Yuanping Zhi Fang Temple
Yuanping Zhi Fang Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Xinzhou City.
Zhi Fang Temple is located in Weijiazhuang Village, Dalin Township, covering an area of over one mu. The main hall, known as the Zhi Fang Hall, faces south and measures 9 meters in east-west length and 5.9 meters in north-south width. It is a remnant structure from the Yuan Dynasty. The hall has three bays in width, five rafters in depth, a front eave supported by six purlins with a corridor, and a single-eave hanging gable roof. The bracket sets are five-curved with double downward ang, with one cluster per bay for the through-tenon sets; the central bay features 45° angled brackets, though the original fittings are no longer present. A vertical plaque inscribed with "Zhi Fang Hall" hangs from the center of the lintel. Two painted couplets are mounted on the porch columns. One reads: “Locusts and pests flee far away, all praising the saintly virtue; vermin and thieves hide deep, collectively repaying the divine grace.” The other reads: “By invoking the clay idol to dispel plague, we pray for joy and celebration; relying on the deities to drive away epidemics, we seek safety and peace.” To the left of the main hall is the Guanyin Hall. Though its design is somewhat simple—a mere two-meter-square brick cave—it exudes an unadorned, rustic charm.
According to the "Guo County Annals": “The Eight Sacrifices Temple, also called the Zhi Fang Temple, is located fifteen li south of the county seat in Weijiazhuang. In the early years of the Dading reign during the Jin Dynasty, a local man named You Wan built it. It later collapsed and was restored in the first year of the Zhizheng era. It underwent successive renovations during the Hongwu and Hongzhi periods of the Ming Dynasty. In the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign, Magistrate Zheng Du restored it again, with commemorative stone tablets from various eras.” It also records: “The Temple of General Liu Meng is located within the Eight Sacrifices Temple in Weijiazhuang, and is worshipped on the same day as the Eight Sacrifices Deity.”
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