Hall of the General’s Temple

Hall of the General’s Temple

The Hall of the General’s Temple is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Hall of the General’s Temple

Located within Fangta Park, it is a Qing Dynasty temple hall. It features five bays and fourteen rafters, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, upturned eaves, and mythical beast heads (chiwei) at both ends of the main ridge, adorned with dragon motifs in the center. The decorative ridge ends feature statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, while the hip rafters are decorated with zoomorphic ornaments. The hall has a total width of 16.98 meters and a total depth of 14.45 meters. The bluestone platform foundation is 0.73 meters high, with the front eave elevation at 4.40 meters. Three-level stepped ramps are installed beneath the front and rear platform foundations. The building’s timber framework is round-log constructed, using a grass framework, with square brick flooring. The central bay employs a post-and-lintel system, with five-rafter beams connected to front and rear canopies, carved with decorative cloud and mountain patterns. The side and end bays use a one-purlin-one-column structure. The row of eave columns on the southern side consists of square granite stone pillars, with the two central pillars engraved with couplets, while the others are round wooden pillars, each with a single bracket. Under the front and rear eaves are five-cusp, double-dart brackets, while the side bays have four-cusp, single-dart brackets. Both the upper and lower eaves are adorned with intricate carvings. The brackets, arches, beams, purlins, rafters, and columns all feature delicate ornamentation. Currently, it serves as an exhibition hall. It was designated as a Changshu Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in June 2013.