Yingxian Pure Land Temple

Yingxian Pure Land Temple

The Yingxian Pure Land Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Pure Land Temple is located in the northeast corner of Ying County, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, commonly known as the North Temple. It was founded in the second year of the Tianhui era during the Jin Dynasty (1124), boasting a history of over 870 years.

The temple’s buildings were originally distributed along two east-west axes, but now only the Mahavira Hall remains. As the main hall, the Mahavira Hall is an original Jin Dynasty structure, spanning three bays in both width and depth, with a slightly square floor plan, a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, and a roof covered with cylindrical and flat tiles, featuring green glazed tiles along the eaves. The bracket sets under the eaves are of the four-coursed type with “qinmian” ang. The corner pillars exhibit noticeable inward slanting and upward rise. The hall has undergone multiple renovations during the Jin Dading, Ming Jingtai, Chenghua, and Chongzhen eras, yet its original appearance has been largely preserved. The fan-shaped walls are adorned with colored paintings from the Ming and Qing periods. The ceiling, caisson, and the gilt-bronze technique used in the celestial palace pavilion are rare treasures from the Jin Dynasty. The intricate design of the entire ceiling and caisson reflects the richly colorful interior decoration characteristic of the Jin Dynasty.

The celestial palace pavilions in the Pure Land Temple serve not only as exquisitely crafted architectural models but also as outstanding works of art. Their wooden-structure imitations realistically represent the architectural styles of the time and hold reference value for the study of Jin Dynasty architecture.

In May 2006, the Pure Land Temple, as an ancient building from the Jin Dynasty, was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units