Grand Mercy Hall of Chongshan Temple

Grand Mercy Hall of Chongshan Temple

The Grand Mercy Hall of Chongshan Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Grand Mercy Hall of Chongshan Temple

Era: Ming to Qing Dynasty

Address: Yingze District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province

The Grand Mercy Hall of Chongshan Temple is located at No. 9, Chongshan Temple Street, Yingze District, Taiyuan City. It was originally an imperial palace for Emperor Yang of Sui, called White Horse Temple in the early Tang Dynasty, later renamed to Yan Shou Temple and Zong Shan Temple, then to New Temple, and during the Ming Dynasty, renamed Chongshan Temple. In the 14th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1381), Zhu Yuanzhang’s third son, Zhu... expanded the original temple to commemorate his mother. In the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1864), Chongshan Temple was destroyed by fire, leaving only its main structure—the Grand Mercy Hall. The Grand Mercy Hall is one of the more intact official wooden structures from the early Ming Dynasty preserved in China.

The Grand Mercy Hall has a width of seven bays and a depth of four bays, with a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, trimmed with yellow and green glazed tiles, and stands nearly 20 meters tall. The front eaves’ middle and adjacent bays feature four-paneled lattice doors, while the side and end bays have lattice windows. The rear eaves’ middle bay has a plank door that allows passage through the front and back. The column bases visibly tilt outward. The bracket sets are densely arranged, with multiple layers of bracket arms extending outwards, presenting a richly layered appearance. The roof ridge decorations and other components are exquisitely crafted. The interior houses a precious statue... The central altar enshrines a ... sculpture, flanked by... The decorative style adopts... The second level features... with carved patterns, while the lower level is adorned with... and other elements. The wooden statues standing over 3.5 meters tall are vibrantly colored, solemnly shaped, and also date back to the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, possessing high artistic value. The temple houses over 30,000 volumes of Buddhist scriptures from the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties, most of which are rare woodblock-printed calligraphy editions.

The Grand Mercy Hall of Chongshan Temple and the temple complex are a microcosm of imperial Buddhist temples from the Ming Dynasty. The Grand Mercy Hall reflects the architectural characteristics of wooden structures from the early Ming Dynasty and holds significant historical value.

In May 2013, the Grand Mercy Hall of Chongshan Temple was designated as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units