An underrated treasure | Shanxi Pingyao | Zhenguo Temple.

| Shanxi Pingyao | Zhenguo Temple. The temple buildings of Zhenguo Temple face south, and are divided into two courtyards. Along the central axis from south to north, there are the Heavenly King Hall (with a bell tower and drum tower on both sides), the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall and the Three Buddha Hall. In the backyard, there are the East Side Hall Guanyin Hall and the West Side Hall Dizang Hall, with a total construction area of 1,702 square meters. The existing buildings in the temple, except for the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, all retain the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 💫The Ten Thousand Buddha Hall was rebuilt in the seventh year of Tianhui in the Northern Han Dynasty (963 AD), and was built by the emperor. It has a rigorous layout and is one of the very few Five Dynasties buildings in China. It is also a wooden building from the Ten Kingdoms period that is contemporary with the Five Dynasties. The Ten Thousand Buddha Hall is three rooms wide and three rooms deep, with a nearly square plane, a single eave and a hipped roof. The flying eaves and brackets are tall and high, and the height of the paving is 187 cm, accounting for more than half of the height of the column! It is similar to the height and proportion of the paving and columns of Tang Dynasty buildings. However, because the overall building of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall is not high, you can watch the brackets at close range, which is very shocking and an unprecedented experience! The 11 Buddha statues in the hall are also works of the Five Dynasties and have high cultural relic value. It is interesting to observe different statue styles under different aesthetic influences. The four walls and eye walls of the hall are painted with Ten Thousand Buddha Pictures (810 statues), all of which are works of the Qing Dynasty. 💫The Three Buddha Tower was created in the Ming Dynasty, and the hall houses Ming Dynasty colored sculptures and murals. Although the statues are damaged, they are beautifully shaped. The backlight woven with copper wire shows the excellent craftsmanship of the Ming Dynasty. It is a typical early Ming Dynasty work. The two mountain wall murals are in the form of comic strip murals, depicting the life of Sakyamuni, with simple and sophisticated techniques and complete preservation. 【Practical Information】 ⛳️Address: Zhenguo Temple, Haodong Village, Pingyao County, Jinzhong City (about 12 kilometers from Pingyao Ancient City) 🕰️Opening hours: 8:00-17:30 🎫Admission ticket: ¥23 🚘Transportation: ① It costs about 30 to take a taxi from Pingyao Ancient City; ② Bus No. 108 to No. 209 (the bus is long and inconvenient) 🕰️Recommended tour duration: 1-2 hours