[2024 Pingshun Attraction] Travel Guide for Longmen Temple (Updated Nov)
Temples
Address:
Longmen Temple, Pingshun, Changzhi, Shanxi, China
Recommended sightseeing time:
1 hour
A thousand-year-old ancient temple in Shanxi, with rare national treasures inside
In a thousand-year-old ancient temple in Shanxi, there are rare national treasures inside, and there is also a 'transparent' stone stele at the entrance. Curious friends might ask, where exactly is this thousand-year-old ancient temple in Shanxi? What unique scenery does it have? With these questions and curiosity, let's talk about the stories of Longmen Temple today. Longmen Temple was founded during the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty. It is located on Longmen Mountain, which is surrounded by towering mountains and steep cliffs. The mountain is named Longmen (Dragon Gate) because the rocks in the valley resemble a dragon's head, and the temple is named Longmen Temple because of Longmen Mountain. The temple is surrounded by three mountains and one water body, creating a serene and elegant scenery. There are scenic spots such as Dragon Mouth Spitting Water, Stone Valley Dragon Gate, Golden Lamp Flowing Oil, Transparent Stone Stele, and Cliff Stone Buddha. Moreover, it is particularly worth mentioning that Changzhi Longmen Temple is known as the 'Eight Treasures Dragon Gate.' According to records, during the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Monk Fashong traveled from Mount Wutai to this place and built the 'Fahua Temple' here. It was renamed 'Longmen Temple' during the Qiande period of the Northern Song Dynasty. The existing halls and corridors are arranged meticulously. The central axis has three courtyards, and the east and west Zen halls and other buildings each form a separate area. Among them, the west side hall in the front courtyard was built in the third year of Tongguang in the Later Tang Dynasty (925 AD). It has three bays and a hanging mountain style, with no columns inside. The beams and rafters are simple and orderly, still retaining the Tang style.
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Longmen Temple in Pingshun, hidden in the deep mountains, gathers ancient buildings from the Six Dynasties
Longmen Temple, originally named Fahua Temple, faces south with its back to the north. According to inscriptions, it was founded in the second year of Wuding during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 AD). It was expanded during the Later Tang and Northern Song periods. During the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was renamed Longmen Temple, and in the first year of Jianlong (960 AD), the temple reached its peak size, boasting 'hundreds of halls and chambers.' It was renovated during the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
The existing architectural complex adopts a layout with three central axes: east, middle, and west. The central axis includes the Mountain Gate (Heavenly King Hall, pics 1, 3, 4, 7) from the Jin Dynasty, the Mahavira Hall (pics 5, 6) from the Song Dynasty, the Lamp-Burning Buddha Hall (rear hall, pic 12) from the Yuan Dynasty, and the Stone Buddha Pavilion (pics 13, 14), flanked by the east and west cloisters and side halls, with the west side hall (pics 8, 9) from the Five Dynasties and the east side hall (pics 11, 20) from the Ming Dynasty, as well as the east side bell tower, etc.; the east axis includes the Holy Monk Hall with five rooms (pic 19), the Water and Land Hall with seven rooms, and the Zen Hall (pic 18), as well as auxiliary buildings like monks' quarters and stables; the west axis includes monks' quarters and storehouses (pics 15-17), all from the Qing Dynasty.
Particularly noteworthy is the unassuming west side hall, which, according to the stone stele from the third year of Qianyou during the Later Han Dynasty (950 AD) inside the temple (pic 10), was built in the third year of Tongguang during the Later Tang Dynasty (925 AD). It is one of the three oldest surviving semi-Tang Dynasty wooden structures in China. Also, the Mahavira Hall, according to the stone pillars in the front eaves, was built in the fifth year of Shaosheng during the Northern Song Dynasty (1098 AD), ranking it among the oldest surviving ancient buildings in China! The temple also preserves four Song and Jin Dynasty stone pagodas (outside the west wall, not found), nine Ming Dynasty steles, thirteen Qing Dynasty steles, and many fine brushwork and color murals.
As an architectural complex that well preserves buildings from the Six Dynasties in one temple, Longmen Temple only charges 20 yuan for admission, which is truly a conscientious price, and parking is free. Photography is also not restricted within the temple. However, it is located in a remote area, far from both Changzhi city and Pingshun county town, so a self-driving tour is more convenient for those who wish to appreciate its beauty.
Gourmet Getaways
The ancient architectural treasures of the Zhuo Zhang River Valley: Changzhi Longmen Temple and Dayun Temple
Originating from the Taihang Mountains, the Zhuo Zhang River Valley conceals numerous pristine ancient architectural treasures. The first stop on the 'land of cultural relics in Shanxi' tour to visit ancient sites brings us to this somewhat magical temple, the Longmen Temple located in Pingshun County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. Although small in scale, Longmen Temple has a complete layout, combining the Western Side Hall (Five Dynasties), the Mahavira Hall (Song), the Heavenly King Hall (Jin), the Lamp-Burning Buddha Hall (Yuan), the Eastern Side Hall (Ming), and the East-West Axis Buildings (Qing) from six dynasties into one temple, earning it the reputation of 'China's Ancient Architecture Museum'. (Fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units, ticket price: 20 yuan)
Founded in the third year of Tianfu during the Later Jin of the Five Dynasties (938 AD), Dayun Temple is a 33-kilometer drive from Longmen Temple. Its main attraction is the thousand-year-old Amitabha Hall, one of the only five remaining Five Dynasties wooden structures in the country. The 21 square meters of murals inside the hall are the only surviving temple murals from the Five Dynasties period in China, making them extremely precious. When the caretaker of Dayun Temple opened the doors of the Amitabha Hall, the complex wooden structure and the Five Dynasties murals absolutely, absolutely, absolutely dazzled me, leaving me in awe of the exquisite craftsmanship of the ancient artisans!!! (Third batch of national key cultural relics protection units, ticket price: 20 yuan)