Xiaozhang Biyun Temple in Zhangzi

Xiaozhang Biyun Temple in Zhangzi

Xiaozhang Biyun Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The founding date is unknown. The temple faces south and has a single-courtyard layout. The existing structures include the main hall, east and west wing rooms, covering an area of approximately 465 square meters.

The main hall is built on a stone foundation, which is 0.3 meters high. The main hall is three bays wide and four rafters deep, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Inside the hall, the beam frame consists of four rafters and eaves... [The description continues with architectural details] ... using techniques such as “lifting the corner pillars” and “curving the eave corners,” reflecting the architectural style of the late Tang and early Song dynasties. The brackets are not painted, and the rafters are left exposed, creating a rustic and ancient feel. The roof ridges are adorned with beast ornaments, and there are carvings of dragons and other figures on the purlins. The hall retains the architectural style of the Tang and Five Dynasties periods. The wooden structure is sturdy, with beams and columns tightly interlocked. The ceiling features paintings, including images of magpies on plum blossoms, qilins offering good fortune, dragons and phoenixes bringing prosperity, and flowers blooming in competition — all rendered with smooth lines, solemn elegance, lifelike forms, and exquisite craftsmanship. These artworks reflect the aesthetic values of the Five Dynasties period and hold significant historical value.

Biyun Temple is divided into three parts: the upper courtyard, the middle courtyard, and the lower courtyard. "Biyun" means "green cloud." In the lower courtyard, there is an ancient locust tree over five zhang tall (approximately 16–17 meters), with a trunk so thick that it takes fourteen people joining hands to encircle it. From spring to autumn, its dense foliage covers the sky, presenting a sea of green. The middle courtyard has five towering cypresses, standing upright and lush, remaining green year-round. "Yun" (cloud) refers to the strict and classic layout of the temple's architecture. Viewed from afar, the entire temple complex resembles the traditional Chinese character for “cloud” (雲). The main hall represents the top horizontal stroke of the character; the pathway and stone steps form the central vertical stroke; the Kṣitigarbha Hall and the west wing room make up the left vertical stroke; the low wall of the upper courtyard along with the Guan Yu Hall and west wing room on the east side form the horizontal-turning vertical stroke; the four large cypresses on both sides of the path represent the four dots; the large cypress on the eastern side of the stone steps in the middle courtyard’s south side is the dot of the character; the low wall in the southern part of the middle courtyard is the horizontal stroke below the dot; the Hall of the Child-Giving Guanyin, the stage, and the side rooms in the lower courtyard’s west side form the slanted stroke below the horizontal line; and the temple gate is the final dot. Together, they compose a complete traditional Chinese character for “cloud.” Gazing at this ingenious design, one cannot help but marvel at the unique creativity of our ancient ancestors.

The upper courtyard of Biyun Temple contains the three-bay main hall, which is a wooden structure with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The bay width is generous, and the eaves extend far out, with widely spaced bracket sets under the eaves that follow strict conventions. The corner pillars are slightly raised, and the eave corners curl upwards gently, giving a sense of grand stability. The four-rafter beams run continuously through the front and rear eaves, forming decorative bracket arms, and the overall beam structure is neat and compact. At the center of the main hall is a statue of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, with kind and serene eyes gazing into the distance. On the west side is Laozi, and on the east side is Confucius, collectively referred to as the “Three Teachings Hall.” On the east and west shrines stand statues of the Eighteen Arhats. In the southwest corner, there is a statue of a monk, said to be the bone-encased remains of the monk who founded the temple. The ceiling of the main hall features murals, faintly depicting scenes such as “magpies on plum blossoms,” “a qilin offering auspiciousness,” “dragons and phoenixes bringing harmony,” and “flowers vying in spring.” The brushwork is smooth, the composition solemn yet elegant, the figures lifelike, the artistry exceptional, and the lines expressive. These works convey the aesthetic ideals of the Five Dynasties society and embody their precious historical value.