engineering

Zhihua Temple

Zhihua Temple is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Zhihua Temple rather than just read about it. In short: The Zhihua Temple (Chinese: 智化寺; pinyin: Zhìhuà Sì; lit. 'Temple of Wisdom Attained') is a Ming dynasty-era Buddhist temple in Beijing, China. It is located in the Lumicang (禄米仓) hutong, in the Chaoyangmen area of Dongcheng District, within the Second Ring Road to the north of Jinbaojie Street, west of the Yabaolu area.

Key takeaways

Zhihua Temple belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Zhihua Temple to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Zhihua Temple from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Zhihua Temple (Chinese: 智化寺; pinyin: Zhìhuà Sì; lit. 'Temple of Wisdom Attained') is a Ming dynasty-era Buddhist temple in Beijing, China. It is located in the Lumicang (禄米仓) hutong, in the Chaoyangmen area of Dongcheng District, within the Second Ring Road to the north of Jinbaojie Street, west of the Yabaolu area. The temple was built in 1443 at the order of Wang Zhen, a powerful eunuch in the Rites Supervising Office of the court of the Zhengtong Emperor (also known as Emperor Yingzong; reigned 1436-1449 and 1457–1464). The temple, surrounding buildings, and grounds comprise approximately 2 hectares (4.9 acres). It is one of the most important original building complexes that has remained intact since the Ming dynasty period in the Old City area of Beijing. It is also striking for its extensive use of black roof tiles. The Beijing Cultural Exchange Museum, established in November 1992, is located in the temple compound; its principal aim is "as a centre for developing cultural exchange and for developing the study of cultural relics and museums." At the temple, a group of musicians regularly performs centuries-old ritual music which has been handed down over 27 generations. The six-member group was led by the octogenarian Buddhist monk Zhang Benxing (张本兴, 1923–2009),[1] Archived 2018-12-05 at the Wayback Machine the only surviving member of the 26th generation of musicians, and the last person to have learned the music in the traditional manner. In addition to singing voices, the instruments used include guanzi (oboe), dizi (bamboo flute), sheng (mouth organ), yunluo (a set of ten small tuned gongs mounted vertically in a frame), and percussion including drums and cymbals. The Zhihua Temple became a nationally preserved cultural and historic relic in 1961. In 2005 the Chinese government undertook a renovation of the temple (which is now complete) in preparation for the numerous international visitors expected at the time of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Layout The structures of the temple mostly date to the Ming dynasty.

Shanmen

The shanmen (Chinese: 山門; Pinyin: Shānmén) of Zhihua Temple dates to the Ming dynasty. It consists of a single archways 7.10 meters wide and 5 meters long, with a single-eaved xieshan-style roof. A white marble plaque is embedded on the top of the gate, which is inscribed with the words "敕賜智化寺" in traditional Chinese characters, meaning "Gifted by the Imperial Court to Zhihua Temple". The left and right sides of the shanmen are also inscribed with Chinese characters; the left inscription reads "正九年正月初九日奉旨敕建", which means "Built under Imperial order on the 9th day of the 1st lunar month of the 9th year of the reign of the Zhengde Emperor", while right inscription reads "萬曆五年三月三日司禮監管監事兼掌內府供用庫印提督禮儀房太監鄭真等重修", which means "Rebuilt by the eunuch Zheng Zhen, the Master of Ceremonies who oversees the inner palace and the ceremonial room, as well as others in the 3rd day of the 3rd month of 5th year of the reign of the Wanli Emperor". Two Chinese guardian lions guard both sides of this gate.

Zhihua Gate

The Zhihua Gate (Chinese: 智化門; Pinyin: Zhìhuàmén) of the temple is a building structure equivalent to the Tianwang Dian, or Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings, in most Chinese Buddhist temples. It has a width of 13 meters and a length of 7.8 meters. The building, which was built during the Ming dynasty, originally enshrined statues of Mi Le, the deva Weituo and the Four Heavenly Kings, but they are not extant now. It now houses an exhibition of the history of the Zhihua Temple, and the temple's ritual musicians regularly hold their performances within this building. Several steeles dating to the Ming dynasty which commemorates past donors of the temple are also housed within this building.

Bell Tower The Bell Tower (Chinese: 鐘樓; Pinyin: Zhōnglóu) is located on the east side outside the Zhihua Gate and consists of two floors. It houses a bronze bell, which was cast during the Ming dynasty in the 9th year of the reign of the Emperor Yingzong (1444). The bell has a diameter of 1.05 meters, a height of 1.60 meters, and a thickness of 9 cm. The surface of the bell is inscribed with mantras written in the Sanskrit script.

Drum Tower The Drum Tower (Chinese: 鼓樓; Pinyin: Gǔlóu) is located on the west side outside Zhihua Gate and also consists of two floors. It houses a Ming dynasty drum, which has a height of 1.45 meters and a diameter of 1.37 meters. The surface of the drum is inscribed with a lacquer pattern composing of 12 golden dragons prancing.

Zhihua Hall

The Zhihua Hall (Chinese: 智化殿; Pinyin: Zhìhuàdiàn) of the temple is a building structure equivalent to the Daxiongbao Hall in most Chinese Buddhist temples. It dates back to the Ming dynasty and enshrines numerous Ming dynasty statues of various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and dharmapalas. In 1972, three wooden lacquered gold statues of the Buddhas Shijiamoni, Yaoshi and Amituofo (each seated on a marble lotus throne) as well as statues of the Eighteen Arhats which were originally enshrined in this hall were moved to the Daxiongbao Hall of Dajue Temple in Beijing (after the Buddha statues originally enshrined in the Daxiongbao Hall of Dajue Temple had in turn been moved to Guangji Temple). In modern times, the temple enshrines another set of Ming dynasty statues of the Buddhas Shijiamoni, Yaoshi and Amituofo (which were originally enshrined in the Hall of Great Compassion), as well as various other Buddhist figures such as Weituo, Qielan and several arhats. The walls of the hall are also painted with Ming dynasty murals featuring the bodhisattva Dizang, Yanluo Wang, the Ten Kings of Hell and other Buddhist figures. The mural is 3.14 meters high, 4.7 meters wide, and occupies a total area of 14.76 square meters.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Zhihua Temple

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Zhihua Temple claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Zhihua Temple before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Zhihua Temple ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Zhihua Temple

In research: Zhihua Temple appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Zhihua Temple in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Zhihua Temple is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 15th-century Buddhist temples in China, Buddhist temples in Beijing, Buildings and structures completed in 1443, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Zhihua Temple outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Zhihua Temple in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Zhihua Temple means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Zhihua Temple out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zhihua Temple in simple terms?

Why does Zhihua Temple matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Zhihua Temple?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Zhihua Temple.