|
|
Pingyao Tour of
Zhenguo Temple
|
|
Zhenguo Temple is about 12 kilometers (about 7.5 miles)
away from the northeast of Pingyao County, occupying an area of
10,892 square meters (about 2.7 acres). This temple was first built
in 963 in the Northern Han Dynasty (951 - 979), which was part of
the Five Dynasties (907 - 960). It was renovated in 1816 during the
Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). It is an important part of Pingyao world
heritage and a major historic and cultural site under state
protection.
This temple is divided into two parts: the front part
and the back part. The gate of this Buddhist temple, which is also
called the Tianwang Hall, has one bell tower on the left and one
drum tower on the right. In the center is the Ten-Thousand-Buddha
Hall. In the back of the temple are the Kwan-yin (Goddess of mercy)
Shrine and the Dizang (God in charge of death) Shrine
Zhenguo Temple is famous for its building technique and the
color-painted sculptures of the Five Dynasties. In terms of its
building technique, the most representational is the
Ten-Thousand-Buddha Hall, which is one of the three oldest
timberworks in mainland China. In order to protect the
Ten-Thousand-Buddha Hall from degradation under the eaves, a certain
kind of large eave that is far longer and wider than the room itself
was adopted when it was built. 'Dougong', a kind building technique,
was applied to support the large eave.
Inside the temple there are eleven sculptures that belong to the
Five Dynasties. These painted sculptures are valuable in terms of
archaeology. The main sculpture is a sitting sculpture of Sakyamuni
(founder of Buddhism) in the middle. On its sides are the sculptures
of his apprentices along with other gods. All of these sculptures
have different facial expressions and shapes. Though these
sculptures have been renovated several times, the distinguished
features of color-paint in the Five Dynasties are obvious.
There are another two scenic spots especially worth a look in the
temple. One is the half stele of the Northern Han Dynasty. This half
stele was originally collected by the builders of the temple, who
wanted to set up a stele to record the building process. Then they
found that the calligraphy on the stone was so beautiful that they
finally decided to keep it in the temple. Later, scientists proved
that the half stele turned out to be an epitaph for Liu Jiqin,
grandson of Emperor Liu Chongzhi in the Northern Han Dynasty. This
stele provided important details for research on the Northern Han
Dynasty. Another one is the dragon scholar tree. Though it is over
1,000 years old, it remains lush and green. Visitors always admire
the intricacies of the branches, which are in the shape of a dragon.
Tour Pingyao
with Great Wall Adventure Club, the best Pingyao
tour agent to help
you with your hotel booking and transfers.
|
|
