Quwo Da Bei Temple

Quwo Da Bei Temple

Quwo Da Bei Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Da Bei Temple is located in the center of Qucun Town, Quwo County, Shanxi Province. It was first built in the first year of the Dazhong era of the Tang Dynasty (827), renovated in the fourth year of the Zhizheng era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1067), and repaired again in the 20th year of the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty (1180) and the 23rd year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1758).

The temple faces south and has a rectangular layout, measuring 50 meters from east to west and 80 meters from north to south, covering an area of 4,000 square meters. It consists of two parts: the West Courtyard and the East Courtyard. The West Courtyard, also known as the Old Temple, includes structures such as the Relic Hall and the Abbot’s Courtyard. The East Courtyard, also called the New Temple, comprises the Heavenly King Hall, the Mahavira Hall, the Da Bei Hall, the Ksitigarbha Hall, side halls, wing rooms, and corridors, forming the main body of the temple complex. The existing Offering Hall is an original structure from the Jin Dynasty, while the rest were built during the Qing Dynasty.

The Offering Hall is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Its beam frame is fully exposed on the interior, featuring a six-rafter system with three central columns. The bracket sets atop the columns are of the five-component double downward-curved type, with the “crescent-moon” style upward-curving arms; one set is placed between each bay, matching the design of the column-top bracket sets. These upward-curving arms are true “active” arms, with their tails resting on the middle purlin. The second and third bays on the front and rear facades each have one bracket set, identical in form to those on the column tops. The front eaves are supported by bracket arms that extend to about one-third of their length, while the rear eaves are supported around the middle. A total of four stone steles are preserved, including the "Record of the Reconstruction of the Vairocana Buddha at Da Bei Temple" (1180) and the "Record of Da Bei Temple" from the 16th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty.

In June 2001, Da Bei Temple was designated by the State Council as part of the fifth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Qucun Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Quwo County. In 1958, it was renamed Qucun Commune, and in 1964, it became Qucun Town. Located in the northeast of the county, it covers an area of 45.2 square kilometers and has a population of 24,000. Major roads such as the Dayun Highway, Guoyi Highway, and Quyang Highway intersect here. The town administers 21 village committees: Qucun, Xiuyi, Jixiang, Fengrunjian, Xinjian, Beixin Village, Xiangyang, Xiawu, Wenxizhuang, Yangzhuang, Yicheng, Nongrong, Beirong, Dongrong, Bai?, Xiachen, Shangchen, Xiaojv, Fangcheng, Beizhao, and Sanzhang. Local township enterprises are mainly engaged in iron smelting and building materials. Agriculture focuses on growing wheat and cotton, with abundant apple production. There is also a provincial-level... More details about Qucun Town ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units