Xiaoyi Cisheng Temple

Xiaoyi Cisheng Temple

Xiaoyi Cisheng Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Cisheng Temple, also known as Faxing Chan Monastery (granted by imperial decree in the seventh year of the Taihe era during the Jin Dynasty), is one of the tourist attractions in Shanxi Province. Located in Sucun Village, Gaoyang Town, Xiaoyi City, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit by the People's Government of Shanxi Province on June 10, 2004.

Cisheng Temple was originally built in the ninth year of the Tianhui era during the Jin Dynasty. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, it was relocated northward and the Grand Buddha Hall was renovated. During the Qing Dynasty, under the reigns of Emperors Kangxi, Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Tongzhi, various degrees of expansion and maintenance were carried out. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the county government allocated funds to renovate the Heavenly King Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, and Mountain Gate. The temple is now relatively well-preserved.

Cisheng Temple features a unique architectural style from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It faces south with a clear north-south central axis, featuring in sequence: the Mountain Gate, Heavenly King Hall, Main Hall, East and West Bell and Drum Towers, East and West Side Halls, and East and West Screen Walls. The single-courtyard quadrangle layout is rational and ingeniously designed. Over 870 years since its establishment, the main structures remain sturdy.

The Mountain Gate is one bay deep, with brick-carved column capitals and bracket sets, a flush gable roof covered with yellow, blue, and green glazed tiles. The Heavenly King Hall is three bays wide and one bay deep, featuring an arched flat-roof cave structure with a flush gable roof and gray tiles. The Main Hall is three bays wide and two bays deep. Inside the hall are Ming Dynasty painted sculptures of the three forms of Sakyamuni, and the walls are adorned with Qing Dynasty painted murals. The niches that house the Buddha statues retain original Ming Dynasty painted decorative patterns, with entwined honeysuckle carvings as the base, surrounded by coiled dragons and auspicious phoenixes. The roof features Ming Dynasty glazed animal ornaments, all reflecting the architectural style of the Ming and Qing periods. The interior of the Main Hall is an arched, beamless brick structure with a domed ceiling in the upper half, also constructed from brick arches—without beams, pillars, or crossbeams—hence called the Beamless Hall or Brick Hall. The exterior walls of the Brick Hall are decorated with bracket sets, hanging columns, horizontal lintels, and window lattices. The outer form is a flush gable roof, seamlessly integrated with the rest—an uncommon feature among temple architectures, showcasing the ingenuity of ancient architectural design. It holds high research value in terms of architecture, art, and epigraphy.

The East and West Bell and Drum Towers have suspended gable roofs covered with yellow, blue, and green glazed tiles, adorned with dragon-shaped glazed ridge ornaments. The East Side Hall is the Eighteen Arhats Hall, and the West Side Hall is the Kṣitigarbha Hall. The East and West Screen Walls are trimmed with yellow, blue, and green glazed tiles, featuring vivid and lifelike dragon patterns. These structures form a cohesive and distinctive overall style.

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

Gaoyang Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Xiaoyi City. Established as the Gaoyang Commune in 1958 and upgraded to a town in 1981. Located to the west of the city area, it is 9.5 kilometers from the municipal government. Covering an area of 23.1 square kilometers with a population of 24,000, it is traversed by National Highway 307 and the Xiaoyi-Liulin Railway. The town administers eight village committees: Gaoyang, Sanduo, Linshui, Dongcaocun, Shen’an, Shenfu, Xicaocun, and Xianzhe. Local enterprises are mainly engaged in coal mining, coal washing, and coking. Agriculture primarily produces corn, sorghum, and wheat, with abundant persimmons. ... More details about Gaoyang Town++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units