Guangren Temple (Shifang Hall) at Mount Wutai

Guangren Temple (Shifang Hall) at Mount Wutai

Guangren Temple (Shifang Hall) at Mount Wutai is a cultural heritage site protected by Wutai County.

Also known as Guangren Temple, Shifang Hall of Mount Wutai is located in Yingfang Natural Village, Yanglin Village, Taihuai Town, Wutai County. Facing south, it stretches 57 meters from east to west and 101 meters from north to south, covering an area of 5,757 square meters. According to the stone tablet inside the temple, it was built in the ninth year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1829). After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the state allocated funds for its renovation. With the exception of the dining hall and layperson dormitories, which are modern structures, the rest of the buildings date back to the Qing Dynasty.

The temple follows a three-courtyard layout, with the central axis sequentially featuring the Mountain Gate, Heavenly King Hall, Offering Hall, Mahavira Hall, and Tathagata Hall (rear hall), flanked by bell and drum towers, side halls, the dining hall, and guest rooms. The Mahavira Hall stands on a stone platform that is 14.6 meters wide, 11.4 meters deep, and 1.33 meters high. It has five bays in width and six rafters in depth, topped with a single-eave hipped-gable roof. Its framework consists of seven beams with front and rear corridors. The roof is fitted with square lattice ceiling panels, and the surrounding corridors are enclosed with stone railings and slabs between the columns. The front eaves feature four-panel latticed doors with six movable leaves on both the central and side bays, while horsehead brackets with carved dragon and phoenix patterns adorn the column tops.

At the center of the hall is a Buddhist altar with statues of the Three Ages of Buddhas. The hall houses 997 Buddhist statues from the Ming and Qing dynasties, along with 51 newly crafted statues. The outer threshold wall contains 137 Mongolian-language merit steles, all erected in the ninth year of the Daoguang reign (1829). The temple also stores a total of 1,176 Buddhist statues from the Ming and Qing periods, one Qing dynasty bronze bell, and 108 volumes of the Tibetan-language *Danzhuer* scriptures printed in the 16th year of the Shunzhi reign (1659). In July 1988, Wutai County People’s Government designated it as a county-level cultural heritage site. (*Xinzhou Cultural Relics Collection*)

Source: Xinzhou Website

Yanglin Village: Situated in the core area of the Buddhist holy land Mount Wutai, Yanglin Village administers four villager groups: Yanglin, Yingfang, Taiping Street, and Jinjie Temple, with a total of 380 households and over 840 residents. The village has only 20 mu of arable land but boasts 2,648 mu of forested area. Owing to its geographic advantages, Yanglin Village has consistently prioritized tourism as its leading industry. In 2005, the village achieved a total economic income of 5.715 million yuan, of which 3.935 million yuan came from tourism. The per capita net income was 3,136 yuan. The village has 61 Party members and trained 25 active members this year. During the 2005 election for the village Party branch and committee, ... More details about Yanglin Village++