Jinyuan Confucius Temple

Jinyuan Confucius Temple

Jinyuan Confucius Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jinyuan Confucius Temple

Jinyuan Confucius Temple (Fourth Batch Provincial-Level Protected Site)

Era: Ming Dynasty

Address: East Jinyuan Street, Jinyuan Subdistrict Office, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan City

The Jinyuan Ashoka Pagoda is located east of Guchengying Village, Jinyuan Subdistrict, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan City. It was originally an auxiliary structure of Hui Ming Temple. According to the 1551 Taiyuan Prefecture Annals from the Ming Dynasty’s 30th year of the Jiajing reign, it was first built in the 2nd year of the Sui Dynasty’s Renshou era (602 AD), as part of the Hui Ming Temple complex within the ancient Jinyang city. The pagoda was repeatedly built and destroyed over time. In the 18th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Hongwu reign (1385 AD), Hui Ming Temple and the Ashoka Pagoda were rebuilt on the original site, converting the original nine-story brick pagoda into a stupa-style structure. Today, Hui Ming Temple no longer exists, and only the Ashoka Pagoda remains, covering an area of 196 square meters.

The Jinyuan Ashoka Pagoda is a single-story brick stupa, approximately 25 meters in total height. The base consists of a square stone platform with sides 13.8 meters long. Above this sits a square pyramidal brick platform base created through corbeling, standing 1.65 meters high. The main body of the pagoda is a round, inverted-bowl shape, topped with thirteen tiers of spoked wheels and crowned with a glazed canopy and finial.

The Jinyuan Ashoka Pagoda reflects the architectural style characteristics of Ming Dynasty stupas and holds significant historical value.

In May 2013, Jinyuan Confucius Temple was designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Jinyuan Subdistrict: Located on the outskirts of Taiyuan City, atop the ruins of the ancient Jinyang City, the subdistrict has long been known as a “land of prosperity” and colloquially called the “Phoenix City.” The terrain is higher in the west and lower in the east, divided roughly equally between mountains and plains — the mountains are scenic, and the plains are flat, hence nicknamed the “Mountain of Flowers and Fruit” and the “Grain Plains.” To the east lies the Fen River, to the south borders the scenic Jin Temple area, to the west are the Lüliang Mountains, and to the north, across Jinyang Lake, lies the provincial capital.

The subdistrict enjoys a mild climate, with summer highs around 34°C and winter lows about -15°C. It is rich in mineral resources such as coal, gypsum, sillimanite, and stone materials. Power supply is abundant, with a 30,000-volt substation available.

The subdistrict covers an area of 8... For more detailed information about Jinyuan Subdistrict, ++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units