Yangqu Dawang Temple

Yangqu Dawang Temple

Yangqu Dawang Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Dawang Temple

Dawang Temple (Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: Ming

Address: Fan Zhuang Village, Donghuanshui Town, Yangqu County

Yangqu Dawang Temple is situated on a high platform in Fan Zhuang Village, Donghuanshui Town, about 20 li east of Yangqu County. The entire temple complex now only has one main hall remaining. This hall is three bays wide, six rafters deep, square in plan, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, and boasts a simple and elegant aesthetic. The outer eaves are fitted with a total of five ranks of bracket sets (??) in four clusters, with one additional set between each bay; the corner columns feature double lower false bracket arms (??), while the rest have single lower true bracket arms (??); the supplemental bracket sets in the central bays of all four sides are positioned right in the middle, while those in the side bays are placed closer to the adjacent upright columns; all four corner columns have a slight inward tilt (side foot) but no upward lift (rise), and the column tops are not chamfered; the lintel beams (阑额) and plate lintels (平板枋) both extend beyond the joints; the plate lintels are thick, square, and are beveled after extending out; the ?? (??) are densely arranged under the eaves, and the ?? (??) in the central bay are predominantly positioned toward the front; the ?? (??) beneath the lower tie beams (下平榑) and upper tie beams (上平榑) are arranged in an overlapping manner; the ?? (??) beneath the upper tie beams are interspersed with ?? (??), while other areas use ?? (??); the ?? (??) and ?? (??) layers are arranged in an alternating pattern to provide structural support; the uppermost section is not constructed with ?? (??), but rather with ?? (??) used above...

The interior beam framework is intricate, but the overall principle is as follows: after removing two main beams, angled beams (抹角梁) are used to support the robust lower layer of interconnecting tie beams (襻间枋); the tails of all true bracket arms (??) are seated on the lower layer of interconnecting tie beams, the lower tie beams (下平榑), and the upper tie beams (上平榑); the upper sections above the lower tie beams feature overlapping projections; the upper tie beam area also employs ?? (??), while the area below the lower tie beams uses ?? (??) to create an interlocking support system; the upper and lower tie beams are interconnected through alternating layers of ?? (??) and ?? (??) to achieve overall stability; the upper structure does not use ?? (??), but rather ?? (??) is utilized above...

In reality, employing such a complex structural design merely to eliminate the use of main beams is clearly “more trouble than it’s worth” in terms of both materials and technical complexity. There is thus only one plausible explanation: the goal was to reduce the number of columns. Therefore, it can be said that what is architecturally termed a “beamless hall” is, in truth, a “pillar-less hall.” In other words, rather than referring to this construction as a beamless hall, it is more accurate to call it a “pillar-less hall.”

In May 2013, Yangqu Dawang Temple was designated as part of the Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Fan Zhuang Village: Located in the eastern part of Yangqu County, Fan Zhuang Village in Donghuanshui Town is 15 kilometers from the county seat. The Yang-Shuang Highway runs through the village, providing convenient transportation. The village administers two natural villages—Fan Zhuang and Lu Jia Shan—and has five villager groups. It is home to 301 households with a population of 701, including 351 laborers. The village has a total of 9,502 mu of arable land, with an annual per capita net income of 4,881 yuan. There are 115 household biogas digesters in the village. The main crops grown are millet, corn, and other grains, with small cereals being the village’s distinctive agricultural product. The village also preserves the provincial-level ancient architectural relic known as the “Pillar-less Hall” (无梁殿).

… Fan Zhuang Village detailed information++

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units