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41-930: Built in AD 489, the 7th year of the Yongming era during the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502), the temple is known for its large collection of Chinese Buddhist visual art and sculptural art in the grounds. These consist of pagodas, murals and artwork that date back to the 10th century. It has had several names over the centuries, including the "Gongde Temple" ( 功德寺 ; Tang dynasty), "Miaoyin Temple" ( 妙音寺 ; Southern Tang dynasty), "Puyun Temple" ( 普云寺 ; Song dynasty ), "Yanyin Chongbao Chan Temple" ( 严因崇报禅院 ; Song dynasty), "Jingde Qixia Temple" ( 景德栖霞寺 ; Song dynasty) and "Huxue Temple" ( 虎穴寺 ; Song dynasty). In 1372, at

82-578: A country") of the Xin dynasty , Tiancewansui ( 天冊萬歲 ; lit. "Heaven-conferred longevity") of the Wu Zhou , and Tiancilishengguoqing ( 天賜禮盛國慶 ; lit. "Heaven-bestowed ritualistic richness, nationally celebrated") of the Western Xia are examples of Chinese era names that bore more than two characters. Era names were symbols of political orthodoxy and legitimacy. Hence, most Chinese monarchs would proclaim

123-456: A new era name to replace an existing era name was known as gǎiyuán ( 改元 ; lit. "change the origin"). Instituting a new era name would reset the numbering of the year back to year one, known as yuán nián ( 元年 ; lit. "year of origin"). On the first day of the Chinese calendar , the numbering of the year would increase by one. To name a year using an era name only requires counting years from

164-415: A new era upon the founding of a new dynasty. Rebel leaders who sought to establish independence and legitimacy also declared their own era names. Often, vassal states and tributary states of Imperial China would officially adopt the era name of the reigning Chinese monarch as a sign of subordination—a practice known as fèng zhēng shuò ( 奉正朔 ; lit. "following the first month of the year and the first day of

205-535: A new monarch ascended to the throne, he could either declare a new era immediately or inherit the usage of the existing era name from his predecessor. For example, the era name Wutai ( 武泰 ; lit. "exalted martial") of the Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei was immediately replaced with Jianyi ( 建義 ; lit. "establishing justice") when the Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei took the throne. On

246-675: A total of seven era names during his reign. The Hongwu Emperor started the tradition of having only one era name for one monarch—known as the yí shì yì yuán zhì ( 一世一元制 ; lit. "one-era-name-for-a-reign system"). Thus, modern historians would frequently refer to monarchs of the Ming and Qing dynasties by their respective era name. Notable exceptions to this "one-era-name" tradition included Zhu Qizhen who proclaimed two era names for his two separate reigns, Aisin Gioro Hong Taiji who used two era names to reflect his position as khan of

287-549: Is 10.8-metre (35 ft) high and 13.3-metre (44 ft) high adding the throne. Statues of Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta stand on the left and right sides of Amitābha's statue. In front of the pavilion there are two statues of Guiding Buddha of the Qixia Stupa, both are more than 3-metre (9.8 ft) high. To east side of the Qixia Stupa is the Thousand Buddha Rock ( 千佛岩 ), the only Buddhist grottoes of

328-659: Is based on the era name system of Imperial China. Numerous attempts to reinstate monarchical rule in China had resulted in the declaration of additional era names after the founding of the Republic, but these regimes and their associated era names were short-lived. In 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded and the era was changed to the Common Era , for both internal and external affairs in mainland China . This notation

369-591: Is called Mínguó yuánnián ( 民國元年 ) and 2024, the "113th year of the Republic" is 民國一百一十三年 , 民國113年 , or simply 113. Based on National Standards of the Republic of China CNS 7648: Data Elements and Interchange Formats—Information Interchange—Representation of Dates and Times (similar to ISO 8601 ), year numbering may use the Gregorian system as well as the ROC era. For example, 28 November 2024 may be written 2024-11-28 or ROC 113-11-28. The ROC epoch happens to be

410-517: Is in the southeast of Qixia Temple. It was built in 601 and destroyed in the Tang dynasty (618–907). In 945, it was rebuilt by Southern Tang dynasty emperor Li Jing . The pagoda has a five-story, octagon-shaped structure. It is 18-metre (59 ft) high and perched on a two-story stylobate carved with waves and a dash of fish and Chinese flowering crab apples. Behind the Mahavira Hall

451-650: Is the Pilu Hall ( 毗卢殿 ) enshrining the statues of Vairocana , Brahma and Indra . At the back of Vairocana's statue are statues of Guanyin , Longnü and Sudhana . The statues of the Twenty Devas stand on both sides of the hall. The statue of Amitābha is enshrined in the Pavilion of Giant Buddha ( 大佛阁 ). It was built in the 5th century during the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502). The sitting statue

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492-714: The Minguo calendar , is a calendar used in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu . The calendar uses 1912, the year of the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC) in Nanjing , as the first year. The ROC calendar follows the tradition of using the sovereign's era name and year of reign, as did previous dynasties of China . Months and days are numbered according to the Gregorian calendar . The ROC calendar has been in wide use in

533-538: The Emperor Daizong of Tang replaced the era name Yongtai ( 永泰 ; lit. "perpetual peace") with Dali ( 大曆 ; lit. "great era") in the eleventh month of the Chinese calendar in 766 CE, the first year of Dali thus only consisted of the last two months of that particular year; the second year of Dali began on the first day of the Chinese calendar the following year, just two months after its initiation. When

574-646: The Later Jin and later as emperor of the Qing dynasty, as well as Aisin Gioro Puyi who adopted three era names in his capacity as emperor of the Qing dynasty and subsequently as ruler of Manchukuo . With the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912 CE, the Chinese era name system was superseded by the Republic of China calendar which remains in official use in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu Islands . The Republic of China calendar, while not an era name,

615-581: The Qing dynasty .) When Sun Yat-sen became the provisional president of the Republic of China, he sent telegrams to leaders of all provinces and announced the 13th day of 11th month of the 4609th year of the Yellow Emperor's reign (corresponding to 1 January 1912) to be the first year of the Republic of China. The original intention of the Minguo calendar was to follow the monarchical practice of naming

656-422: The monarch 's era name and year of reign. One alternative to this approach was to use the reign of the semi-legendary Yellow Emperor in the third millennium BC to number the years. In the early 20th century, some Chinese republicans began to advocate such a system of continuously numbered years, so that year markings would be independent of the monarch's era name. (This was part of their attempt to de-legitimize

697-575: The Era System, their treaties with other countries are in the Dionysian Era ( AD ) system. In modern times, only Republic of China and Japan still continue to use the ancient Chinese era naming system. Even in the domestic arena, the era system can present difficult dilemmas. For example, in Japan, it is difficult to keep track of the age of people who were born in the previous era. Also, while

738-464: The Gregorian calendar. After the Kuomintang reconstituted the Republic of China on 10 October 1928, the Gregorian calendar was officially adopted, effective 1 January 1929. The People's Republic of China has continued to use the Gregorian calendar since 1949. Despite the adoption of the Gregorian calendar , the numbering of the years was still an issue. The Chinese monarchical tradition was to use

779-637: The ROC and Japan both continue to use the ancient Chinese era system, since they have partially adopted the Gregorian calendar for non-governmental use, it is more difficult to track down dates that fall on February 29 leap year in the Western calendar. Furthermore, in Japan, in theory it is difficult to mention future dates since it is sometimes hard to tell whether the current emperor will live long enough for its citizens to use that era name. However, in practice, documents like driver's licenses and 50-year leases use era dates without regard to this problem. On

820-603: The ROC era system extends beyond official documents. Misinterpretation is more likely in the cases when the prefix (ROC or 民國 ) is omitted. There have been legislative proposals by political parties of the Pan-Green Coalition that support Taiwanese independence , such as the Democratic Progressive Party , to formally abolish the ROC calendar in favor of the Gregorian calendar. To convert any Gregorian calendar year (1912 and after) to

861-465: The ROC since 1912, including in early official documents. The ROC calendar is the official calendar used in Taiwan since 1945, and also adopted by Overseas Chinese and Taiwanese communities. Chorographies and historical research published in mainland China covering the period between 1912 and 1949 also use the ROC calendar. The Gregorian calendar was adopted by the nascent Republic of China effective 1 January 1912 for official business, but

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902-466: The Southern dynasties (420–589) in China. There are 297 Buddhist niches and 515 statues. In the following dynasties, such as Tang (618–907), Song (960–1279), Yuan (1271–1368) and Ming dynasties (1368–1644), statues were also carved. Totally there are more than 700 statues. Hsing Yun , the founder of Taiwan's Fo Guang Shan , is Qixia Temple’s most notable alumnus in

943-457: The biases and attitudes of a particular historian; however, era names are useful for dating events that were unique in Chinese history. Most Chinese dictionaries have a comprehensive list of era names, while booklets of more detailed and often searchable lists can be found in libraries . Republic of China calendar The Republic of China calendar , often shortened to the ROC calendar or

984-547: The contemporary period. He was tonsured at Qixia Temple in 1941. He was a disciple of Master Zhikai and studied for several years at the Qixia Vinaya School. Chinese era name Chinese era names , also known as reign mottos , were titles used by various Chinese dynasties and regimes in Imperial China for the purpose of year identification and numbering . The first monarch to adopt era names

1025-532: The dawn of Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the temple was renamed "Qixia Temple" which is still in use now. In the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qixia Temple was completely destroyed by the Taiping Rebellion . The modern restoration of the entire temple complex was carried out in 1919, after the establishment of the Republic of China . During the Nanjing Massacre , the temple

1066-482: The era name Jianzhongjingguo ( 建中靖國 ; lit. "establishing a moderate and peaceful country") used by the Emperor Huizong of Song was indicative of Huizong's idealism towards moderating the rivalry among the conservative and progressive factions regarding political and social reforms. The process of declaring an era name was referred to in traditional Chinese historical texts as jiànyuán ( 建元 ). Proclaiming

1107-551: The first ruler to declare an era name. Prior to the introduction of the first era name in 140 BCE, Chinese monarchs utilized the Qianyuan ( 前元 ), Zhongyuan ( 中元 ) and Houyuan ( 後元 ) systems to identify and number years. Prior to the Ming dynasty , it was common for Chinese sovereigns to change the era name during their reigns, resulting in the use of more than one era name for one ruler. For instance, Emperor Xuan of Han used

1148-401: The first year of the era. For example, 609 CE was the fifth year of Daye ( 大業 ; lit. "great endeavour"), as the era began in 605 CE; traditional Chinese sources would therefore refer to 609 CE as Dàyè wǔ nián ( 大業五年 ). The numbering of the year would still increase on the first day of the Chinese calendar each year, regardless of the month in which the era name was adopted. For example, as

1189-478: The general populace continued to use the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar . The status of the Gregorian calendar was unclear between 1916 and 1921 while China was controlled by several competing warlords each supported by foreign colonial powers. From about 1921 until 1928 warlords continued to fight over northern China, but the Kuomintang -led Nationalist government controlled southern China and used

1230-527: The longest being the Kangxi Emperor , who ruled from 1662 to 1722 (Kangxi 61). ( Qianlong Emperor abdicated in 1795, i.e. Qianlong 60, but the reign name of Qianlong is still used unofficially until his death in 1799 i.e. Qianlong 64.) As most Chinese era names consisted of two Chinese characters, 民國 ( mínguó ; 'republic') is employed as an abbreviation of 'Republic of China' ( 中華民國 ; Zhōnghuá mínguó ). The first year, 1912,

1271-417: The month"). For example, Korean regimes such as Silla , Goryeo , and Joseon at various times formally adopted the era names of the Tang , Wu Zhou, Later Liang , Later Tang , Later Jin , Later Han , Later Zhou , Northern Song , Liao , Jin , Yuan , Northern Yuan , Ming , and Qing dynasties of China for both domestic and diplomatic purposes. The Emperor Wu of Han is conventionally regarded as

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1312-725: The name of the dynasty or the ruler before the era name for the purpose of disambiguation. For example, when referencing the year 410 CE, Chinese sources could either render it as Běi Yān Tàipíng èr nián ( 北燕太平二年 ; lit. "second year of Taiping of the Northern Yan ") or Běi Yān Wéngchéng Dì Tàipíng èr nián ( 北燕文成帝太平二年 ; lit. "second year of Taiping of the Emperor Wencheng of Northern Yan ). Most Chinese era names consisted of two Chinese characters , even though era names with three, four and six characters also existed. Shijianguo ( 始建國 ; lit. "the beginning of establishing

1353-493: The other hand, others suggest that the AD system has too much Christian connotation behind it and it is a form of cultural imperialism when an essentially European system of dating is forced upon other civilizations with their own long-used and equally legitimate dating systems. However, with globalization, the AD system is becoming more acceptable in Japan and the ROC. Modern history researchers do not care about era names except for supporting other arguments, such as figuring out

1394-582: The other hand, the era name Tianxian ( 天顯 ; lit. "heavenly intent") was originally proclaimed by the Emperor Taizu of Liao but its usage was continued by the Emperor Taizong of Liao upon assuming the throne. There were numerous era names that saw repeated use throughout Chinese history. For instance, the era name Taiping ( 太平 ; lit. "great peace") was used on at least ten occasions in China. In such cases, Chinese sources would often affix

1435-533: The purpose of identifying and numbering years in Imperial China. Era names originated as mottos or slogans chosen by the reigning monarch and usually reflected the political, economic and/or social landscapes at the time. For instance, the first era name proclaimed by the Emperor Wu of Han , Jianyuan ( 建元 ; lit. "establishing the origin"), was reflective of its status as the first era name. Similarly,

1476-525: The same year as that of the North Korean calendar , as North Korean founder Kim Il Sung was born in 1912. The first year of Japan's Taishō era (30 July 1912 – 25 December 1926) also coincides with that of the ROC era. In addition to the ROC calendar, Taiwanese people continue to use the lunar Chinese calendar for certain functions such as the dates of many holidays, the calculation of people's ages, and religious functions. The use of

1517-441: The use of era names today. While the era system is a more traditional system of dating that preserves Chinese and Japanese culture, it presents a problem for the more globalized Asian society and for everyday life. For example, even though within the nation people will know what era they are in, it is relatively meaningless for other nations. In addition, while the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan only recognize documents dated in

1558-405: The years according to the number of years the monarch had reigned, which was a universally recognizable event in China. Following the establishment of the Republic, hence the lack of a monarch, it was then decided to use the year of the establishment of the current regime. This reduced the issue of frequent change in the calendar , as no Chinese emperor ruled more than 61 years in Chinese history –

1599-413: Was a temporary refuge of four months for more than 24,000 civilians fleeing the masscare. The incident was reenacted into a movie Qixia Temple 1937 , which helped in boosting visitorship to the temple. Near the temple site and situated on the slopes of Qixia Hill, is the "Thousand Buddha Caves", a grotto containing many Buddhist sculptural works of art. The Qixia Stupa ( 栖霞塔 ) or Buddha's Relics Pagoda

1640-423: Was extended to Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in 1999 (de facto extended in 1966) through Annex III of Hong Kong Basic Law and Macau Basic Law , thus eliminating the ROC calendar in these areas. The concept of era name also saw its adoption by neighboring Korea and Vietnam since the middle of the 6th century CE, and by Japan since the middle of the 7th century CE. Notably, Japan still officially retains

1681-523: Was the Emperor Wu of Han in 140 BCE, and this system remained the official method of year identification and numbering until the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912 CE, when the era name system was superseded by the Republic of China calendar . Other polities in the Sinosphere — Korea , Vietnam and Japan —also adopted the concept of era name as a result of Chinese politico-cultural influence. Chinese era names were titles adopted for

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