Shuishentang

Shuishentang

Shuishentang is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Guangling Shuishentang, known as the "Little Paradise Beyond the Great Wall," is located southeast of Guangling County and is contiguous with the county town. The scenic area integrates forests, mountains, water, and temples, consisting of the ancient architectural complex on Hushan Hill, China’s renowned spring Shuishentang Spring, the Spring Lake, wooded areas, and green spaces.

The existing ancient temple structures feature Ming and Qing architectural styles, and the temple houses murals from the Ming and Qing periods that depict the life of Guangling County at the time, acclaimed by locals as the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival of Guangling."

Within the ancient buildings stands a solid seven-story hexagonal brick pagoda, along with the Virgin Mary Hall, Bodhisattva Nunnery, Hundred Trades Society, Wenchang Pavilion, bell and drum towers, and more. The entire complex is compact, simple, and elegant, small yet exquisite, set against the looping Shuishentang Spring, shimmering in green-blue during summer and autumn, and shrouded in mist in spring and winter, truly embodying the charm of a "Little Paradise." Numerous historical inscriptions and poems vividly record the natural scenery and cultural legacy of the site. It connects with tens of thousands of acres of wetlands nearby, complementing each other like a painted scroll.

The Shuishentang Spring is formed by numerous springs around Hushan Hill gushing forth and accumulating into a lake. The water is natural mineral water, with a flow rate of 0.55 cubic meters per second, locally referred to as the "Divine Spring." As the spring maintains a constant temperature between 3–7 degrees Celsius year-round, the lake surface does not freeze even in snowy weather. In contrast, the adjacent Fengshui Lake (an artificial lake) is covered with a thick layer of ice.

Due to the large volume of the spring, two natural mineral spring reservoirs have formed to its southeast, named Pillow River Reservoir and Lower River Bay Reservoir. Swimming and boating in these mineral spring reservoirs in summer offer a unique experience.

Address: Southeast of Guangling County, Datong City (over 100 kilometers from Datong City)

Type: Historical Architecture & Temple

Recommended Visiting Time: About 1 hour

Opening Hours:

8:00-18:30

Ticket Information:

Gate Price: 20.0 RMB

Source: Information Network Center of Guangling County People's Government

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units