Shanxi Travelogue: Puji Temple in Yongji
On the morning of May 27, 2024, after breakfast at the hotel, I boarded intercity bus 116 from Weilai Hotel at 8:50, heading to Yongji. The fare was 12 yuan per person. I got off at Yingbin Road intersection, then transferred to Yongji bus No. 2, arriving at Puji Temple at 11 a.m.
Puji Temple is situated on the loess plateau in Xixiang Village, Puzhou Town, Yongji City. Originally built during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, it was first named Xiyongqing Monastery, a Buddhist temple open to all. The love story from Wang Shifu's Yuan-dynasty drama 'The Romance of the Western Chamber,' where 'Matchmaker Hongniang ties the red thread under the moonlight, and Scholar Zhang cleverly meets Cui Yingying,' is set right here within Puji Temple.
Since 1986, the newly restored Puji Temple features a layout of three levels of terraces—upper, middle, and lower—and three architectural axes (west axis in Tang style, central axis in Song and Jin styles, east axis in Ming and Qing styles), grand in scale and uniquely distinctive. From the plateau to the lower ground, halls, pavilions, corridors, and pagodas rise tier by tier, following the terrain, creating a sense of solemn majesty and graceful elegance. Interspersed among them are buildings closely tied to the 'Romance of the Western Chamber': the 'Western Study' where Scholar Zhang lodged, the 'Deep Courtyard of Pear Blossoms' where Cui Yingying's family resided, and the 'Study Courtyard' where Zhang moved after the siege was lifted. Behind the temple, the undulating terrain forms a lively garden. There, rockeries with precipitous stacked stones, double pavilions called 'Yingyu Shuangting' with upturned eaves, and a winding magpie bridge over a lotus pond connect pavilions and water, hills and lake. Cui Yingying's 'Moon-Worshipping Platform' is nestled among green pines, cypresses, and towering bamboo groves. Standing in the temple is the Yingying Pagoda, not only ancient in form and spectacular in appearance, but also famous for its unique structure and remarkable echo effect. When visitors strike a stone near the pagoda, it produces a crisp, melodious frog-like croak, 'ge-wa—ge-wa—,' much to their amazement. Local chronicles call this 'Pujiu Toad Sound,' one of the eight scenic wonders of ancient Yongji. With the fame of 'The Romance of the Western Chamber,' Puji Temple—'unmatched among all Buddhist temples under heaven'—became renowned, and its sarira pagoda was renamed Yingying Pagoda, known far and wide. The beautiful and moving love story has stirred people's hearts for centuries, making it a celebrated tourist destination.
Inside the temple stands a square brick pagoda, originally named the Sarira Pagoda and popularly known as Yingying Pagoda. It is listed among China's four extant echo structures, alongside the Echo Wall of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Pagoda of Baolun Temple in Henan, and the 'Stone Qin' of the Grand Buddha Temple in Tongnan District, Chongqing. Together with the Shaking Tower of Shan State in Myanmar, the Musical Tower of Szolnok in Hungary, the Perfume Tower of Marrakech in Morocco, the Bell Tower of Paris in France, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, it is known as one of the world's six great wonder towers.
The Deep Courtyard of Pear Blossoms, where Cui Yingying's family stayed in the story, is a popular spot here. Stepping inside, you are greeted by a wooden screen bearing Yingying's reply to Zhang: 'Awaiting the moon by the western bower, the door ajar in the breeze; shadows of flowers stir upon the wall as if my jade-like lover comes.' At the entrance stands a replica of a Jin-dynasty stone tablet inscribed 'Yingying's Former Residence at Puji Temple,' a treasure of the temple unearthed during its restoration in 1987. When Wang Zhongtong of the Jin Dynasty visited the temple in late spring and sought out Yingying's former home, he was moved to write: 'Petals flutter in the small courtyard with sorrowful red rain; spring ages in the western bower, locked in green moss. I fear her returning soul might spy on Song Yu, peeping over the wall to secretly admire such talent.'
Within Puji Temple, there is also a Matchmaker's Hall. The couplet on its door reads: 'May all lovers under heaven be united in marriage; do not miss the fate predestined in a previous life.' On the windows hang visitors' hopeful wishes, such as 'meeting the right one' and 'hearts in perfect harmony.'
Today, Puji Temple seems to have been transformed into a sanctuary of love, a lucky place for every romantic soul to continue writing their own beautiful story. Even long-time lovers can come here to rekindle old flames and pour out their hearts.
At 1 p.m., after finishing our visit to Puji Temple, we left the scenic area, had lunch nearby, and then waited for bus No. 2 to head to the Stork Tower scenic area.
