Nanyang Fawang Temple

Nanyang Fawang Temple

Nanyang Fawang Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The full name of Nanyang Fawang Temple is the Temple of Fawang, the Emperor of the Mysterious Heaven. It is located 300 meters due west of the Nanyang Village Committee in Jifeng Town, Ji County. The temple faces east and has a single-courtyard layout, measuring 68.3 meters from east to west and 46 meters from north to south, covering an area of 3,141.8 square meters. The exact date of its establishment is unknown, but according to inscriptions on the beams and steles within the temple, it was renovated or expanded during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Three steles recording renovation events from the 7th year of the Chenghua era (1471), the 15th year of the Hongzhi era (1502), and the 36th year of the Wanli era (1608) of the Ming Dynasty still exist in the temple. A stele from the 21st year of the Jiaqing era (1816) of the Qing Dynasty, recording another renovation, was discovered in the fields about one kilometer north of the village. The reverse side of the 1471 stele, "Record of the Construction of the Dance Pavilion at Fawang Temple," features a line engraving of a panoramic view of the temple.

The existing structures of Fawang Temple include the mountain gate, music tower, main hall, and side halls such as the Seven Stars Hall, Nine Luminaries Hall, Ten Generals Hall, Goddess of Earth Hall, Plague God and Medicine King Hall, Ox and Horse Kings Hall, as well as the south wing room and side gate, all enclosed by perimeter walls. The mountain gate was built in the 15th year of the Hongzhi era (1502) of the Ming Dynasty and renovated in the 9th year of the Tongzhi era (1870) of the Qing Dynasty. It is three bays wide (10.8 meters) and two rafters deep (5.8 meters), with a single-eave flush gable roof, tiled roofing with green-glazed trimming. The inner wall of the rear bay on the south side features a painting of a white tiger.

The area is approximately 5 square meters.

The music tower is a Yuan Dynasty structure. It faces west and is three bays wide and deep, with corridors all around and a three-bay front porch, measuring a total width of 12.56 meters and depth of 12.71 meters. It has a double-eave cross hip roof, tiled roofing with yellow-green-glazed trimming. The corridor columns are topped with bracket sets featuring a single dougong with intersecting hemp-leaf motifs. The front eaves feature a complex bracket arrangement with a 5-degree inward tilt, while the side eaves use simpler configurations.

The main hall, also called the Fawang Hall, has an uncertain construction date. Analysis of its beam-frame structure, material usage, slight inward tilt, upward curvature, and roofing characteristics suggests it is a Yuan Dynasty remnant, though it underwent multiple repairs during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The hall is three bays wide (11.4 meters) and four rafters deep (12.93 meters), with a single-eave hanging gable roof, tiled roofing with yellow-green-glazed trimming. The beam frame consists of four rafters, measuring 8.48 meters in span and 3.46 meters in corridor depth. The inserted corridor of the main hall also has a single-eave hanging gable roof with tiled roofing. The front eave columns feature single dougong bracket sets with a single downward projection. The side eaves also have simplified bracket sets. The inner columns between the golden pillars house a wooden carved shrine from the 15th year of the Hongzhi era (1502) of the Ming Dynasty. The central bay of the front eave has a plank door, while the side bays have lattice windows.

The Nine Luminaries Hall is located south of the main hall. Its construction date is unknown, but based on its form, it is considered a Yuan Dynasty structure, the same as the main hall. An inscription under the ridge beam records a renovation in the 1st year of the Tianshun era (1457) of the Ming Dynasty. It is three bays wide (10.42 meters) and two rafters deep (5.76 meters). It uses two central columns for the full span, has a single-eave hanging gable roof, tiled roofing with yellow-green-glazed trimming. The front eave columns have single dougong bracket sets with a single downward projection, while the rear eave uses a simple head-jointed bracket configuration. The central bay of the front eave has a plank door, and the side bays have lattice windows. It originally had a front corridor, but only the column bases and mortise holes remain today.

The Seven Stars Hall is located north of the main hall. Its construction date is unknown, but it is considered a Yuan Dynasty remnant based on its form. Its layout is symmetrical to the Nine Luminaries Hall, and it underwent renovations during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is three bays wide (10.5 meters), four rafters deep, including a front corridor totaling 12.8 meters, with a single-eave hanging gable roof and tiled roofing. The front eave columns feature wooden fittings, with a plank door in the central bay and lattice windows in the side bays.

The Ten Generals Hall is a Yuan Dynasty structure with renovations during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is three bays wide (6.04 meters) and four rafters deep (5.8 meters). The bracket set on the central bay column supports a corner beam, with the rear end of the old corner beam located at the center of the corner beam, above which are inter-shelf brackets and a horizontal beam. It has a single-eave hip roof, tiled roofing with yellow-green-glazed trimming. The column heads all around feature five dougong bracket sets with double downward projections. The front eave has five dougong (double downward projection) supplementary brackets, while the rear eave has a flat buttress bracket set. The inner corridor features murals. The beams are shaped like corners.

The Goddess of Earth Hall is symmetrically positioned south-north with the Ten Generals Hall, sharing a similar structural style and likely built in the same period, with renovations during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is three bays wide (5.84 meters) and four rafters deep (5.74 meters), with a single-eave hip roof and yellow-glazed roofing. The bracket set is a head-jointed type.

The Plague God and Medicine King Hall is located east of the Goddess of Earth Hall. It was established in the 15th year of the Hongzhi era (1502) of the Ming Dynasty and renovated in the 36th year of the Wanli era (1608). It is five bays wide (14.7 meters) and four rafters deep (4.8 meters), with a single-eave hanging gable roof.

The Ox and Horse Kings Hall is located east of the Ten Generals Hall and is a Ming Dynasty structure. It is five bays wide (15.7 meters) and four rafters deep (4.7 meters), with a single-eave hanging gable roof and tiled roofing.

The South Wing Room is located east of the Plague God and Medicine King Hall. It was established in the 21st year of the Jiaqing era (1816) of the Qing Dynasty, is three bays wide, two rafters deep, with a single-eave flush gable roof and tiled roofing.

The Side Gate is located north of the Seven Stars Hall. Originally the only passage to the back garden, only the roof and doorway remain today.

The courtyard walls of Nanyang Fawang Temple are relatively well-preserved. The northern wall follows the original design, curving inward from the north wing room eastward in four segments that gradually converge toward the mountain gate.

The temple’s layout is fairly intact and holds significant historical value.

In May 2013, Nanyang Fawang Temple was announced as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Jifeng Town: Jifeng Town borders Xinjiang County to the east and neighbors Hejin City to the west. It stretches 28 kilometers from east to west and 5.3 kilometers from north to south. It is the seat of the Ji County Party Committee and government, serving as the county’s political, economic, and cultural center. The town comprises 52 administrative villages, has a population of 106,000, and covers 226,545 mu of land, including 137,348 mu of arable land, making it one of the larger towns in the province.

Transportation is highly convenient: national railway lines and National Highway 108 run east-west across the region.

Specialty agriculture is well-developed: Jifeng Town is a major production area for Jishan jujubes and red globe grapes... More details on Jifeng Town++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units