Chongqing Temple in She County

Chongqing Temple in She County

Chongqing Temple in She County is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Chongqing Temple is located in Jingdian Town, She County. Built during the Ming Dynasty, the temple was originally grand in scale, with parts laid out in the standard seven-hall monastic layout. After several changes over time, only the Heavenly King Hall, Water-Land Hall, Great Buddha Hall, and east and west side rooms remain, covering an area of 1,000 square meters. The Heavenly King Hall is three bays wide and one bay deep, with a flush-gable roof covered in grey tiles and trimmed with glazed tiles. All the columns are small octagonal stone pillars, with three-step bracket sets on the capitals. The Water-Land Hall is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a hanging-gable roof covered in grey tiles and trimmed with glazed tiles. It has wooden columns, uses five-rafter beams, and features three-step bracket sets on the eaves. All doors and windows are of an arched design. The Great Buddha Hall is the main structure of the temple, built in the 17th year of the Chenghua reign during the Ming Dynasty (1481). It is three bays wide and two bays deep, with a hanging-gable roof covered in grey tiles and trimmed with green glazed tiles. The main timber structure uses seven-rafter beams. The front and rear eave columns are small octagonal stone pillars, with three-step bracket sets on the column tops and the body of the columns. The central bay also features 45-degree angled bracket arms. The beam framework still retains some characteristics of early architecture, such as the use of camel humps, forked supports, and bracket connectors, making it an important example of the evolution of architectural techniques from the Yuan to the Ming periods. It is now a key cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Jingdian Town: The seat of Jingdian Town is Jingdian Village, located in the northeastern part of She County, about 8.5 kilometers from the county town. The eastern and western parts of the area are mountainous, with slopes descending toward the center, forming loess ridges and gullies that are relatively flat. The area has abundant iron ore reserves. In 1996, the jurisdiction covered an area of 108 square kilometers. There were 21 natural villages, organized into 28 village committees, with a population of 37,843. The total social output value was 621.09 million yuan, including 435.56 million yuan from industry. The cultivated land area was 29,670 mu, with crops mainly consisting of wheat, corn, millet, and beans, and fruit production primarily of Sichuan pepper, persimmons, and walnuts... Detailed information on Jingdian Town++

Further reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province