Anyang Ma'anshan

Anyang Ma'anshan

Ma'anshan is located southwest of Hutouzhai in Maxiang Township and west of Lingtou Village. Shaped like a horse saddle, it is thus named. There are two routes to climb the mountain. One path starts from the west of Shajing Village, passes through the western archway, skirts the valley between the two main peaks to the south of the mountain, and winds upward. Halfway up the mountain, nestled between two peaks, lies the Wohuang Temple. The temple courtyard faces south and is surrounded by mountains on three sides. On the east side of the courtyard is a stele pavilion, and on the west is the Hall of the King of Hell. The main hall is three bays wide and one bay deep. Although not very tall, the Wohuang Temple buildings are quiet and spacious, built during the Qing Dynasty. The mountaintop features a large flat area with an ancient architectural complex. Three peaks are connected together, stretching 15 meters from east to west and 180 meters from north to south. The temples face south and consist of three courtyards with a relatively orderly layout. Along the central axis, there is a theater stage outside the mountain gate, three bays wide and rectangular in shape. Upon entering the mountain gate is the South Peak Lord Temple, three bays wide, with a front corridor and two stone steles on either side inscribed with records of the temple’s renovations. The second courtyard houses the Temple of the Old Ancestor of Mount Tai. The third courtyard is the Jade Emperor Temple. The entire architectural complex is of considerable scale with a rather loose layout—all structures date from the Qing Dynasty.