Gaoping Jiaxiang Temple

Gaoping Jiaxiang Temple

Gaoping Jiaxiang Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jiaxiang Temple (Third Batch Provincial-Level Protected Site)

Era: Song Dynasty

Location: Chixiang Village, 10 km northeast of Gaoping City

Originally built during the Later Zhou Dynasty of the Five Dynasties period (951–953), the temple underwent multiple renovations in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The temple is located to the west of the village on higher ground with an elegant environment. As the saying goes, “The temple is where blessings descend, and the village is where blessings are received.” It faces south and has three courtyards. Existing structures include the Guanyin Hall, Front Hall, Three Buddha Hall, East and West Side Halls, and wing rooms. The Front Hall, a relic from the Song Dynasty, is the oldest, while the others were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Also called the Rotating Buddha Hall, the Front Hall sits on a 0.85-meter-high platform, features a three-bay width and six-rafter depth, and has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof with glazed ridge ornaments. It employs a four-purlin, single-curved-bracket design, with bracket arms and carved beams. The hall’s interior is brightly lit and unobstructed.

Two stone pagodas stand in front of the hall, both erected in the third year of the Guangshun era of the Later Zhou Dynasty (953). One contains the "Sutra of the Sacred Spell of the Buddha’s Crown" (Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra), and the other the "Amitabha Sutra."

In May 2013, Gaoping Jiaxiang Temple was designated as part of the Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Sanjia Town: administers 25 villager committees. Located 6.5 km from the city center, Sanjia Town is a typical suburban-rural junction area.

Sanjia Town has a long history of iron smelting and casting. Its cookware and iron goods are not only famous throughout Shangdang but also well-known beyond the province. The town is rich in underground resources, ranking first in coal and iron ore reserves. Villages such as Sanjia South and Luyongshan also have abundant limestone and carbonaceous rock. Historically, the town had relatively abundant water resources, with major reservoirs like Dongcang Reservoir, Xicang Reservoir, Wantian Reservoir, and Sanxing Reservoir being well known across Gaoping. The area is also noted for its building materials, including those from Sanjia South and Zhuyongshan... More details about Sanjia Town ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units