Xiayi County, Henan Province is located in the eastern Henan region, is the ancient Li Lu family habitat, one of the ancient capitals, Shaokang Zhongxing, is one of the birthplaces of Longshan culture and Yellow River culture, Confucius culture, Xia and Shang period belongs to Yudi; Qin period, Zhili County; During the Northern Wei Dynasty, it was called "Xiayi"; At the end of the Jin Dynasty, it was renamed "Xiayi" after its meaning of "Huaxiayi". This land of treasures has a long history and culture, with many generations of talents and many cultural monuments.
About 10 miles west of Xiayi County, there is a Taoist temple, hidden in the northern suburbs, it is famous for the story of "Peach Blossom Fan", Hou Fangyu, Li Xiangjun, because of Li Xiangjun's withering and decline, its real historical background and real love story, let us read "Peach Blossom Fan" again, we can't help but sigh a little more.
According to the existing information of Hongfu Taoist Temple, the author visited the elderly in the village, and learned from some historical documents that Hongfu Taoist Temple was first built in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It was rebuilt in the sixth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1633) and destroyed in the ** period. It was rebuilt on the site in 2012. It has a history of more than 390 years.
According to the records of Hongfu Taoist Temple, at the beginning of the sixth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, Hou Sui, who was then the imperial history of Henan Province, inspected Xiayi from Guide Mansion (now Shangqiu City), and when returning to Defu on the return trip, he passed through Wangzhuang Village (now Xiaowangzhuang, Liji Town, Xiayi County), west of Xiayi County, and suddenly suffered from head wind disease, headache and discomfort. His son Hou Fangyu and his entourage hurriedly helped Hou Sui to rest in a dilapidated Taoist temple in the east of the village. Hou Fangyu was 16 years old at the time, but he was known for his filial piety in the village, and immediately prayed to the gods in the Taoist temple to protect his father, and vowed to rebuild the Taoist temple. About half an hour later, Hou Sui recovered as before, and immediately returned to Guide Mansion smoothly. Late that night, Hou's father and son dreamed of a Taoist with crane hair and a childish face and fairy wind bones. The old Taoist praised Hou's loyalty and filial piety, and said, "Hou's relationship with my dojo is related." The next day, Hou's father and son talked about this matter, and were surprised to find that the dreams of the two were surprisingly consistent, so they decided to rebuild the Taoist temple in order to seek peace and prosperity for the country.
In the spring of the sixth year of Chongzhen, Hou Sui and Hou Fangyu father and son initiated the construction, and the squires of Xiayi County and surrounding counties have donated money to rebuild and build on the original site of the old temple foundation (east of Xiaowangzhuang Village, Liji Town, Xiayi County). According to the introduction of several old people in Xiaowangzhuang Village, Liji Town, the Hongfu Taoist Temple rebuilt at the end of the Ming Dynasty covers an area of more than 20 acres, and there are three halls in the front, middle and back, and more than 10 halls in the east and west, and there are pavilions, platforms, floors, pavilions in the middle, and dozens of houses are there. From a distance, the Taoist temple in the green tree jungle, the apricot yellow courtyard wall, the blue-gray temple ridge, and the rows and rows of buildings attract countless pilgrims. Enter the view from the mountain gate, the air is fresh, the environment is quiet, the main hall is a brick and tile wooden structure, the well-sinking mortise and tenon structure of the roof of the main hall is complex, the blue is the bottom, the flying gold and jade, the patterns such as flying and fairy are painted. The building flies the eaves and arches, and the traditional stories such as the dark eight immortals and the twenty-four filial piety pictures are carved on it, and the colors of the paintings are bright and eye-catching, and the education and education are very eye-catching. The statues in the hall are tall and short, different in size, with a variety of expressions and movements, some gritting their teeth and glaring angrily, some with slightly open lips and smiling faces, some sitting cross-legged and holding their hands with their hands, some with solemn expressions, holding steel whips, and some with half-closed eyes and holding scriptures.
Since the Hongfu Taoist Temple was rebuilt, the Hou father and son have come here many times to enter the incense, and temporarily lived several times. At the end of the sixth year of Chongzhen (1633), Emperor Chongzhen issued an order to transfer Hou Sui into Beijing and serve as the secretary of the household department. Hou Sui went to the post in response to the order, and Hou Fangyu also moved to Beijing with his father. According to the literature, Hou Fangyu has been brilliant since childhood, and he swam in the door of Ni Yuanlu, especially good at prose, and can also poetry, and is recognized as one of the three masters of prose in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and one of the four sons in the late Ming Dynasty.
In the twelfth year of Chongzhen (1639), Hou Fangyu entered Nanyong, should be tested in Jiangnan Township, and was deposed for violating the prohibition with his words. Then he returned to the former residence of Guide Mansion, and lived in seclusion in Xiayi Hongfu Taoist Temple several times to cultivate his body and mind, and figure out the scriptures and historical articles. During his stay in the township, he also studied poetry with Xu Zuolin, Wu Boyi and others in the "Snow Garden Society", traveled with Chen Zilong, Xia Yunyi and other celebrities, and got to know Li Xiangjun, the most important person in his life.
Li Xiangjun was born in a hairpin family, his father and brother were loyal martyrs in the late Ming Dynasty, and he also developed a proud personality since he was a child. After she got acquainted with Hou Fangyu, she fell in love with Hou Fangyu's talents. The friendship between the two was touched, and the poems were opposed, and a good fate was set. In the version of "Peach Blossom Fan" by the Qing Dynasty writer Kong Shangren, Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun did not join hands in the end, but both became monks after the country was broken. After all, there is a certain artistic processing of opera stories, in fact, in 1644, the Qing army broke through the Beijing Division, the late Ming Hongguang Emperor fled the capital, Li Xiangjun and Hou Fangyu lost contact in the troubled times, and met in Qixia Mountain in 1645, returned to Shangqiu in the same year, and lived in seclusion in the jade building of the Hou family's former residence "Zhuang Confession Hall". Due to identity reasons, Li Xiangjun was disliked by Hou Sui, was driven out of the Jade Building twice, and lived in the Hou Manor, 7 kilometers outside Shangqiu City, which is today's Li Jiyuan. As a result, Li Xiangjun became depressed and became ill, and died of lung disease in 1654. Hou Fangyu became ill all day long, recalling that he had done nothing in the first half of his life, and he was unable to protect Li Xiangjun in the second half of his life, and he died of illness soon after, at the age of 37.
The eight years from 1645 to 1652 were the happiest period in the lives of Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun. After returning to Guide Mansion to live in seclusion, because his in-laws abandoned evil, Li Xiangjun and Hou Fangyu frequently took a sedan chair to Hongfu Taoist Temple to pray for blessings. To this day, there is still a story of Li Ji's incense in the local area. In that era when the country was shattered, although the personal relationship of children was just a drop in the ocean, such a loyal daughter was suspected because of the identity of Qinglou, which has to be said to be a kind of irony.
Since Hou Sui and Hou Fangyu rebuilt the Hongfu Taoist Temple, the incense of the Hongfu Taoist Temple was once vigorous. According to the records, after the death of Li Ji and Hou Fangyu, the incense of Hongfu Taoist Temple gradually declined, and during the Xinhai Revolution, due to years of war and natural disasters, many halls of Hongfu Taoist Temple lacked maintenance all year round and gradually fell into disuse. After the founding of the People's Republic of China There is only 1 main hall and 2 side halls. Therefore, on the site of the main hall and temple, a school was built with local materials, and a large number of students have been trained over the years. In the 80s of the last century, the school has been relocated for various reasons.
Late one night in January 2012. Yang Chunliang, a good man in Xiaowangzhuang Village, dreamed of a Taoist wearing a white robe, holding floating dust, and carrying a long sword. The Taoist said: "If there are conditions, you can rebuild the Taoist temple, carry forward the patriarch's dojo, and seek benefits for the people of all directions." There can be immeasurable merit. ”
After that, in order to complete the trust, Yang Chunliang communicated with the villagers many times, ran around and coordinated, and after the consent and support of the village and the higher-level leadership department, his son Yang Daoyou raised funds to rebuild on the basis of the old site of Hongfu Taoist Temple. The renovation work began in 2012 and was almost completed in April 2013. After the reconstruction, the Taoist temple covers an area of more than two acres, and the main worship is "Taishang Kaitian Zhifu Imperial Calendar Contains True Body Dao Jinque Supreme Jade Emperor Datianzun", "Left and Right Envoy God", "Heihan Old Ancestor Heavenly Master", "Pure Yang Zhenren Lu Zu" and other Taoist immortals, a total of more than 40 statues of gods. There is 1 main hall, 4 east and west wings, a mountain gate, an area of more than 600 square meters, the building is mainly brick and tile structure, the periphery red wall, the overall building continues the characteristics of the palace of the Ming Dynasty, the style is simple and unique.
At the end of April 2013, the Hongfu Taoist Temple rebuilding ceremony was completed, the temple held a grand temple fair for a week, the solemn and sacred seat of the opening ceremony, the enthusiastic and heroic tone of Henan Opera, instantly attracted good men and women from all over the world to come to Hongfu Taoist Temple to pray for blessings. For a while, after crossing the long river of history, we saw in a trance that Li Ji and Hou Fangyu of "Peach Blossom Fan" walked hand in hand in Hongfu Taoist Temple, which was touching and poignant.
In 2023, the leaders of the ** Department of Xiayi County and the Religious Affairs Bureau of Shangqiu City will conduct on-site inspections of Hongfu Taoist Temple many times, talk in detail with the person in charge of the temple, and have a detailed understanding of the development of various tasks such as site management, system implementation, the direction of religion sinicization, housing safety, and fire safety. At the same time, he pointed out that the members of the management committee should continue to resolutely implement the party's religious principles and policies, and continue to carry forward the fine tradition of Taoism of loving the country and religion and helping the world.
Now Hongfu Taoist Temple, the work has gradually tended to improve, at present, the temple to Zhengyi as the main body, a number of Zhengyi scholars, to assist the management of the palace. Although Hongfu Taoist Temple is located on the outskirts of the city, it is very quiet. At night, the insect chirping under the white moon and wind combined with the faint sound of wooden fish, copper chime, and chanting, we sat around with our knees crossed, quietly listening to the old man in the temple tell the legendary story of Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun, and the body and mind that were tired of the day were instantly unloaded.
Hongfu Taoist Temple, this local Taoist temple in the eastern part of Henan, and "Peach Blossom Fan" Hou Fangyu Li Xiangjun has an inextricable connection, it was built by Hou Sui, Hou Fangyu father and son, benefited from the name of "Qinhuai Bayan" Li Xiangjun and flourished. After Li Ji withered, it decayed for a hundred years. Fortunately, with the support of the party's religious policy and people from all walks of life, it has gradually restored its former style, and its existence has enriched the humanistic history and folk legends of Xiayi County, and has played a certain positive role in maintaining social harmony and stability and carrying forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
The author of this article: Li Sanyu, **Please indicate the author and source).