Main Hall of Nanchan Temple (First Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Era: Tang Dynasty Address: Lijiazhuang Village, 22 km southwest of Wutai County Town The earliest surviving wooden structure from the Tang Dynasty in China. The temple’s founding date is unknown, but it was rebuilt in the third year of the Jianzhong era during Emperor Dezong's reign in the Tang Dynasty (782 AD). According to an inscription preserved under the horizontal beam on the western side of the main hall, reading “Renovated in the third year of the Jianzhong era of the Great Tang, cyclical year Renxu, month of Wushen, on the day of gengwu and time of guwei, by Fahui and others,” this serves as evidence of the reconstruction date. The temple has been repaired during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The existing main hall is the original Tang construction, while the rest were built in later periods.
Main Hall of Guangji Temple (Main Hall of Guangji Temple) (Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Period: Yuan Dynasty Address: North side of West Street, inside Wutai County Town, commonly known as West Temple. Originally built during the Zhizheng era (1341–1368) of the Yuan Dynasty, with partial renovations carried out during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The existing Main Hall and the statues inside are original Yuan Dynasty constructions. The Main Hall has a width of…
Yansheng Temple (Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Era: Jin to Qing Dynasties Address: Shanwen Village, Yangbai Township, Wutai County Founded in an unknown year, it covers an area of 1,040 square meters. The temple faces south and has two courtyards in a front-to-back layout. Along the central axis within the courtyard, there currently remain a second gate, the Grand Buddha Hall, and east and west side halls. The Grand Buddha Hall is a remnant structure from the Jin Dynasty, while the rest were reconstructed on the original sites by later generations. …
Bell Tower of Xiantong Temple The heaviest bronze bell in Mount Wutai, located at the Bell Tower of Xiantong Temple, resonates over ten miles away, awakening all beings and purifying hearts. Look, this gate-like building inscribed with “Awakening All Beings” and resembling a city gate is the first entrance to Xiantong Temple — the Bell Tower. “Awakening All Beings” means that when the sound of the bell from this tower reaches the world, all sentient beings may gain enlightenment under the Buddha’s teachings or inspiration. The Bell Tower is grand in scale and innovative in structure, making it a rare and precious large-scale bell tower among Ming and Qing dynasty temple architecture in China. The base of the Bell Tower is a massive stone gate tunnel, thick and sturdy like an ancient city wall. Above it stands the two-story, triple-eaved corridor-style Bell Tower, with rows of pillars and overlapping upturned eaves, exuding an impressive aura. At the top of the gate tunnel sits a two-story wooden pavilion equipped with elegant wooden lattice doors, housing a large bronze bell. The bell stands 1.64 meters high, has a maximum outer diameter of 1.8 meters, and is about 8 centimeters thick, weighing 9,999.5 jin (approximately 5 metric tons). To strike the bell, visitors must pass through the gate tunnel, enter the inner gate, and climb the wooden staircase to the Bell Tower. Then, under the guidance of the monk in charge, they can pull a thick wooden striker to produce the deep, resonant sound of the bell. It is said that the bell’s sound can be heard up to ten miles away and lingers for a long time.
Jixiang Temple has some of the finest Buddhist statues on Mount Wutai. There are many Jixiang Temples around the world, mainly in China, Japan, South Korea, and other countries. In China, the main ones include: Jixiang Temple in Wutai, Shanxi; Jixiang Temple in Lingchuan, Shanxi; Jixiang Temple in Gutian, Fujian; Jixiang Temple in Jiedong, Guangdong; Jixiang Temple in Chao'an, Guangdong; Jixiang Temple in Chengwu, Shandong; Jixiang Temple in Pixian, Sichuan...
The town and its surroundings boast many unique natural landscapes. Mount Dailuo and Lingjiu Peak feature undulating ridges and peaks, crisscrossing mountain ranges, wildflowers in full bloom, and springs scattered all over. Listen to the tinkling of the springs and admire the beautiful scenery. A gentle breeze brushes your cheeks, refreshing and pleasant — truly a “cool paradise” where “there is never any summer heat.” Taihuai Town is a treasure trove of China’s Buddhist culture and ancient architecture…
The Wutai County Martyrs' Cemetery was built in 1976, covering an area of 18.3 mu. It is located in Xizhuang Village, Tai Cheng Town, faces east with its back to the west, and consists of three parts: the Revolutionary Martyrs Monument, the Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall, and the Exhibition Hall of the Wutai People’s Anti-Japanese and Liberation Struggle History. The Revolutionary Martyrs Monument, standing majestically in the center of the cemetery, is modeled after the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square...
The ruins of the Ancient Zhulin Temple are located in a mountain valley 1,500 meters northeast of Foguang Village, Doucun Town, Wutai County. The founding date is unknown. According to the Wutai County Annals, “Monk Fazhao of the Tang Dynasty once practiced Buddhism here.” Now in ruins, the site covers an area of 1,089 square meters. A batch of stone carvings from the Tang Dynasty were unearthed when the temple was reconstructed in 1998. …
The Monument to Martyr Zhang Yinyuan is located about 15 meters to the right of the main gate of Gengzhen Middle School in Gengzhen Village, Gengzhen Town, Wutai County. The monument stands 1.26 meters tall, 0.63 meters wide, and 0.16 meters thick, covering an area of 0.33 square meters. Its top is round and made of stone. The inscription on the monument reads: “Eternal rest to Comrade Wenyuan” and “During the Anti-Japanese War in 1942, Comrade Zhang…
The former residence of Zhang Yu is located at No. 7, Gangniupo Fort Lane, Nanru Village, Rucun Township, Wutai County. Zhang Yu (1883–1914) was a native of Nanru Village. In 1904, he went to Japan to study. During the 1911 Taiyuan Uprising, he served as captain of the Taiyuan Dare-to-Die Corps and was later appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Shanxi Northern Army and Commander of the Fourth Banner. In 1913...
The former residence of Zhao Chengshou is located at No. 1 Hongdamen Alley, Huaiyin Village, Dongye Town, Wutai County. Zhao Chengshou (1891–1968), courtesy name Yinpu, was a native of Huaiyin. He once served as Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Military Region and Commander-in-Chief of the Field Army under Yan Xishan. After being captured by the People's Liberation Army during the 1948 Shanxi Campaign, he switched sides and contributed to the liberation of Shanxi. After the founding of New China…
Zaochan Jiuguo Pool is located on the summit of Turtle Mountain, 100 meters west of Tanshang Village, Jian’an Township, Wutai County. It is a remnant of Yan Xishan’s “Little Hangzhou” estate at Xihui Villa, built in 1931. The pool measures 14 meters in length, 10 meters in width, and 2.6 meters in depth. The words “Zaochan Jiuguo” (Develop Production to Save the Nation), made of bricks with a cement finish, are embedded in the pool. In earlier years, there was…
The Yangbai Red Flag Commune Gate Tower is located in the center of Yangbai Village, Yangbai Township, Wutai County. In 1958, the Yangbai Commune was renamed the Yangbai Red Flag Commune, and the Red Flag Gate was built that same year. Facing south and covering an area of 442 square meters, the gate serves as the southern entrance to Yangbai Village. It features four pillars and three archways, with the left pillar inscribed with the slogan “Rouse full enthusiasm and strive to be at the forefront,” and the right pillar bearing the phrase “…
The Tuo Liang Section of Yan Xishan's Eastern Mountain Fortifications is located on Nan Tuo Liang Mountain (also known as Rose Tuo), about 5 kilometers southeast of Laobao Gou Village in Menxianshi Township, Wutai County. The Eastern Mountain Fortifications stretch approximately 90 kilometers in total, starting from Dongyukou in Chenjiazhuang Township to the south and reaching Lijiayu in Shizui Township to the north. These fortifications were constructed during...
The former site of Xihui Arsenal is located 500 meters west of Tanshang Village, Jian’an Township, Wutai County. It was established in the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930) by Yan Xishan and ceased operations after the Japanese invasion. Only the remains of a traditional Chinese courtyard house remain, facing east and covering an area of approximately 1,040 square meters. The western side features double five-arch stone-vaulted cave dwellings, with the middle three bays having a front porch supported by pillars with Western-style stone carvings. The middle bay serves as a passageway, leading to an east-west corridor inside, with six stone-vaulted cave dwellings to the south of the corridor...
The former residence of Wang Jingguo is located in Xinhé Village, Taicheng Town, Wutai County. Wang Jingguo (1893–1951), courtesy name Zhian and art name Mengchen, was a native of Xinhé Village in Wutai. During the Xinhai Revolution, he participated in the Shanxi New Army Uprising as part of the Xindai Ning Public Corps. Later, he was selected by Yan Xishan to study at the fifth class of the Baoding Military Academy, where he was known as one of the “Thirteen Tigers” alongside Fu Zuoyi and others. …
The former site of the Tanshang Village Office is located to the west of Tanshang Village, Jian'an Township, Wutai County. Starting in the eighth year of the Republic of China (1919), Yan Xishan reorganized villages and implemented the district-village system, and the Tanshang Village Office was established in the twenty-fourth year of the Republic of China (1935). The site faces west and covers an area of 97 square meters. The surviving structure consists of five stone-arched cave dwellings, with a door set in the central bay...
Shihu Chuan Martyrs' Tower is located in Shihu Chuan Village, Shizui Township, Wutai County. Facing south and north, it covers an area of 17 square meters. In the 27th year of the Republic of China (1938), the tower was built east of the Heavenly King Hall at Tailu Temple to commemorate the martyrs who died in the War of Resistance Against Japan. The front bears Nie Rongzhen’s inscription “Eternal Glory to the National Heroes” and a stele inscribed with “In Memory of the Martyrs Who Died in the Brave Fight Against Japanese Aggression.”
The former residence of Li Lian is located at No. 10, San Nan Alley, Huaixin Village, Dongye Town, Wutai County. Li Lian, whose original name was Zhao Zibin and also known as Liangsheng, was a native of Huaixin Village and was born in 1920. He once served as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the CPC. In 1987, he became the Secretary-General of the Central Advisory Commission of the CPC. The residence faces south and has a single-entry, two-courtyard...
The Monument to the Immortal Spirit of the Martyrs is located in Yanglin Village, Taihuai Town, Wutai County. It faces east and covers an area of 0.56 square meters. Made of white marble, it stands 2.9 meters tall in total, with the main body of the stele being 1.8 meters high, 0.8 meters wide, and 0.2 meters thick; the base is 1.1 meters long, 0.51 meters wide, and 0.3 meters thick. The front of the stele features regular script, with an inscription on the top...