Xiaozhuang Five Emperors Temple, also known as Niuwang Temple because it was expanded from the original Niuwang Temple, has a history of over 500 years. Located at the northern end of the village at the foot of Jian Mountain, it faces the temple in the southern part of the village across the river, with Keluo to the east and Ji River to the west. Majestic in stature and profound in cultural significance, it is the finest ancient structure within Baihangli. The temple enshrines the Five Emperors of the Chinese nation: the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu...
The Yang Family Courtyard, also known as the "Old Lion Courtyard," is the ancestral home of the Yang family, whose literary legacy has flourished and been passed down for over eight hundred years. Members of the Yang family produced five imperial examination jinshi degree holders and several provincial degree holders during the Jin, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Notable figures include Yang Shu and Yang Zhi, who served as censors in Henan and Shaanxi, respectively. During the Republican era, Yang Nianxian and Yang Lanjie were renowned epigraphers and calligraphers...
The Li Family Courtyard, also known as the former residence of Li Sixiao, consists of two main sections: the eastern and western courtyards. The eastern courtyard comprises ten individual compounds, notable for its grand scale and ingenious layout. The largest compound features a three-courtyard design with a central hall, while the smallest spans only a few dozen square meters, serving as auxiliary or side yards. The existing gate plaque was added after the expansion by Li Fan, a late Ming scholar and former magistrate of Chaoyi County in Shaanxi, who retired here...
Ancient Tuncheng Village, also known as "Tiger Valley," is located 15 kilometers east of Yangcheng County in Jincheng City, Shanxi Province. It lies to the west of the Qinhe River, the second-largest river in Shanxi, and earned the name "Tuncheng" (Garrison Town) because during the Battle of Changping, the Qin general Bai Qi built a fortress here to station troops and store provisions. The village currently has a population of 1,100 and covers a total area of 3.85 square kilometers. Nestled against mountains and beside water, it lies…
Shangfu Grand Temple (Fifth Batch of Provincial Protected Sites) Era: Ming and Qing Dynasties Address: Shangfu Village, Runcheng Town, Yangcheng County Shangfu Grand Temple, with an unknown date of establishment, currently features architecture from the Ming and Qing periods. The temple faces south with its back to the north, situated on higher ground in the north and sloping down to the south. It covers an area of approximately 2,318 square meters, with a built-up area of around 1,666 square meters. The complex consists of three temples, five courtyards, and sixteen halls...
Nan Jixiang Temple (Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Era: Song to Qing Dynasties Address: Pincun Village, Liyi Town, 17 kilometers west of Lingchuan County Originally named Jixiang Monastery. According to the “Inscription and Preface of the Jixiang Monastery” stele, it was built by imperial decree during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. The temple was originally located in Songjiachuan, Pincun, and on the third day of the tenth month of the third year of the Chunhua era of the Song Dynasty (993), it was bestowed an official plaque by imperial order. In the eighth year of the Tian Sheng era (1030)...
In recent years, a natural mountain (named Yao Ding Shan) resembling a millennia-old, face-up reclining Buddha has been discovered near Xizhashui Village in Magedang Township, over 30 kilometers southeast of Lingchuan County. The resemblance is striking. Viewed from the road by Xizhashui Village, about ten kilometers away, the reclining Buddha stretches approximately ten Chinese miles from head (north) to feet (south), with its head, body, and feet proportionally well-formed...
The Sendai scenic area is located within the jurisdiction of Fucheng Town, about 30 kilometers southeast of Lingchuan County. The area sits at an altitude between 800 and 1,500 meters, featuring mainly hills and mountains composed primarily of limestone, covering a total area of approximately 100 square kilometers. The area is dotted with towering peaks, crisscrossing canyons, dense forests, meandering streams, and cultural relics...
Xiyagou is located at the easternmost edge of Lingchuan County, at the border between Shanxi and Henan provinces. The village has 217 households with over 840 residents scattered across a mountain valley spanning 11.5 square kilometers. Surrounded by towering peaks and deep ravines, generations of villagers have lived here in near isolation, making their way up and down the steep cliffs every day...
Thousand Buddha Sculpture Stele (Second Batch of Provincial-level Protected Cultural Relics) Era: Sui Dynasty Location: North of Pingchuan Village, Liyi Town, Lingchuan County The stele is made of sandstone, standing 3.2m tall and 1.1m wide. It features over 400 Buddha statues of various sizes on its front, back, left, and right sides. The front of the stele is divided into upper and lower sections: the upper part has 13 tiers of small seated Buddhas, while the lower part contains a niche...
Nanzhao Confucius Temple (Fourth Batch of Provincial-level Protected Sites) Era: Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties Address: Nanzhao Village, Pingcheng Town, Lingchuan County Nanzhao Confucius Temple is located in the center of Nanzhao Village, Pingcheng Town, Lingchuan County. It faces south and has a single-courtyard layout. The temple measures 38.5 meters from north to south and 23.3 meters from east to west, covering an area of 897 square meters. The exact date of its initial construction is unknown,...
Nanyang Palace (Nanyang Palace, listed in the Fourth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Era: Ming Dynasty Location: Dongzhang Village, Lucheng Town, Lingchuan County Originally built during the Northern Song Dynasty, it underwent multiple renovations during the Ming, Qing, and Republic of China periods. It consists of three courtyards, with main structures including a theater stage, east and west viewing pavilions, the Five Plague Halls, the Stone Buddha Hall, the Gao? Shrine, the Three Immortals Hall, and east and west side halls. The Five Plague Halls are three bays wide and four rafters deep…
Xiaohui Ridge Erxian Temple Xiaohui Ridge Erxian Temple (Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Era: Northern Song to Qing Dynasty Address: Xiaohui Village, Fucheng Town, 17 kilometers southwest of Lingchuan County The temple enshrines the two goddesses Chonghui and Chongshu, hence the name. The founding date of the temple is unknown. The existing structures include a main hall from the Song Dynasty, while the rest were built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temple faces south and has a single-courtyard layout, covering…
Longyan Temple (listed in the fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Era: Jin and Ming Dynasties Address: Liangquan Village, Liyi Town, 10 km west of Lingchuan County The founding date is unknown. According to inscriptions in the temple, it was originally named Longquan Temple and served as a place where local people prayed for rain and blessings. In the second year of the Zongzhang era of the Tang Dynasty (669 AD), it was called Longyan Temple, with “furniture cast in gold to make statues” inside the halls. In the seventh year of the Tian...
The Tashuihe Site (Sixth Batch National Heritage) Era: Paleolithic Age Location: Tashuihe Village, Duohe Township, Lingchuan County It is a cave-type rock shelter site. The site has yielded human skull fossils, mammal fossils, stone artifacts, burnt bones, as well as a large number of fragmented bone pieces and ash layers. The stone artifacts are mostly made of black...
Yuquan Dongyue Temple (Class VI National Heritage Site) Era: Jin to Qing Dynasties Address: Yucun Village, Fucheng Town, Lingchuan County The construction date is unknown, but it was renovated during both the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temple faces south and consists of a single courtyard complex. Major structures include the mountain gate (also serving as a theater stage), worship hall, main hall, side rooms, and auxiliary halls. Among them, the main hall is a remnant structure from the Jin Dynasty, the mountain gate is from the Ming Dynasty...
Shizhang Jade Emperor Temple (Shizhang Jade Emperor Temple) (Sixth Batch of National Heritage Sites) Era: Jin to Qing Dynasties Address: Shizhang Village, Lucheng Town, Lingchuan County The construction date is unknown. The existing structures date from the Jin, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It is a single-courtyard complex, divided into three terraced levels according to the terrain. Key buildings include the mountain gate, the main hall, as well as side halls on the east and west, wing rooms, and auxiliary rooms. The main hall is a remnant of the Jin Dynasty…
White Jade Palace (White Jade Palace) (Sixth Batch National Heritage Site) Era: Jin to Qing Dynasties Address: Jiadi Village, Lucheng Town, Lingchuan County Renovated during the Daguang to Chongqing years of the Jin Dynasty, with subsequent repairs in later dynasties. It is divided into three courtyards, covering an area of 2,750 square meters. Major structures include the mountain gate, reverse-facing theater stage, passageway hall, main hall, east and west side halls, and east and west wing rooms. The main...
Nanshentou Erxian Temple (Nanshentou Erxian Temple) (Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Period: Jin to Qing Dynasties Address: Shige Luan Village, Lucheng Town, Lingchuan County The founding date is unknown. It underwent large-scale renovations during the Qing Dynasty. The temple is a single-courtyard complex facing south and situated on a north-south axis, covering an area of 1,000 square meters with a built-up area of 343 square meters. Existing structures include the main hall, east and west...
SIRUN THREE RELIGIONS TEMPLE (Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Era: Jin Dynasty Address: Sirun Village, Yangcun Town, Lingchuan County The original construction date is unknown. Currently, only the main hall remains as a structure from the Jin Dynasty. The main hall is a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof building with a square floor plan, built on a stone platform measuring 13.5 meters in length, 11.9 meters in width, and 1.4 meters in height. It is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a lower-level corridor, stone pillars, and intricately carved bracket sets. The roof tiles are black-glazed, and the wooden components are well-preserved. The architectural structure features refined craftsmanship and elegant proportions. The wooden framework employs the traditional method of interlocking brackets, and the bracket arms are particularly graceful. It is renowned as “a rare gem among civil architecture of the Jin Dynasty” and is highly praised for its exquisite beauty. Further reading: