The Yellow River Temple

The Yellow River Temple, a spectacular new landmark¹ beside the Yellow River, China's mother river has made its debut² at the "Thanksgiving Mother River" event of the Third China Ningxia International Culture, Art and Tourism Fair. After 11 months of construction, the Temple provides an opportunity to showcase the history and dynamic cultural traditions of Ningxia in Northwest China.

Wei Tong has more.

 
Located 80 kilometers away from Yinchuan, the capital city of Ningxia, the Yellow River Temple stands on the Jinsha Bay, namely the Golden Sand Bay at the upper reaches of Qingtong Gorge³. Covering an area of over 65,000 square meters, the complex comprises three main groups of constructions displaying ancient archways, temple halls and over 108 pieces of ingenuous⁴ bronze wares⁵.

Feng Qinduo, the Chief Designer of the Yellow River Temple, says the idea is to unmask the history and cultural aspects of the Yellow River.

"The design of the Temple complex was based on five concepts: the ancient culture of sacrifice, Chinese culture, bronze art traditions, the royal temple gardens and traditional cultures."

The Yellow River Temple Archway is a prominent landmark, rising 15.8 meters above ground and spanning 45 meters in width. It stands at the entrance of the complex.

In ancient times, archways such as this were generally made out of wood and stone. This represents the first attempt to construct archways by using bronze and the Yellow River Temple Archway is regarded as the largest of its kind in the country.

Three other archways engraved⁶ with the cliff paintings of the ancient Western Xia Dynasty or adorned⁷ with domes⁸ typical of the Hui minority group, stand beside the Yellow River Temple Archway.

Feng Qinduo says these archways symbolize⁹ the cultural spirits of Hui group, the ethnic¹⁰ group where majority of the population are Muslims.

"The Temple is based in Ningxia, which is an autonomous¹¹ region of the Hui group, so Islamic symbols are used in the architecture. If the Temple was in Xinjiang, then I would use the cultural elements of the Uyghur."

As the main structure of the complex, the Yellow River Temple sits on a circular platform and carries a roof with four square corners.

The architectural style follows the ancient Chinese philosophy that views heaven as a circle while the earth is a square. The lower two levels of the circular platforms are made of marble stones, each decorated by intricately carved 12 animal zodiacs.

A giant Ding, which is an ancient Chinese container with three legs, is placed on the top level of the Temple, referring to the legend that Yu the Great had cast nine dings during his reign¹² which symbolized¹³ the nine states of ancient China. Weighing 8.9 tonnes, the Ding named after the Yellow River is regarded as the biggest Ding in the Yellow River Basin.

Apart from the Temple and the Ding, another unique structure in the complex is the Pavilion Bestowed¹⁴ by Heaven and Earth.

Feng Qinduo explains where this name comes from.

"It is called the Pavilion Bestowed by Heaven and Earth. The inscribed¹⁵ board on the front door reads Bestowed by Heaven and that on the rear door reads Bestowed by Earth. As the old saying goes, the Yellow River flows from the heaven. If it had not been for the Yellow River, Ningxia would not have been named as the prosperous land of the

Rising 38 meters above ground and spanning 32 meters in diameter, the Pavilion is a wood and brick structure, resembling the style of the 'Hall of Prayers for Good Harvest' in Beijing and the 'Yellow Crane Tower' in Central China's Wuhan City.

The Pavilion has three levels with each level painted in different colors: blue, representing the sky; yellow, standing¹⁶ for the Yellow River and green, symbolizing¹⁷ the earth.

In Feng Qinduo's design, the Pavilion also reflects the idea of harmony.

"A seismograph and a globe are situated¹⁸ on the sides of the Pavilion. What lies between the heaven and the earth are Yin and Yang, which bring harmony to the earth."

Standing at the top of the Yellow River Temple and looking beyond, the Yellow River and the Jinsha Bay stretch out to the far distance in the shape of a Tai Chi diagram.

The Yellow River, which flows through a vast area of Ningxia, brings some best agricultural lands to the region. Zhang Yi, an official from Ningxia thinks the Yellow River brings life to the region and therefore residents in Ningxia will show respects to their mother river.

For CRI, This is Wei Tong.

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

3 gorge   

n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃

参考例句：

• East of the gorge leveled out.峡谷东面地势变得平坦起来。
• It made my gorge rise to hear the news.这消息令我作呕。

4 ingenuous   

adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的

参考例句：

• Only the most ingenuous person would believe such a weak excuse!只有最天真的人才会相信这么一个站不住脚的借口！
• With ingenuous sincerity,he captivated his audience.他以自己的率真迷住了观众。

5 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

6 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

8 domes   

n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场

参考例句：

• The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
• Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网

9 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

12 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

13 symbolized   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• For Tigress, Joy symbolized the best a woman could expect from life. 在她看，小福子就足代表女人所应有的享受。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• A car symbolized distinction and achievement, and he was proud. 汽车象征着荣誉和成功，所以他很自豪。 来自辞典例句

14 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

15 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 symbolizing   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This symbol later evolved into a common hieroglyphic symbolizing victory. 这幕场景后来逐渐演化为象征胜利的普通象形文字。 来自时文部分
• Mooncakes reunion, is symbolizing the Mid-Autumn festival will feed. 月饼象征着团圆，是中秋佳节必食之品。 来自互联网

18 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。