Runcheng Dongyue Temple

Runcheng Dongyue Temple

Runcheng Dongyue Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Runcheng Dongyue Temple

Runcheng Dongyue Temple (Sixth Batch National Cultural Heritage Site)

Era: Jin to Qing Dynasties

Address: Runcheng Village, 13 kilometers east of Yangcheng County

According to inscriptions in the temple, it was first built during the Song Dynasty and renovated in the 21st year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1593). The existing structures are in the Ming architectural style.

The temple faces south and was originally a large, three-courtyard complex. Today, only the Offering Pavilion, Tianqi Hall, and Rear Palace remain, covering an area of 1,000 square meters. The Offering Pavilion is a Ming-era structure built on a square platform surrounded by carved stone railings. The stone pillars of the railings are adorned with lifelike carvings of animals such as lions and monkeys. The hall itself is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a cross-shaped hip-and-gable roof. The Tianqi Hall is five bays wide and six rafters deep, featuring a suspended gable roof. The roof ridges, decorative boards on the gable ends, and hanging fish and leaf ornaments are all made of colorful glazed tiles. The Rear Palace is also five bays wide and six rafters deep, with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof. Its roof is decorated with glazed ridge ornaments and complete zoomorphic ornaments, all crafted during the Ming Dynasty.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units