Ma Yin Temple

Ma Yin Temple

Ma Yin Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Ma Yin Temple is located in Fuxi, Chao Dong Town, Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Ma Yin Temple was built in honor of King Ma Yin of the Chu Kingdom. Legend has it that the ancestors of the local villagers were grateful for the peace and stability brought by General Ma Yin after he quelled bandit uprisings. In gratitude, they spared no effort in constructing the temple as a memorial. Unexpectedly, the birth of Ma Yin Temple would become a legend in architectural history and an important historical site marking the southern spread of Chu culture along the ancient Hezhou Road. Situated at the entrance of Fuxi Village, the temple was originally built in the 11th year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1413 AD) as a brick-walled structure, and was later reconstructed in the 12th year of the Hongzhi reign (1499 AD) as a large all-timber-pillar temple. It was renovated in the 15th year of the Kangxi reign (1617 AD), partially repaired in the Bingyin year of the Jiaqing reign (1806 AD), expanded with interlocking timber-frame wing rooms on the north and south sides in the 6th year of the Tongzhi reign (1867 AD), and surrounded by column fences.

The temple’s architecture makes extensive use of ancient nanmu wood, large metasequoia, and fragrant sandalwood. This not only ensures the building’s sturdiness and durability, as well as its noble and elegant appearance, but also allows the temple to emit a faint fragrance throughout the seasons. Moreover, the interior layout is meticulously organized, divided into main halls, central chambers, side rooms, and smaller compartments, with wing rooms on both sides. The main halls are spacious and bright, paved with bricks and inlaid with stones—even the stone pedestals supporting the wooden pillars come in various designs such as lotus, orchid, qilin, and dragon-phoenix cloud motifs. The designers made use of local materials, carving a large naturally rooted rock into a pillar base, creating a unique spectacle of “exotic rock, pillar, and support” that is truly breathtaking. The 120 thick wooden pillars rising from these stone bases stand tall and majestic, bearing the weight of the temple. Hence, Ma Yin Temple is also known as the “Hundred-Pillar Temple.”

The large wooden pillars supporting the temple are adorned with exquisitely painted folk cultural motifs such as drifting clouds, dragons breaking through mist, and immortals riding the clouds. At the center of the temple’s ridge is an embellishment of a bat clay sculpture; two majestic qilins stand on the rooftops on either side of the shrine; on the two east and west-facing pink-brick columns extending northward, there are clay figures wearing official hats, symbolizing the two clever strategists of King Ma Chu; on the east and west sides directly facing the shrine’s altar, a pair of dragon father and dragon mother are carved to protect the local people. At the center of the altar is a sun relief—the character “日”—symbolizing the Yao people’s longing and pursuit of the sun and happiness.

Ma Yin Ancient Temple is currently the earliest, largest, best-preserved, and most Song-style influenced wooden structure ancient building in the Yao-inhabited regions of southern China. In 2006, Ma Yin Temple was listed by the State Council as part of the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units as a Ming-to-Qing-period ancient structure.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units