Longgang Temple

Longgang Temple

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

Longgang Temple (Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)

Era: Ming Dynasty

Address: Temple Street, Pianguan County, Xinzhou City

According to the 1730 Pianguan Annals from the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty: “Longgang Temple is located southeast of the city. Its former name was Longgang Chan Monastery. With time passed, the inscribed steles have been eroded by wind and rain, leaving only ten characters inscribed by ‘Xue Gao, Tang Dynasty Governor of Longmen Commandery, Jiangzhou.’ The temple was built during the Tang Dynasty, and was renovated in the first year of the Huangtong era of the Jin Dynasty (1141), with a stone pagoda preserved as a record. It was reconstructed in the third year of the Xuande era of the Ming Dynasty (1428), and underwent further renovation in the eighteenth year of the Kangxi era (1679). It features winding corridors, majestic halls, and pavilions towering above.” Longgang Temple was founded in the Tang Dynasty, renovated in the first year of the Jin Dynasty’s Huangtong era (1141), rebuilt in the third year of the Ming Dynasty’s Xuande era (1428), and restored again in the eighteenth year of the Kangxi era (1679). In the early 1950s, it was occupied by the Pianguan County Grain Bureau and has remained so ever since. The main hall and the bell and drum towers are used as grain storage, while the Heavenly King Hall serves as an office.

Longgang Temple faces south and currently retains only a single courtyard complex. It stretches 95 meters from north to south and 70 meters from east to west, covering a total area of 6,650 square meters. The central axis runs from south to north, successively featuring the Heavenly King Hall and the main hall. On either side of the Heavenly King Hall are the bell and drum towers.

The Heavenly King Hall is three bays wide and four rafters deep, with a single-eave, five-rafter hipped-gable roof covered with plain clay tiles. The column-top brackets feature single-layer bracket sets, with bucket arches above. The eaves are supported by bracket arms. The hall is coated with lime plaster inside and out. The ceiling beams are exposed, revealing the wooden framework. The front eaves feature green glazed tile squares, but the original fittings are no longer present. The front and side column-top brackets are single-layer sets, with bracket arms and bucket arches above. The beam frame is exposed, and the upper eave purlins bear an inscribed board documenting repairs carried out in the fifty-eighth year of the Kangxi era (1719). This board was later painted over with whitewash when the hall was used as a grain storage facility, making the inscriptions now faint and unclear.

The main hall is seven bays wide and six rafters deep, with a surrounding corridor supported by seven purlins. The beam structure consists of five-purlin beams paired with single-step beams in the front and rear. It has a single-eave, hipped-gable roof with peacock-blue glazed tile trimming around the edges, covered with plain clay tiles. The roof ridges are decorated with yellow-and-blue-glazed ornaments, featuring coiled-dragon floral patterns. A glazed ridge ornament sits atop the main ridge, though its upper portion is now damaged. The front eave roof includes three square sections covered with green glazed tiles. The original fittings are no longer extant. The front and side column-top brackets are single-layer sets, with bracket arms and bucket arches above. The exposed beams show traditional craftsmanship. The upper eave purlins bear an inscribed board, recording renovations carried out in the fifty-eighth year of the Kangxi era (1719). This board was later painted over with whitewash during the grain bureau's use, making the writing now blurred and difficult to discern.

The bell and drum towers are two-story structures with hipped-gable roofs covered in plain clay tiles. They feature single-layer bracket sets, bucket arches, and decorative eave components. Both towers retain visible traces of historical construction techniques.

Longgang Temple currently preserves four buildings, all dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Their beam frameworks remain intact, with rational structural layouts. The bracket sets display exquisite craftsmanship, and the buildings exhibit distinctive features of Ming-era architecture, possessing high historical and cultural value.

The main hall of Longgang Temple showcases harmonious proportions, simple yet classic design techniques, robust curved lines, a rigorous structure, and exquisitely crafted bracket sets. It holds significant artistic value. Source: Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protected Sites