Laoping Wuxian Temple

Laoping Wuxian Temple

Laoping Wuxian Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangyou City.

Laoping Wuxian Temple is located in Sanhe Town. It faces south and covers an area of 2,000 square meters. The temple complex consists of two layers of traditional Chinese courtyard houses (siheyuan), symmetrically arranged along a central axis from south to north in the following sequence: the mountain gate (shamen), which features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof and a post-and-lintel wooden frame. The gable walls and front eaves are enclosed with earthen-plastered mud walls, with temple entrances located in the central and side bays of the front eaves. The central bay has a square stone door, while the side bays have arched stone gateways. The structure spans three bays totaling 30 meters in width and three bays totaling 8 meters in depth; the stage is connected to and backs onto the mountain gate, facing the Guanyin Hall. It has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof divided into upper and lower levels—the upper level serves as the performance stage, and the lower level functions as an entrance and exit for the temple. The stage is square in plan, spanning three bays totaling 10 meters in width and three bays totaling 10 meters in depth. The main wooden frame combines post-and-lintel and raised-beam construction, with drum-shaped stone bases under the wooden columns; the left and right wing rooms in the front courtyard are two-story buildings with suspended gable roofs, spanning eight bays totaling 28 meters in width and six meters in depth. They feature a post-and-lintel wooden frame, bamboo-woven mud walls, and exterior white lime plaster with ink-painted murals; the Guanyin Hall has a single-eave suspended gable roof, spans five bays totaling 17.3 meters in width and 6.75 meters in depth. The main wooden frame combines post-and-lintel and raised-beam construction, with drum-shaped stone bases under the wooden columns, surrounded by brick walls on all four sides, and features a square brick-paved terrace at the front; the Mahavira Hall has a single-eave suspended gable roof, spans seven bays totaling 30 meters in width and 8.1 meters in depth. The main wooden frame combines post-and-lintel and raised-beam construction, with drum-shaped stone bases under the wooden columns; the left and right wing rooms in the rear courtyard are two-story pavilion-style buildings with suspended gable roofs, each spanning one bay 5.8 meters in width and 6 meters in depth, featuring a post-and-lintel wooden frame. The overall layout of Wuxian Temple is well-preserved, especially the stage, which retains its original form with exquisitely crafted and archaically styled architecture. The murals in the left and right wing rooms mostly depict ink-line drawn opera characters, with rich content. The temple provides important physical material for the study of Qing Dynasty temple architecture and local folk customs.