The Legend of Kangxi and the Great Temple
The East Temple Palace is located in Miaogong Village, Sidaogou Township, Weichang. It is the east entrance of the Weichang. It was built by Emperor Jiaqing for burning incense and taking a rest during hunting. The East Temple, like other royal buildings, has red walls and yellow tiles, and towering ancient pines. The emperor always burns incense and worships "Saihan Buddha" here before entering the Weichang in autumn. The East Temple Palace is not exactly the same as other palace buildings. It has three "rare" features in the country. First, it is the first to combine temples and palaces; second, the gods enshrined are dressed in Qing Dynasty costumes, which is unique in China; third, the main temple of Guoren Zhenyuan God is the smallest temple built by the royal family. Speaking of the god "Saihan Buddha", there is a magical legend. It is said that in July of the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign, he came to Mulan Weichang to hunt and met a Mongolian girl, who was named Jinlian Fairy. At the same time, he was saved by a farmer who accidentally broke into the imperial curtain and caught a toad. Because of his meritorious service in saving the emperor, Kangxi named him "Saihan Buddha" and the toad was also named Jinchan. The two soldiers who were killed by lightning were appointed as fourth-rank guards to serve "Saihan Buddha". At the same time, a small temple was built for "Saihan Buddha" at the place where the farmer rescued the emperor, for the royal family to worship. This is the true origin of "Saihan Buddha". Since Emperor Kangxi built the "Saihan Buddha" small temple, Emperors Kangxi, Qianlong and Jiaqing would go to worship every year when they came to the hunting ground. Emperor Jiaqing came to the hunting ground many times, but he always felt that this small stone temple of "Saihan Buddha" was too simple and shabby, and it was built alone on an uninhabited plateau, making it inconvenient to worship every year. So in the 16th year of Jiaqing, after building a temporary palace at "Yixunhaba Hunting Ground", one of the 72 hunting grounds of Mulan Hunting Ground, he invited the statue of "Saihan Buddha" enshrined in Saihanba to his own palace to show his respect for the "Saihan God" who saved the life of Emperor Shengzu. In this way, the "gods" and people lived in the same palace, and from then on this palace was called the "temple palace". This is the origin of the "temple palace". This beautiful and magical royal legend is circulated in the local area. The unique royal culture is of great value in studying the folk customs, folk customs, and beliefs of the Qing Dynasty, enriching the cultural treasure house of the Chinese nation, and enriching the cultural life of the people. Information source: Hebei Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center (no pictures yet, welcome to provide.) Information source: Hebei Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center (no pictures yet, welcome to provide.)