Kaizha Nengren Temple

Kaizha Nengren Temple

Kaizha Nengren Temple is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shanxi Province.

Kaizha Nengren Temple (Fifth Batch Provincial-Level Protected Site)

Era: Ming and Qing Dynasties

Address: In Kaizha Village, Kaizha Town, Wenshui County, Lüliang City

The founding date of Nengren Temple is unknown. According to inscriptions on stone tablets within the temple, the theater stage and Guan Yu Hall were rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty. In 2002, villagers raised funds to renovate the temple. The temple faces south and has a two-courtyard layout. Along the central axis from south to north are the theater stage, Guan Yu Hall, and the main hall. On both sides of the Guan Yu Hall are side halls, and on both sides of the theater stage are east and west side gates. The existing main hall is a Ming Dynasty structure, while the rest are Qing Dynasty remnants.

The main hall sits on a stone base, is three bays wide and four rafters deep, with a single-eave hanging gable roof and a five-rafter front corridor structure. The bracket sets on the columns are three-curved single-angled with grasshopper-head ornaments.

The Guan Yu Hall sits on a stone base, is three bays wide and four rafters deep, with a single-eave flush gable roof and a five-rafter front corridor structure. It features a front protruding roll-roofed porch, which is one bay wide and has a four-rafter roll-roofed frame. The bracket sets on the columns are three-curved single-angled with dragon-head ornaments.

The theater stage sits on a stone base. It is 1.8 meters high, three bays wide and five rafters deep, with a single-eave front hip-and-gable roof and rear roll-roofed structure. The bracket sets on the columns are three-curved single-angled with dragon-head ornaments. On both sides of the stage are east and west side gates, each resting on a stone base, one bay wide and four rafters deep. The bracket sets are one-curved two-lift carved floral designs with dragon-head ornaments. The lintel of the east side gate is inscribed with “Preserve Noble Spirit,” and that of the west side gate reads “Display Heroic Spirit.”

Two stone tablets from the 21st year of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty (1841), recording continued donations for the labor wages and food fields of river workers on the Wenyu River, are embedded in the walls on both sides of the west side gate. One stone tablet is embedded in the west wall of the Guan Yu Hall.

The buildings of Nengren Temple are among the better-preserved ancient temples in Lüliang City that combine Buddhist and Taoist elements from the Ming and Qing periods. The main hall is one of the largest Ming Dynasty structures still extant in Lüliang City. Its architectural structure, materials, craftsmanship, and beam-frame inscriptions all correspond with the characteristics of the period, making it a valuable physical resource for studying Ming Dynasty architecture in the Lüliang region, with high historical and scientific value.

Source: Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Kaizha Village: Located in Kaizha Town, Wenshui County, Kaizha Village is backed by the Lüliang Mountains to the west and borders the Jinzhong Plain to the east and south. It is only 60 kilometers north of Taiyuan, the provincial capital. The Xia-Fen Expressway runs through the southern part of the village, National Highway 307 crosses the town, and the Wenyu River Reservoir lies within its territory. It is also the seat of the town government. The village has over 3,000 households, a population of more than 11,000, and cultivated land covering 3,200 mu.

Over the decades, the hardworking and courageous people of Kaizha have walked a brilliant yet arduous path on this heroic land, creating ordinary yet great achievements. In the 1950s, the State Council awarded our village a plaque personally inscribed by … More details about Kaizha Village ++

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units