龙兴寺沿革——青州城与龙兴寺之二

Evolution of the Longxing Temple

北宋景祐四年(1037年),前任知青州的夏竦撰《青州龙兴寺重修中佛殿记》(《文庄集》卷二一),明确记载龙兴寺位于青州城中: ……(青州)城萦带山岳,控引川渎,气候高爽,风物懋盛,雅俗杂处。

The Longxing Temple was clearly located within the city of Qingzhou according tothe 'Renovation of the Hall of Buddha at the Longxing Temple in Qingzhou Prefecture'written by the local officer, and was even pinpointed exactly at the northwestern corner ofthe city by the author of a Yuan dynasty book Qi Sheng(A History of Qi). In October1996, a site of temple was found to the south of the Qingzhou Museum, the same localityof the Longxing Temple as recorded in the Northern Song reference. The site consists ofthe foundations of three halls, the frontal, middle and rear, a layout in harmony with theliteral description. According to historical data, the buildings of the temple were very mag-nificent during the High Tang era, and some more buildings were added in the NorthernSong dynasty. The Longxing Temple was scarcely referred to in the Jin and Yuan dynas-ties, and its final fall must take place in war flame at the end of the Yuan dynasty. Theconstruction of the city of King of Qi here wiped it away completely.