Huguan Szong Temple

Huguan Szong Temple

Huguan Szong Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Szong Temple

Szong Temple (Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: Jin to Qing Dynasty

Address: Yangnanhucun Village, 12 km south of Huguan County

Originally built in the 17th year of the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty (1175), with additions made during the Ming Dynasty and renovations carried out in the Qing Dynasty. The existing main hall is an original structure from the Jin Dynasty, the incense pavilion as well as the bell and drum towers date back to the Ming Dynasty, while the rest were constructed during the Qing Dynasty.

The temple faces south and is divided into an upper and a lower courtyard by the mountain gate. It covers a total area of 1,706.39 square meters. Along the central axis of the upper courtyard are the main hall and the incense pavilion, with three side rooms on either side of the main hall. Seven corridors are set on each side between the incense pavilion and the mountain gate, and the bell and drum towers are located to the south, adjacent to the east and west corridors.

The main hall is situated at the northernmost part of the temple complex and was built in 1175 during the 17th year of the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty. It is three bays wide and six rafters deep, with a single-eave gable-and-hip roof, and has a slightly square floor plan. The front eaves feature four lattice doors, with a spherical-patterned lattice in the central bay and spherical-patterned square lattices in the side bays. The columns are all made of sandstone, with noticeable inward inclination and upward flare. The eaves are supported by five-tier bracket sets, featuring single ang and single downward ang in a heart-matched style. The interior is fully exposed with a clear view of the structure; the beam frame consists of a four-rafter beam opposing a rear breast beam, supported by three pillars. The lower section of the wall inside the hall is 0.61 meters high, constructed with corbelled courses, exhibiting distinct early-period architectural features.

The incense pavilion is located in front of the main hall, three bays wide and one bay deep, with a four-rafter roll-canopy flush-gable roof. The eaves feature three-tier bracket sets with single downward ang in a heart-matched style; the inner ang beams are crafted as overlapping headers supporting the four-rafter beam, and the end blocks take the form of single-cloud motifs.

The bell and drum towers are built to the south of the east and west corridors, sharing connecting walls. Their lower levels have a brick-and-stone structure, one bay wide and one bay deep, with windows and doors on the facade. The upper levels are built with stone columns and wooden beams, two bays wide and one bay deep, topped with a four-rafter roll-canopy flush-gable roof.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units