Pinglu Yuqing Zen Temple | Precious Northern Song Dynasty Relic

|Precious Northern Song Dynasty Relic. Yuqing Zen Temple was built in the first year of the Yuanfeng era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1078 AD) by order of the imperial court, and is also known as "Yuqing Temple" (another theory is that it was built in the second year of the Zhiping era, 20 years before Sima Guang's death). The main hall is a precious relic of the Northern Song Dynasty and one of the only remaining wooden structures from the Northern Song Dynasty in southern Shanxi, the other two being the City God Temple in Ruicheng and the Ji King Temple in Wanrong. The hall houses three gilded Buddha statues over 3 meters tall, with Vairocana in the center, the Medicine Buddha on the left, and Amitabha on the right. The statues are accompanied by protectors, Weituo, and attendants, with vivid shapes full of Song Dynasty style. There were originally sixteen Arhats on both sides of the temple, but only 12 remain. In 1994, the heads of 11 Arhats in the main hall were stolen, and 5 were recovered, but it was impossible to fully restore them to their original appearance. The main hall has a unique architectural style, with a hip-and-gable roof and distinctive dougong brackets. It is worth mentioning that the dougong brackets here are not the traditional four-bracket type, but rather the unique "erroneous corner begonia bracket." The front eaves have complex and delicate dougong brackets, while the rear eaves are simplified to a simple beam head, creating a sense of beauty with complexity in the front and simplicity in the back. The main hall of Yuqing Zen Temple is not only a treasure of architectural art but also a witness to history and culture. Address: Sima Guang Tomb Scenic Area, Xia County, Yuncheng, Shanxi Transportation: You can take a taxi or take Xia County Bus No. 6