Shimo Xuan Sheng Temple

Shimo Xuan Sheng Temple

Shimo Xuan Sheng Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Yuan and Qing Dynasties

Address: Shimo Village, Gaoping City, Jincheng, Shanxi Province

Shimo Xuan Sheng Temple is located in Shimo Village, Shimo Township, Gaoping City. It faces south and covers an area of approximately 1,230 square meters. According to inscriptions in the temple, it was first built in the eighth year of the Yuandade era (1304).

The central axis includes a mountain gate and the main hall, with side rooms, auxiliary halls, and wing rooms on both sides. The main hall is a remnant structure from the Yuan Dynasty, while the rest are Qing Dynasty constructions. The main hall is five bays wide and six rafters deep, with a single-eave hanging gable roof and yellow-green glazed tile decorations on the ridges. The interior column grid uses a reduced-column design, with only inner columns at the rear eaves, connected longitudinally by large beams and bracket arms. The bracket sets on the column tops are five-component double-ang double-layered... The bracket arms on the eaves are inclined at 5 degrees; the front and rear eaves share a consistent style, with the front eaves using five-component double-ang layered bracket sets, while the rear eaves use five-component single-ang layered ones. The column bases are made of stone with mortise and wedge fixings. The mountain gate, also called the reverse-seat stage, is five bays wide without corridors and has a hanging gable roof. The first floor serves as the passageway into the temple, while the second floor functions as a stage. The east and west auxiliary halls are seven bays wide, with six-rafter front-eave corridors and hanging gable roofs. The east and west wing rooms of the main hall are three bays wide, five-rafter spans without corridors, and have flush gable roofs. The east and west side rooms of the mountain gate are two-story, three bays wide, five-rafter spans without corridors. The temple currently houses two steles from the eighth year of Yuandade (1304) and the third year of Yuantai (1326).

The architectural layout of Shimo Xuan Sheng Temple is intact, and the beam paintings of the main hall are exquisitely colored, giving it high historical, artistic, and scientific value.

Shimo Village: Introduction to Shimo Village

Shimo Village is located in a hilly area, 19 kilometers southeast of the city center, and is the seat of the People's Government of Shimo Township. It administers seven natural villages: Shimo, Yizhoudi, Shangshipanpo, Guomuyuan, Senshan, Wangzhaitou, and Zhaojiahe, with a total of 10 villager groups, 536 households, and 1,960 residents. The village has 4,385 mu of arable land, averaging 2.2 mu per person. The annual grain output is 2,152 tons, with an average yield of 528 kilograms per mu. Villagers are primarily engaged in agriculture, combining crop farming with animal husbandry, as well as operating private enterprises in breeding, transportation, forestry, animal husbandry, commerce, and trade. The total rural economic income is 8.611 million yuan... More detailed information about Shimo Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units