Solitary Joy Temple
独乐寺
Located in Jixian County, 113 kilometres from Tianjin city, the Solitary Joy (Dule) Temple, also known as the Big Buddha Temple,was first constructed in the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt in 984 in the Liao Dynasty. Dule means exclusive happiness. Legend has it that when An Lushan (安禄山？ -757，a general of the Tang Dynasty) rebelled against the emperor, he held a meeting here at the temple before going to war and he gave the temple its present name because he wanted happiness exclusively for himself instead of sharing it with the people. The temple consists of an entrance gate,the 23-metre-high Guanyin (Avalokitesvara or Goddess of Mercy) Pavilion and the chambers on the east and west sides. The gate,the roof of which has give ridges and four slopes,is China's extant oldest. The pavilion,built in 24 different systems of brackets inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam,is the cream of China's extant high-rise pavilions of wooden structure. On top of all this, it stands formidable despite major earthquakes. Inside the pavilion is a 16-metre-high clay statue of Avalokitesvara, or the Goddess of Mercy, beautiful in shape and enchanting in mien,a rare treasure among clay sculptures following the style of the Liao Dynasty (907-1125).
位于天津市蓟县,距天津113公里的城市,独乐寺,又称大佛寺,最初建于唐代，辽984年重建。独乐意味着专属的幸福。传说,当安禄山(安禄山？-757年,唐朝的将军)反抗皇帝,在战争打响之前他在殿里举行了一个会议,给寺庙起了目前的名字,因为他需要专属于他并且别人不能分享的幸福。寺里有山门,23米高的观音(观音菩萨或是观世音)阁和东西配殿等组成。大门的顶部有正脊、有四个斜坡,是中国现存最古老的。观音阁建在24不同体系的斗拱插在柱和横梁之间,是中国现存木制结构阁的顶峰。在这一切之上,它承受了尽管强大的地震。在观音阁内有16米高的泥塑观音菩萨或观世音,身材美丽和风采迷人,一个罕见的宝藏在辽式(907 - 1125)风格的泥塑里。
。