine Buddha. He is holding a wheel, which signifies the unremitting effort of converting people to Buddhism just like turning a wheel.
Amitabha Buddha is in charge of the Western Paradise. He is holding a golden lotus blossom stand with which he extradites Buddhist believers to the Western Pure Land, therefore he is also called the Buddha of Guidance.
In front of the Medicine Buddha is a hollow wooden fish. It is actually an instrument used by the monks to accompany the chanting of their prayers. But do you happen to know why it is in the pattern of a fish? Now let me tell you about it. The monks think that fish is the most diligent animal in the world because it never closes its eyes, therefore the image of the fish is used to advise people that they should practice Buddhism as diligently as the fish.
On both sides of the hall stand 20 Heavenly Gods, all protectors of Buddhist laws. They all bend slightly as if they are listening attentively to Sakyamuni’s preaching.
The first one on the right side is Brahma, the chief god of Brahmanism in ancient India. It was believed in ancient India that all living creatures in the world, including gods and men, were created by him and he was thus honored as the Great Creator. Next to him is Yamaraja, the God of Hell, who is in charge of the nether world.
The fourth one on this side is Goddess of Loving Children. There is an interesting story about her. It is said that before she became a goddess she was a wicked woman. She herself had many children, 500 in all, including 3 sons and 497 daughters. Her favorite child was her youngest son named Ai Nu, now standing by her side. As she always ate the children of other people, Buddha decided to convert her. One day, he hid Ai Nu in a jar. When the woman found her child missing she looked for him everywhere but could not find him. Then Buddha came up to her and said, “If you are worried when your child is missing, what about other mothers whose children you have eaten?” From then on she began to discipline herself and finally became a goddess.
This is the Emperor of the Solar Palace, or say the Chinese Apolo, opposite him is the Chinese Diana, the emperor of the Lunar Palace. The last statue on this side is the Dragon King.
(at the back of the Grand Hall)
Ladies and gentlemen, behind the statue of Sakyamuni there is a giant mural sculpture. In the middle is the statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin. Guanyin was originally named Guanshiyin but later abbreviated into Guanyin because the character “shi” was one of the characters in the Tang Emperor Li Shimin’s name and was considered a forbidden name. Guanyin often takes the image of a goddess in order to convert women to Buddhism. Actually he can incarnate into 32 images to convert people from all walks of life and relieve people from all kinds of sufferings. Any living creature in trouble needs only to recite his name and he will respond to the cry and readily come to help riding on the head of a huge turtle. That’s why he is described as a Bodhisattva of Great Mercy. By her two sides are her two disciples, San Cai the boy and Long Nu the girl. Above Guanyin is a statue of Sakyamuni when he was doing ascetic practices in a forest. A monkey on the right is offering preaches to him and a deer on the left is giving him milk to drink.
Now a few words about San Cai, the boy and Long Nu, the girl. It is said that when San Cai was born, a number of treasures came with him, hence his name. By the way, “Can” in Chinese means “wealth”. He was later converted by Bodhisattva Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom, and went on a pilgrimage to the south in search of teaching. He was going to call on 53 teachers and then met Guanyin, hoping to obtain the guidance to buddhahood. There are altogether 53 statues on the mural sculpture, excluding the 18 arhats. They were all supposed to be San Cai’s teachers. He came to them one after the other. Guanyin was his 27th teacher. Long Nu, the daughter of Dragon King, was a genius. At the age of 8 she often attended lectures by Manjusri. Later she met the Buddha and attained buddhahood.
Below are 18 arhats, all disciples of Sakyamuni. According to Buddhist scripture, Sakyamuni asked them to stay permanently on the earth to help convert people to Buddhism. Arhats have three characteristics, namely, they can rid of all worries, they should be supported and offered by all people, and they enter nirvana once for all and never incarnate again.
(in the Hall of the Reclining Buddha)
Ladies and Gentlemen: in the middle of the hall we can see a jade statue of the reclining Buddha. This is Sakyamuni in his deathbed, or say, entering nirvana. We can see him looking slightly upward and reclining on his right arm. Some may ask why he looks so calm and carefree. It is said that in his entire life-time he had taught 500 disciples, therefore, he felt no worry because he firmly believed that his disciples would carry forward his principles and preach his doctrines to emancipate mankind. This statue, 96 cm long, is carved out of a single piece of jade. It was brought from Burma together with the other statue in sitting posture. The carving was exquisitely done with delicate features and a slender figure, it is considered a rare Buddhist relic, which contributes to Jade Buddha Temple’s reputation. Now ladies and gentlemen, over here we can see four pictures on the wall of the hall which describe the life story of Sakyamuni. The first one, “Tonsure”, describes Sakyamuni having his head tonsured and clothes changed into a monk’s robe when he came a monk at the age of 29; the second, “Enlightenment”, after six years ascetic practice he became enlightened and attained buddhahood at the age of 35; the third, “Preaching”, Sakyamuni is preaching to his first five disciples; and the fourth, “Nirvana”, Sakyamuni entered nirvana at the age of 80.
(before entering the Jade Buddha Chamber)
Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to visit the last main structure on the axis---the Jade Buddha Chamber. It is located on the second floor. Please do not take pictures or video tape-recording in the chamber.
(in the Jade Buddha Chamber)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the statue in front of us is the Jade Buddha in sitting posture. Since Buddhism is a leading religion in China, there are a great number of statues of Sakyamuni all over the country, and most of them are made out of stone, clay, or wood, but a jade statue of the Buddha of this size is rare. It is 1.92 meter in height and 1.34 meter in width. The jewels on his head, arms and feet are all genuine ones. They were donated by Buddhist believers. The statue was carved out of a single piece of jade. It is soft in luster, even in color, pure and flawless in texture and exquisite in workmanship. This statue reflects Sakyamuni’s getting enlightened. We can see that his left hand rests on his left knee showing his great determination of deep meditation while his right hand stretches out onto the ground indicating that he had devoted himself to the emancipation of all mankind and this could only be witnessed by the great earth. When monk Hui Gen found the jade in Burma, he had it excavated under the permission of the Burmese King and had the Tibetan artisans carve it into a Buddha Statue, so it is a crystallization of the friendship of different nations. This statue looks life-like, with gentle and soft features and is considered a precious relic of Buddhist art. This is the reason why the temple enjoys a high reputation.
In the cabinets on both sides are kept a complete set of Buddhist scripture, Da Zang Sutra, which was block-printed in 1870. this set of scripture covers Sakyamuni’s teachings by moth, Buddhist doctrines, and Buddhist theories.
(in the courtyard in front of the Abbot’s Room)
This is the Abbot’s Room, where the abbot priest lives. It is also a sermon hall where the monks attend lectures by the abbot priest. On the middle wall is hung the portrait of Priest Dharma, honored as the founder of the Chan Sect in Chinese Buddhism.
第六篇:范文
Xishuangbanna is the southernmost prefecture of Yunnan Province. The prefecture is nicknamed "Aerial Garden" for its luxuriant and multi-layered primitive woods and tropical rain forests, which are teeming with animals and plants. Renowned as a huge natural zoo, Xishuangbanna's rain forest and monsoon jungles provide a habitat for nearly 1000 species of animals. Within thick and boundless forests wild elephants and wild oxen ramble about, with peacocks in their pride, gibbons at play, and hornbills whispering.
Thirteen species of wild life enjoy state protection, including loris, the gibbons, the red-necked cranes, the brown-neck horn-bills, and the green peacocks, which to the Dai people are a symbol of peace, happiness and good fortune and whose graceful postures can put professional dancers to shame. The region has 5,000 kinds of plants or about one-sixth of the total in China. This has earned it the renown and sobriquet "The moonstone on the Crown of the Kingdom of Plants".
Among these are such fascinating ones as the "color-changing flower" whose colors change three times daily and the "dancing herb" whose leaves rotate gently. Then there is "mysterious fruit" which reverse tastes, turning sour to sweet.
Species of trees that go back a million years are still propagating themselves. The "King of Tea Trees ,"which authorities say is at least 800 years old, continues to sprout, adding extraordinary splendor to the homeland of the famous Pu'er tea. In Xishuangbanna, there is a saying: "Even a single tree can make a forest and an old stalk can blossom and beat fruit ."