"It was only after taking a glance that I felt at ease. The director of the cultural protection department of the Youjin Ancient Temple in Hebei denied that it was a good temple to show off." The director of the Kaishan Temple Cultural Protection Office said. Director Rong
The flood in Kaishan Temple has receded.
There is still some standing water on the cobblestone ground in the yard, and crucian carp bigger than a palm are splashing in the water. The soil became soft, and when one foot stepped on it, the shoes sank into the mud. The water stains on the red wall and the mud on the base of the Buddha statue indicate the location and speed of the flood's retreat.
"At the deepest point, it's over two meters, and it drops by 50 centimeters in a day," said Rong, the director of the cultural protection office of Kaishan Temple.
On the morning of August 9th, cultural relics protection experts at all levels visited Kaishan Temple to assess the damage and subsequent repair plans. There are several cracks on the wall, and the bricks on the stone steps are somewhat loose. Other than that, there are not many other problems.
"Now the bricks have enough moisture and are expanding. We need to wait until they are completely dry before we see if they will shrink and crack." The staff of the Baoding Museum said, "No one can say for sure how long it will take.". "Maybe 10 days, or maybe a month if it's slow."
On the morning of August 9th, the accumulated water in Kaishan Temple basically subsided. Three days ago, the water level in Kaishan Temple began to drop. Director Rong was eager to inspect the damage inside the hall and sneaked into the water barebacked, swimming into the hall for inspection.
This video has received a lot of attention on the internet, with some praising the dedication of the cultural heritage worker, while others questioning his performance.
Regarding these, Rong only felt helpless. "At that time, he didn't think too much, just wanted to come in and take a look to rest assured." Before the flood receded, he had to wade in and inspect it several times a day.
These days, his left arm and elbow have been allergic and have developed an itchy rash. He didn't want too much coverage on this matter, "This is our job. I'm just a temple watcher, it's nothing special."
【1】 Floods besiege Kaishan Temple
During the days when Kaishan Temple was flooded, Director Rong was so anxious that he couldn't even sleep well. "The house is flooded, who can sleep?"
Before the flood, sandbags were erected at the entrance of the cultural heritage site of Kaishan Temple, and paper cultural relics, inscriptions, rubbings, archival materials, and computers were transferred in advance. "Everything that can be moved has been moved away," he said
But they still underestimated the surging of the flood. On the morning of the 3rd, the water level of the village river visibly rose. Li Dong from the cultural security office rode a tricycle and moved his office materials one by one to a higher place. "His clothes were soaked in sweat," he said
The flood overflowed onto the riverbank, pouring into the village and overflowing into the temple through drainage pipes. Rong was 1.7 meters tall, and the accumulated water flooded his chest.
The fire brigade used a machine that could pump 4000 cubic meters of water per hour to drain the water, but it was useless. The water was discharged onto the street, turned around, and then returned. I smoked for two hours, but the water level didn't drop at all.
The next day, the accumulated water was over two meters deep. They looked through drones and saw a dim yellow flood flooding the foundation of the main hall, with only pointed incense burners left. The 9500 square meter temple looked like a square pond.
Kaishan Temple after the flood. On the early morning of the 6th, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in Pingyuan County, Dezhou, Shandong Province, and there were also noticeable tremors in the city of Gaobeidian, 300 kilometers away. "The combination of floods and earthquakes is really a big test for Kaishan Temple," he thought with fear.
On the 6th day, the water level finally began to decline. He estimated the water depth to be 1.6 meters, and if he stood upright in the water, he could only expose half of his head. In some deep water areas, you can't even step to the bottom with your feet.
I don't know how many bacteria there are after soaking in the flood of animal carcasses. Without thinking too much, Director Rong took off his clothes and plunged into the water, trying to keep his head above the water to avoid drinking sewage. He pounced forward like a dog. The video that my colleague casually captured unexpectedly became popular, causing him to receive online attention.
At that time, the foundation of the the Shakya ManiHall had already surfaced. When Rong entered the palace to inspect, the accumulated water had already been discharged on its own. "The wisdom of our ancestors is very admirable to future generations." The water surface, which was submerged in the stone slab, bubbled with bubbles. "The foundation used to be dry, but now it's full of water. It's like throwing a dry brick into a bucket, and water seeps into the gaps."
On the morning of the 9th, the accumulated water in the temple finally receded. "My heart can finally be let go," Director Rong told the Nine Faction News reporter. "You arrived half a day early, but you can't even get in." The mud on the slate was slippery, and if you're not careful, it's easy to fall. Cracks can be seen at the corner of the newly built red wall of the the Shakya ManiHall, with the gap less than one centimeter.
The expert group compared the size of the cracks for two days and found that they did not expand significantly. This is a good omen. After the flood, cracking of the stone bricks does not immediately appear. Only when the stone bricks that have absorbed water and expanded dry and have not cracked after shrinkage, can they be considered safe.
The original beams and columns of the main hall were mainly made of pine wood, which suffered minor damage due to flooding. From this perspective, it is actually more sturdy than stone bricks.
On August 9, the staff measured the width of the cracks on the outer wall of the the Shakya ManiHall. 【2】 Ancient Temple Guardian
Director Rong is 45 years old and has been working at Kaishan Temple for 16 years. Prior to this, he worked as an elementary school teacher for 3 years, and later was transferred to work in the Cultural Department of the Gaobeidian Municipal Bureau of Culture and Sports for 10 years. In 2007, he participated in the establishment of the Kaishan Temple Cultural Heritage Office and became the first director. He described his job as "I'm just a temple watcher."
In the early days of the founding of New China, Kaishan Temple was used as a grain warehouse. In 1996, it was listed as the fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. From 2000 to 2006, Kaishan Temple underwent major repairs. On the basis of preserving the Liang framework of the Liao Dynasty, the walls and foundations of the three main halls were newly constructed.
When Director Rong first arrived at Kaishan Temple to work, the area was desolate. "There's nothing. The walls are dilapidated, with red and blue bricks. The courtyard is covered in weeds, no trees, and no office area. There are only a few over 100 year old brick houses from the late Qing Dynasty. There's no running water, no transformers, no air conditioning or heating. In winter, we can only burn coal stoves."
Li Dong, who went to Kaishan Temple to work with Director Rong at the same time, remembers that there was a lack of funds at the time, and "we only earned 500 yuan a month, and we had to pay for water, electricity, and coal ourselves.". In winter, without heating, they burn honeycomb coal for warmth. It wasn't until 2010, when transitional office buildings were built, that they had access to water, electricity, and heating.
Li Dong has loved practicing calligraphy since he was young. His grandfather started working as an apprentice in stone carving at the age of 16 and devoted his entire life to seal carving. He is 43 years old this year, and his hair is whiter than that of Rong.
He said that to do this job, one must "endure loneliness and maintain one's character.". In 2011, when Kaishan Temple was renovating its walls, funds could not be approved for a while. He advanced a project payment of 15000 yuan, and at that time, his monthly salary was only 600 to 700 yuan.
After working for 16 years, he has no permanent position and is still a labor dispatch employee with a monthly salary of over 3000. He also serves as a village cadre with a salary of over a thousand yuan. His family often says that if he were to switch to a higher paying job, even as a calligraphy teacher, his economic income would be better than now.
But Li Dong is unwilling. He likes ancient architecture, stone carving, and the tranquility of this job.
【3】 "Moss flowers are as small as rice, but they also learn to bloom like peonies."
Eight kilometers southeast of Gaobeidian East Station is Kaishan Temple. It is one of the existing "Eight Great Liao Structures" in China, and its architecture inherits the style of the Tang Dynasty. The faded wooden beam frame bears the imprints of thousands of years of wind and frost.
After the renovation was completed, Kaishan Temple briefly accepted pilgrims. On April 25th this year, Kaishan Temple reopened for free visitors. The staff of the cultural relics protection office has increased from the initial 3 to the current 8 people, who guard the safety of the ancient temple 24 hours a day.
It is said that Kaishan Temple has never experienced such a large flood since the Ming Dynasty. Prior to this, the main work of the cultural heritage preservation office was to prevent fire, theft, and damage from tourists. Since Director Rong took office, this ancient temple hidden in the village has never encountered too much danger.
Another task of the cultural heritage preservation office is to collect cultural relics. Unearthed cultural relics have been found in the urban area of Gaobeidian, which belong to the state according to law and will be collected and preserved by the Cultural Heritage Office. Li Dong said that there are over 80 stone carvings in the temple, including stone tablets and statues, with the oldest dating back to Northern Qi.
Collecting cultural relics is not an easy task. Li Dong said that if someone accidentally discovers an unearthed cultural relic, they will take the initiative to report it. Some people consider it as private property and are unwilling to hand it over.
Cultural heritage sites often consider factors such as the preservation of unearthed cultural relics and the degree of damage to houses and land caused by excavation work, and provide some funds as compensation for the people who submit cultural relics. But applying for funding is not easy, Li Dong said, and the maximum cost does not exceed 10000 yuan.
They had attempted to apply for funding to build roofs for these stone carvings. But due to financial constraints, it has not been successful.
On August 9th, Director Rong led everyone to repair the gate of the temple that was washed away by the flood. On the way to Kaishan Temple, there was still standing water in the corn field, and the lower half of the corn stalks were covered in mud, still standing upright. Across from the temple gate, the walls of several farmers were washed down. Villagers gradually moved back, and muddy black dogs searched for food on the roadside. Until the 9th, the village still had no access to water and electricity.
On the day of the flood, the monitoring equipment of the temple was damaged. The motor equipment that cannot be moved away is almost completely damaged. The gate of the temple was shaken and scattered by the flood, leaning against the railing. A group of people used steel pipes as levers to pry up the wooden board and put it back in place.
Director Rong is not unfamiliar with the muddy appearance of Kaishan Temple. He has witnessed the process of the ancient temple from dilapidation to renovation. He believes that in the near future, this place will once again be revitalized.
Director Rong's WeChat account is called "Old Treasure Protector", and his head is the the Shakya ManiHall of Kaishan Temple. When forwarding the report of the National Cutural Heritage Administration on the flood fighting work of Kaishan Temple, he wrote: "The moss flowers are as small as rice, and they are also like peonies."
