Hetian Taitou Temple in Hejin

Hetian Taitou Temple

Hetian Taitou Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Name: Hetian Taitou Temple (7th batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: Yuan to Qing Dynasties

Type: Ancient Architecture

Address: Hejin City, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province

Introduction:

Hetian Taitou Temple, also known as Xiyue Temple, is located in the northeast corner of the intersection of Xingeng South Street and Longgang Road in the urban area of Hejin City. According to surviving inscriptions, it underwent renovations in the 4th year (1469) and 9th year (1474) of the Ming Dynasty's Chenghua era, and the 10th year (1830) of the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang era. The current temple site spans approximately 80 meters from east to west and 360 meters from north to south, covering an area of nearly 30,000 square meters, with over 1,000 square meters of existing building area.

There are currently 10 halls remaining at Taitou Temple, aligned along a north-south axis from south to north, including the main gate, middle gate, offering hall, and Dongyue Hall; on the sides are the Hou Tu Shrine, Xiyue Hall, east-west passageway halls, and east-west side halls. The main gate and middle gate are structures dating back to the Yuan Dynasty, both five bays wide and four rafters deep, with single-eave hanging gable roofs covered in plain flat tiles. Both the front and rear eaves feature thick horizontal beams spanning the central bay and the two adjacent bays, with board beams placed atop the wider beams in the two side bays. Above the beams are four-tiered single downward-curved-bracket sets with grasshopper-shaped bracket arms. The roof ridges are gently curved, and the bracket arms extend outward. The beam structures are exposed, and the brackets and beams above form intricate patterns. The side halls are similar in structure to the central ones. The middle gate also has five bays in width, with three rafters in depth, a single-eave flush gable roof, and is covered with plain flat tiles. The front and rear eaves have thick horizontal beams across the central and adjacent bays, with board beams placed above them. The roof ridges are softly curved, and the brackets and beams are richly decorated. The structures are similar to the main gate. The side halls are three bays wide and three rafters deep, with single-eave hard gable roofs. Their structures are simple, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

Hetian Taitou Temple is a relatively well-preserved early ancient architectural complex with high historical value.

In May 2013, Hetian Taitou Temple was announced as part of the 7th batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· 7th Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units