Sansheng Temple in Fanshi

Sansheng Temple in Fanshi

Sansheng Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Sansheng Temple

Sansheng Temple (Classified as a Sixth Batch National Heritage Site)

Era: Jin to Qing Dynasties

Address: Xiyankou Village, 35 km east of Fanshi County

The original construction date is unknown, but the earliest verifiable period is the Yuan Dynasty. The temple underwent multiple renovations during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temple faces south and is situated on high ground, consisting of front and rear courtyards. Along the central axis are, in sequence: a screen wall, the front courtyard mountain gate, bell and drum towers, eastern and western side halls, the Ksitigarbha Hall, as well as eastern and western side halls in the rear courtyard, the Mahavira Hall, and the meditation hall. On the west side are the Five Grains God Temple and the Goddess Temple, both built during the Qing Dynasty.

The Mahavira Hall (also known as the Sansheng Hall) is the main structure of the temple, located in the rear courtyard. The hall is three bays wide and six rafters deep, with a nearly square floor plan. It features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, with a gentle roof pitch and softly upturned eaves. The bracket sets are arranged in a complex pattern, with single brackets extending outwards, complemented by inclined struts and bracket arms, tilted at approximately 5 degrees, and supported by bracket arms beneath the columns. The hall houses 14 statues, six of which were sculpted in the Yuan Dynasty and eight in the Ming Dynasty. The interior walls are fully covered with murals from the Ming and Qing periods.

The temple also preserves one stone lion from the Yuan Dynasty and one small stone lion from the Tang Dynasty.

Sansheng Temple is located in Xiyankou Village, Shahe Town, Fanshi County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. Its founding date is unknown, but the existing structures date back to the Jin Dynasty. In the 10th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1871), it was relocated to its current site.

The temple faces south and consists of an entrance courtyard and a rear courtyard, totaling over 30 halls and meditation rooms. The front courtyard includes a three-bay southern hall, with three-bay eastern and western side halls. Between the front and rear courtyards is a stage, along with another raised platform featuring two stages—north and south—divided by a partition, commonly referred to as the "Mandarin Duck Stage." Along the central axis are the mountain gate, the passing hall, and the Mahavira Hall. Inside the Mahavira Hall, there are three exquisitely carved wooden statues of the Avatamsaka Sutra deities at the center, with carved floral halos behind them, and clay sculptures of attendants in front. The wood carvings and clay sculptures demonstrate exquisite craftsmanship and concise lines. The eastern, western, and northern walls of the hall are adorned with murals from the Ming Dynasty, possessing significant artistic and cultural value.

In May 2006, Sansheng Temple, as an ancient architectural structure from the Jin to Qing periods, was approved by the State Council to be included in the Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Xiyankou Village: Xiyankou Village…… More details about Xiyankou Village++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units