Tayuan Temple

Tayuan Temple

Tayuan Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tayuan Temple is located in the southern part of Xiantong Temple in Taihuai Town, Mount Wutai.

It is one of the five major Buddhist monastic sites on Mount Wutai. Historical records indicate that during the Wei and Tang dynasties, this area served as the pagoda courtyard of the Dafu Lingyan Temple (Xiantong Temple). In the fifth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1407), eunuch Yang Sheng was ordered to renovate it, after which it became an independent temple. The pagoda was refurbished during the Jiajing and Wanli eras, and additional halls were constructed in the Qing Dynasty, resulting in its present scale. Most of the existing structures in the temple date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The temple faces south and features buildings of varying heights arranged in a well-organized hierarchy. Along the central axis, a screen wall and memorial archway serve as the entrance, leading up steps to the mountain gate, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Mahayana Hall of Longevity, the Great White Pagoda, and the Scripture Depository. On either side of the halls are the Bell and Drum Towers, the Sangharama Hall, the Patriarch Hall, and corridors. The Abbot’s Courtyard, the Manjushri Hair Pagoda, and the Azure Dragon Tower are located to the left, covering a total area of 15,500 square meters.

The White Pagoda, also known as the Buddha Relic Pagoda, was originally named the Pagoda of Longevity and Compassion. According to the “Inscription for the Imperial Construction of the Great Pagoda Courtyard Temple on Mount Wutai” from the seventeenth year of the Wanli era (1589), the White Pagoda was built in the ninth year of the Wanli era (1581) and completed the following year (1582). It is a stupa-style Lamaist pagoda, standing 56.3 meters tall in total. The base is square, 1.7 meters high, with a railing around it. Above the base is a Sumeru pedestal with entasis, upon which sits the bell-shaped pagoda body—also referred to as the Tibetan style—resembling a vase, adorned with ornamental lotus petals at both the top and bottom.

The top features a complex structure: above the entasis base sits a thirteen-tiered spire wheel, topped with a canopy-style finial disk, crowned with a crescent moon and a precious jewel. The finial disk has a diameter of about 8 meters, with 36 overhanging eaves plates along the edge—all cast in bronze and gilded. Around the canopy and midway up the pagoda hang 252 wind bells. The overall shape is sleek and smooth, giving off a majestic and magnificent impression.

The White Pagoda. It is now regarded as the symbol of Mount Wutai.

Yanglin Village: Located in the core area of the Buddhist holy site 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 a forested area of 2,648 mu. Thanks to its geographical advantages, Yanglin Village has consistently focused on tourism as its main industry. With tourism as its economic driver, the village achieved a total income of 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 has trained 25 active members this year. During the 2005 election for the village branch and committee, a... More details about Yanglin Village++