Santai Temple at Mount Wutai

Santai Temple at Mount Wutai

Santai Temple at Mount Wutai is a cultural relic protection unit of Wutai County.

Santai Temple at Mount Wutai is located about 700 meters southwest of Dongzhuang Natural Village, Yanglin Village, Taihuai Town, Wutai County. It faces south and measures 42.7 meters from east to west and 30.8 meters from north to south, covering an area of 1,315.16 square meters.

According to the Ming Dynasty’s *Qingliang Mountain Annals*, it was built during the Yuan Dynasty. It was rebuilt during the TianShun era (1457–1464), the Guanyin Hall was constructed in the eighth year of the Hongzhi era (1495), and the temple was renovated in the third year of the Yongzheng era (1725) of the Qing Dynasty. The existing structures date back to the Qing Dynasty. The temple has a two-courtyard layout, with the mountain gate, Guanyin Hall, and Mahavira Hall arranged along the central axis, and side halls and auxiliary halls on both sides. In 2006, a new building was added to the east of the temple. The Mahavira Hall sits on a stone platform that is 10.8 meters wide, 8.2 meters deep, and 1.42 meters high. The hall has three bays in width and six rafters in depth, with a single-eave gable-and-hip roof. Its framework follows a seven-rafter front-and-rear corridor style. Both the main and side bays have four-panel doors with six sliding panels, topped with horizontal lintels. Inside the hall, three Buddha statues representing the past, present, and future are aligned in a row on the Buddhist altar, flanked by figures of Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Skanda, and Sangharama, totaling seven statues. The Guanyin Hall houses one jade statue of Guanyin. The temple also preserves two Ming Dynasty renovation steles and two Qing Dynasty steles. In December 2007, it was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the Wutai County People’s Government. (From *A Collection of Cultural Relics in Xinzhou*)

Source: Xinzhou Network

Yanglin Village: Yanglin Village is located in the central area of the Buddhist holy site Mount Wutai. It administers four villager groups: Yanglin, Yingfang, Taiping Street, and Jinjiesi, 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. Due to its geographical advantages, Yanglin Village has consistently prioritized tourism. With a focus on tourism development, the village's total economic income reached 5.715 million yuan, including 3.935 million yuan from tourism. The per capita net income is 3,136 yuan. The village has 61 Party members, and 25 activists were trained this year. During the 2005 election for the village branch and committee, a... More details about Yanglin Village++