Shien Temple

Shien Temple

Shien Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Shien Temple is located at No. 40 North Gulou Street, Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou City, and was first built in the sixth year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1470). Other structures of the temple have been lost, leaving only the main hall, which covers a construction area of 309.6 square meters. The main hall is five bays wide and three bays deep, with a total height of 10.3 meters. It features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, and in front of the hall there is a five-bay rolled shed wing, which was added during the Qing Dynasty.

The "Xuanhua County Annals" from the Kangxi era, under the section on ancestral worship, records: “Shien Temple is located east of the current prefectural office.” The prefectural office in the Qing Dynasty refers to the county office in the Republican era. According to investigations, the original layout of Shien Temple from south to north included the mountain gate, the Heavenly King Hall, the east and west side halls, the bell and drum towers, and the meditation rooms. The main hall is a single-eave, nine-rafter hip-and-gable roof structure. The hip-and-gable roof, also known as the four-slope roof, was commonly used in early Chinese architecture, giving the building high cultural heritage value. The main hall of Shien Temple is five bays wide (19.2 meters), three bays deep (12 meters), and 10.3 meters tall. Its bracket sets are single-cambered, single-rising, five-step bracket sets, and the roof tiles are green glazed. In front of the main hall extends a single-eave, six-rafter rolled shed hip-and-gable wing, connected to the main hall via a flush gable connection without bracket sets. This wing was added during the Qing Dynasty, is five bays wide (13 meters), and three bays deep (5 meters). The main hall has an appearance that is simple, solemn, and majestic.

In 1993, the Ancient Architecture Research Institute of Hebei Province conducted a survey and mapping of Shien Temple. On the central ridge beam of the main hall’s middle bay, they discovered an inscription from the time of the temple’s construction: “Imperial Commissioner, Defender of Xuanfu and other regions, Major Donor and Eunuch Official Nai Sheng Zhang Jin, Garrison Commander Yan Biao, and Huang Xuan. Built and completed on the noon of July 12th, the sixth year of the Chenghua era of the Great Ming. The two temples, Qingquan and Shien, were established by founding monk Jing Cheng.” This important discovery provides valuable historical information such as the exact date of construction, the officials involved, and the name of the first abbot of Shien Temple. From this, it can be inferred that Shien Temple was one of the significant temples built in Xuanhua during the period when the Ming Dynasty reorganized its border defenses after the Tumu Crisis (1449 AD). This also explains why the architecture of the main hall retains many official construction techniques.

Many renowned ancient architecture experts in China have visited Xuanhua for inspection, including Mr. Luo Zhewen, Mr. Qi Yingtao, and Mr. Zheng Xiaoxie, all of whom spoke highly of the main hall of Shien Temple. The famous Chinese archaeologist Mr. Su Bai, after visiting Shien Temple, wrote that Xuanhua has a long history and was home to many ancient temples. The main hall of Shien Temple exhibits architectural styles from the 15th century or even earlier, thus holding high cultural relics value. The main hall of Shien Temple has withstood over 500 years of wind, frost, snow, and rain, nearly collapsing. The district Party committee and government have already begun rescue and protection efforts. The restored Shien Temple will add another scenic highlight to the ancient city of Xuanhua. In June 1992, it was designated as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Transportation Guide

Location: No. 40 North Gulou Street, Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province

Transportation: Within Zhangjiakou City, you can take the Xuanhua Route 1 bus and get off at the Second Affiliated Hospital stop, then walk north along North Gulou Street to reach the temple.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units