Draft:Lanre Temple（Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio）
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Lanre Temple is the principal setting of Pu Songling's tale Nie Xiaoqian in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio[1]; the text situates it in open country north of the prefectural seat of Jinhua[2][3].
Etymology
[edit]The term "Lanre" comes from the Sanskrit "aranya", which first meant "quiet forest" and later came to denote a Buddhist monastery[4]. In several stories within Strange Tales, Pu uses "lanre" in this generic sense. In the original text, therefore, "Lanre Temple" signifies simply "a secluded temple", not a unique proper name[5].
Prototype
[edit]Regarding possible real-world prototypes, scholars have put forward several candidates:[6][7][8]
1. Yongfu Temple (Chinese: 永福寺): an ancient shrine north of Jinhua, bordered by a pagoda and adjoining a burial ground, matching the tale’s stated orientation.
2. Xifeng Temple (Chinese: 西峰寺): once situated near today's Jinhua No. 4 Middle School; the site was formerly a derelict graveyard and is associated with stories of female ghosts.
3. Wuyi Lanre Temple (Chinese: 武义兰若寺): recorded in local gazetteers, though its exact location has long been lost.
4. An unnamed village temple: possibly a modest shrine in one of the northern outlying villages that happened to bear the name "Lanre".
5. Lanyin Temple, Lanxi (Chinese: 兰溪兰荫寺): founded during the Yuan dynasty on Lanyin Hill, north of Jinhua; its name contains "lan", its legends feature orchids (Chinese: 兰, pronounced "lán") and female spirits, and it once possessed a pagoda. Its geography and folklore correspond closely to Pu Songling's description, while the nearby Zhuge Eight-Trigram Village preserves customs for banishing yaoguais, providing an additional cultural parallel.
References
[edit]- ^ Pu Songling. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio/Vol.2 Nie Xiaoqian.
适赴金华，至北郭，解装兰若。寺中殿塔壮丽，然蓬蒿没人，似绝行踪。
- ^ "聊斋志异·卷二·聂小倩_古诗文网". www.gushiwen.cn. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ Li, Lixia (2015). "《聂小倩》空间叙事解读". 北方文学(下旬刊). 4: 88.
- ^ "全知识". m.allhistory.com. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "阿兰若[阿蘭若]的意思 - 词典之家". www.xixisou.com. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "聊斋中的【兰若寺】在金华市祝丰亭一带？_凉都大盘山a_新浪博客". blog.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ^ "深度解读｜"他是谁？——探秘兰若寺大墓"". westlake.hangzhou.gov.cn. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ^ "金华西峰寺 建造年代考". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2025-08-18.