Faxing Temple

Faxing Temple

Faxing Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Faxing Temple was first built in 401 AD during the Shending era of the Later Liang of the Sixteen Kingdoms period. In 673 AD, the thirteenth son of Emperor Gaozu, Zheng Huai Wang, donated 3,000 volumes of Buddhist scriptures and constructed a stone stupa for sarira. In 674 AD, it was renamed "Guangde Temple" in the first year of the Shangyuan era of Emperor Gaozong. In 773 AD, another stone lantern tower was built. In 1081 AD, the Hall of the Twelve Yuanjue Bodhisattvas was reconstructed and the temple was renamed “Faxing Temple.” It underwent multiple renovations during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The temple faces south and is not very large in scale. Its main structures are distributed along the central axis, including the stupa, lantern tower, Hall of Yuanjue, and rear hall.

The Stupa, also known as the "Stone Hall," is entirely built from sandstone slabs. The stupa has a square floor plan resembling a Chinese character 回, with each side measuring 8.8 meters. It features arched stone slab doors and a double-eave pavilion-style structure. The stupa eaves extend out in three tiers, with an interior forming a square caisson ceiling. The four sloping roofs are covered with rafters and brackets. The upper part is sharply angled, while the lower part encloses a hollow square space. The inner chamber is divided into two sections. The overall architectural form is highly refined and is considered one of the finest examples of surviving ancient Chinese stone architecture.

The Lantern Tower stands 2.26 meters tall and has an octagonal floor plan. It has two-tiered foundations: the lower tier uses a corbelled waist design, with carved running beasts around the base and eight celestial musicians depicted inside the niches. The dividing columns are inscribed with the text: “In the eighth year of the Dali era of the Tang Dynasty, the devout layman Dong Xirui... respectfully erected this eternal lamp stand at this temple.” The base is carved with circular upturned and downturned lotus petals, supporting a hollow octagonal lamp pavilion with four open sides. The tower is hollow inside, with a bundled lotus column carved beside each door opening, topped with a dougong bracket. Between the columns, lintels are carved, featuring square doors and lattice windows. At night, light would shine through the four openings, illuminating the surroundings of the temple. The tower’s overall form is exquisitely beautiful, with fine carvings, making it one of the finest surviving stone lantern towers in China.

The Hall of Yuanjue is a six-rafter suspended gable-and-hip roof structure, adorned with five ridges and six mythical animal ornaments. It has a stone door frame and wooden plank doors. The small octagonal green stone columns are carved with intertwined floral patterns, while the front eave stone walls feature detailed and vivid carvings of animals and lotus designs. The upper lintel of the hall door is inscribed with a commemorative text. The Buddha pedestal inside the hall is very spacious, with a concave rectangular floor plan. On the pedestal, Sakyamuni sits cross-legged, flanked by two disciples bowing in attendance, while Manjushri and Samantabhadra ride a lion and an elephant respectively on either side. Two Vajra guardians stand at the front corners of the platform. The side bays of the hall each house six Yuanjue Bodhisattva statues, characterized by plump faces, full muscles, high chignons, delicate eyebrows, solemn beauty, graceful expressions, soft-colored robes, smooth and flowing drapery lines full of rhythm, relaxed postures, and varied expressions. The necklaces are simply designed. Notably, the Yuanjue statue crafted in 1111 AD (the first year of the Zhenghe era of the Northern Song Dynasty) depicts the figure resting its cheek on one hand in a thoughtful pose, with emotions seemingly overflowing from the brows and corners of the mouth, giving an impression of kindness and approachability. The polychrome sculptures in this hall are exquisitely shaped and masterfully crafted, representing fine examples of Song Dynasty sculpture art. They stand alongside Liao Dynasty sculptures from Huayan Temple in Datong and Song Dynasty sculptures from Jinci Temple in Taiyuan as representative works of polychrome sculpture art from the same period. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Address: Cuiyun Mountain, Cuizhuang, Cuilin Town, Zhangzi County, Changzhi City

Type: Temple

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

Opening hours:

8:00-18:00

Ticket information:

Door price: 15.0 RMB

Further reading:

· Third batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units