Ximalin Jade Emperor Pavilion

Ximalin Jade Emperor Pavilion

The Ximalin Jade Emperor Pavilion is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ximalin Jade Emperor Pavilion is located in Ximalin Town, Wanquan County, Hebei Province.

The Jade Emperor Pavilion was built in the tenth year of the Xuande reign of the Ming Dynasty (1435), and was renovated twice in the third year of the Wanli reign (1575) and the eighth year of the Xianfeng reign (1858) of the Qing Dynasty. Known as the Sutra Repository for housing half a set of Buddhist scriptures, it is a relatively well-preserved high-platform brick-and-wood ancient building in Wanquan County.

The Ximalin Jade Emperor Pavilion consists of a base and a tower, standing 20 meters tall. The base is constructed of stone slabs at the bottom and city bricks bonded with mortar on top, measuring 20 meters per side and 7 meters in height. The pavilion is built atop a brick pier platform, featuring a triple-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with clay tiles and an overlapping-beam structure. It appears to have three stories from the outside but has only two inside, standing 12 meters high with a width and depth of three bays each, plus an additional surrounding corridor. The second floor features a surrounding veranda that allows visitors to overlook the entire town. In front of the pavilion are bell and drum towers. The main structure has a hip-and-gable clay-tiled roof, is three stories tall, 12 meters in height, with both width and depth spanning three bays, surrounded by a one-bay corridor, and decorated with bracket sets under the second-floor eaves. Inside, the pavilion houses 31 wooden cases containing 687 fascicles and 7,643 volumes of Ming Dynasty scriptures.

Internally, the pavilion actually has two levels. The first floor enshrines the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water—traditionally believed to be Yao, Shun, and Yu—alongside other Taoist deities such as the plague god Lü Yue and the wealth god Zhao Gongming. The second floor is dedicated to the Jade Emperor, flanked by Yin Hong and Yin Jiao, the two sons of King Zhou. Yin Jiao is depicted as a three-headed, six-armed deity. The walls are adorned with murals depicting various gods and immortals.

In 2006, the Ximalin Jade Emperor Pavilion, as an ancient Ming Dynasty structure, was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Ximalin Town: Located below the dam, Ximalin Town is situated in the northwest of Wanquan District. Its northwest border is defined by the Great Wall, adjacent to Zhangbei and Shangyi counties. The Baiguo Highway (a provincial secondary road) runs through the entire town, with the Danla Expressway just 12 kilometers to the south. The town covers a total area of 138.58 square kilometers (equivalent to 206,890 mu), including 14,251.3 mu of arable land (7,920 mu of irrigated land), 74,120 mu of forestland (including 13,317.02 mu of converted farmland returned to forest), and a forest greening rate of 54.5%. The town administers 20 administrative villages and two natural villages (Shuiguan and Xijiayao), with a total of 4... More detailed information about Ximalin Town++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Hebei Province

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units