Ma'anshi Temple

Ma'anshi Temple

Ma'anshi Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Ma'anshi Temple

About five li from Liujiatown in Youxian District, Mianyang City, lies Ma'anshan Mountain. At the foot of the mountain is another hill called “Jinfengshan” (Golden Phoenix Mountain), and Ma’anshi Temple is situated right on the “head” of the Golden Phoenix. The temple derives its name from the mountain.

Ma'anshi Temple was built during the Song and Yuan dynasties, destroyed in the late Ming Dynasty. The current structure consists of four main halls, rebuilt during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, while the rear hall and side rooms were reconstructed during the Daoguang and Tongzhi eras of the Qing. It faces northeast and backs southwest. The front features a theater tower (stage), and behind the square (performance courtyard) are, in sequence, the Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, and Jade Emperor Hall. Except for the three-room Jade Emperor Hall, all are five-bay-long (approximately 22 meters) and three-bay-wide (approximately 12 meters) structures with overhanging gables and post-and-lintel construction. At both ends are wing rooms extending 13 bays, forming an enclosed architectural complex. The entire complex is 115 meters long and 55.2 meters wide, covering an area of 6,348 square meters. The building materials are sturdy, the design simple, and the window and door carvings elegant. The eave pillars of the Mahavira Hall and Guanyin Hall feature decorative bracket sets that are unique and exquisite, showcasing distinctive local characteristics. The Mahavira Hall houses exquisite murals over 200 years old. Ma'anshi Temple is the largest and most intact ancient architectural complex remaining in the Mianyang urban area.

Ma'anshi Temple boasts a large number of murals, a rarity throughout Sichuan. Virtually any suitable surface in the temple — the eaves, beams, and walls — is adorned with murals. The content of the murals is diverse, covering aspects of everyday life at the time, mythological stories, religious themes, and historical dramas. Murals such as Zhong Kui Subduing Demons, Liu Hai Playing with the Golden Toad, Jiang Taigong Fishing, and Lü Dongbin Teasing Peonies are vividly depicted. Several Buddhist-themed murals in the Mahavira Hall portray the Twenty-Four Heavens and Eighteen Arhats, imitating the brushwork of the Tang Dynasty master Wu Daozi. These works feature superb techniques, dynamic brushstrokes, and the ethereal charm of “Wu’s Drapery in the Wind.” They serve as important historical materials for studying Buddhist art, the history of theatrical development, and traditional painting. Most of the murals date to the Qing Dynasty, but many have suffered severe damage over time. In more recent times, some propagandistic moral-themed artworks, such as illustrations of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, have been painted on the eaves.

Stone Steles

Among the ten Qing Dynasty stone steles in the temple, the one from the seventh year of the Guangxu reign — an inscription for a free school — holds significant historical value. Its inscriptions detail in full the founding principles and twelve school regulations of the free school at the time, offering insights still relevant to education today.

Protected Area: The site boundary extends 50 meters east to the former Liujiatown nursing home, 100 meters south to the boundary of the new nursing home area, 100 meters west to the boundary of the third community land, and 100 meters north to the Wuyin irrigation canal behind Ma'anshi Temple.

Construction Control Zone: Extending 100 meters east from the protected area boundary to the cement road leading to the third community, 100 meters south to the elderly care home’s broad fields, 100 meters west to the western embankment of the irrigation pond, and 200 meters north to Liubai Road.

Liujiatown: A town under the jurisdiction of Youxian District, Mianyang City. Established as Liujia Township in 1941, reorganized as a commune in 1958, reinstated as a township in 1983, and upgraded to a town in 1985. It is located in the southeastern part of the district, 26.4 kilometers from the city center. Covering an area of 89 square kilometers with a population of 29,000, it administers 21 village committees including Zi yuan, Longwanggou, Weijiaqiao, Danjiamiao, Maoshuisi, Tashiqiao, Ruanjiayan, Sanhe, Panjia’an, Zengjiaya, Zhangjiannian, Huguang, Hulu, Liming, Guanghui, Jilezhai, Heming, Hexing, Yanjiaqiao, Hongmiao, and Yanjingba, plus the Liujiatown Town Neighborhood Committee. Local enterprises include silk... More details about Liujiatown++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units