Shangshan Temple in Hongtong

Shangshan Temple in Hongtong

Shangshan Temple in Hongtong is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Period: Ming to Qing Dynasty

Address: Sunbao Village, Zhaocheng Town, Hongtong County

The founding date is unknown, but it underwent multiple renovations during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The main structures in the temple include the Three Sovereigns Hall, Guan Yu Hall, Three Officials Hall, and Dharma King Hall. All four major halls feature simple structures with large timber materials. The rear sections of each hall are equipped with niches containing statues, and the gable walls are adorned with murals covering a total area of over 100 square meters.

The main hall faces south and is built on a brick platform 0.84 meters high. It is three bays wide (11 meters) and four rafters deep, with a hanging hip roof. The beam framework uses a central four-pillar construction method. The eave pillars are fitted with bracket sets of the fourth rank, and both the central and side bays have intercolumnar bracket sets. The golden pillars in front of the hall bear a couplet inscribed in 1939 (the 18th year of the Republic of China): “Among people, paintings are painted people, none other than taking people for paintings; within scenes, emotions reside in emotional landscapes, all born from scenes stirring emotions.”

The hall enshrines statues, with the Heavenly Sovereign in the center, flanked by the Earthly Sovereign and the Human Sovereign. The statues are round, full, and smooth-lined, vivid and lifelike. The eastern and western gable walls are painted with murals depicting the Three Sovereigns praying for blessings for the people, rendered in delicate brushwork with realistic forms; the expressions and movements of the figures are strikingly expressive. The eastern hall is the Donghui Mansion Hall, constructed using a two-pillar span method, three bays wide and four rafters deep, with a hanging hip roof. It was rebuilt in the third year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1823).

The central shrine enshrines the Upper Yuan God (Heavenly Official), the eastern side enshrines the Middle Yuan God (Earthly Official), and the western side enshrines the Lower Yuan God (Water Official). The eastern hall is the Guan Yu Hall, three bays wide and four rafters deep, with a hanging hip roof and a two-rafter tie beam structure. The hall houses a seated statue of Guan Yu, with Guan Ping on the east and Zhou Cang on the west. The eastern and western gable walls depict murals illustrating episodes from Guan Yu’s life.

In May 2013, Shangshan Temple in Hongtong was announced as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Zhaocheng Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Hongtong County. In 1958, the Zhaocheng Commune was established, and in 1984, it was upgraded to a town. Located in the northern part of the county, it is 15 kilometers from the county seat. Covering an area of 50 square kilometers with a population of 61,000, it is traversed by the Nan-Tong-Pu Railway and the Taiyuan–Sanmenxia Highway. The town administers the East Street, West Street, South Street, North Street, Nanguan, Dongbao, Motou, Shaqiaozhuang, Beibao, Hougou, Nanbao, Qiancun, Dongbaoli, Shaowayao, Guanzhuang, Xinzhuang, Houcun, Xigouli, Xiayuan, Shangyuan, Gengbi, Wangjiamo, Sunbao, Yongle, Geta, Wayaotou, Gutun, Gouli, Wanli, Yangbao, Wangkai, Qian… More detailed information about Zhaocheng Town ++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units