Xiangji Temple was a temple dedicated to the Buddhist God of Food, and it was also the only temple dedicated to the Bodhisattva of fasting. In Xiangji Temple, visitors can participate in vegetarian fasting, burn incense, pray, and pray.
Xiangji Temple is located at No. 1 Xiangji Temple Lane, Gongshu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province.
The final battle at Xiangji Temple was a decisive battle in the An Lushan Rebellion of the Tang Dynasty. The Battle of Xiangji Temple took place on November 13, 757. The Tang army and the Anshi rebels participated in the battle. The battle lasted for a day. The Tang army defeated the rebels with 70,000 casualties and recovered Chang 'an the next day. In this battle, the Tang army displayed outstanding combat experience and strategic planning. In particular, the performance of the Anxi-Beiting Protectorate troops, the Shuofang army, and the Uighur cavalry was regarded as the Tang army's winning weapon. In addition, the "international coalition forces" from the Arabian Empire, the Uighur Kingdom, Nanzhao, Khotan, and many other countries also stepped forward at the critical moment and made great contributions to the Tang army. The battle at Xiangji Temple was seen as the turning point for the Tang Empire to reverse the decline of the An Lushan Rebellion, providing an opportunity for the Tang Dynasty to extend its life by 150 years.
Xiangji Temple belonged to the Pure Land Sect.
The Battle of Xiangji Temple was a battle between elites. Both sides were the Tang Empire's most elite troops. They did not use siege tactics or mutual deception, but fought for victory by killing each other. At the cost of 70,000 casualties, the Tang army killed 60,000 enemies and captured 20,000 prisoners. In the end, they won. The casualty rate of this battle had reached an astonishing 50%, which was almost unimaginable in ancient times. Although some search results mentioned that there were also temporarily recruited troops in the battle, overall, the Battle of Xiangji Temple was an elite confrontation, showing the hard power of both sides.
There were many reasons why the Battle of Xiangji Temple was rarely mentioned. First of all, the literati did not like this battle because they believed that war brought destruction and death, not victory and glory. Secondly, this battle lacked legendary and entertaining elements. There was no clever use of tactics, and it was purely based on hard power. In addition, after the victory of the Tang army, the troops of the vassal states burned, killed, and looted wantonly in Chang 'an, the capital, and Luoyang, the eastern capital. The pain they brought to the Tang people was comparable to that of the rebels, which made the Battle of Xiangji Temple even more unwilling to be discussed. All in all, these reasons caused the Battle of Xiangji Temple to not be widely discussed. However, this battle was of great significance to the stability and development of the Tang Dynasty. It was not only an important battle, but also an important step for the Tang Dynasty to unify the north, laying the foundation for the revival of the Tang Dynasty.
The location of the Tang Dynasty's Xiangji Temple battle was today's Daming Palace Street, Weiyang District, Xi'an City.
The Battle of Xiangji Temple had been a bitter battle that had led to the destruction of the elite soldiers of the Great Tang. According to the information provided, the Tang army had paid a huge price in this battle, with 70,000 casualties. However, they had successfully killed more than 60,000 rebels and captured 20,000 people. The outcome of this battle was the turning point of the Great Tang's decline and the destruction of its elite army. The intensity of the battle at Xiangji Temple was evident. The total number of casualties on both sides reached 130,000. This battle had a far-reaching impact. The Great Tang Empire began to decline, never to return to its former glory.
The temple referred to the place where ancient emperors held sacrifices and held meetings. It could also refer to the imperial court or the central government headed by the monarch. The temple represented power, dignity, and honor. It was an important symbol in Chinese traditional culture. In the temple, the emperor accepted the court meeting, discussed political affairs, and displayed the authority and wisdom of the ruler. The temple also symbolized the safety of the country and the prosperity of the country. Fan Zhongyan's famous phrase," When you are at the top of the temple, you are worried about your people ", expressed the concern of the intellectual for the country and the people. The term 'temple' often appeared in ancient literature to describe the rule of emperors and the institutions of government.
The temple was used to refer to the imperial court. In ancient times, the temple was often used to refer to the imperial court, which was the place where the emperor held sacrifices and held meetings. The term "temple" originally referred to the Ming Hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Because ancient emperors had to offer sacrifices to the ancestral temple on important matters and discuss matters in the Ming Hall, the term "temple" gradually became a term that referred to the imperial court. The temple could also be used to refer to the central government headed by the monarch.