Jiangshen Temple

　　Jiangshen Temple is situated on South Jialing Road in Lueyang County and is a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit. It is the most intact ancient theater building complex of the Di-Qiang ethnic style preserved in China’s Yangtze River basin. The entire compound was built taking advantage of the natural terrain elevation changes, covering an area of over 2,000 square meters. The overall architecture embodies the distinctive features of "seeing walls but no wood from the outside, and seeing wood but no walls from the inside," with an emphasis on painted artwork and wood carvings. Inside the temple, there are nearly 400 murals and wood carvings depicting ancient folk customs, mythological legends, traditional rituals, and opera stories, all of which hold significant value for cultural relics research and archaeology, as well as strong appeal for folk tourism.

　　According to the "Lueyang County Annals – Records of Literature and Art": “The King’s Temple (i.e., Jiangshen Temple or Water God Temple) was renovated in the years of Ji Hai and Geng Zi (likely the 19th and 20th years of the Daoguang reign period, i.e., 1839–1840), and was refurbished to a resplendent golden brilliance.” Additionally, according to the “Inscription for the Reconstruction of the Wenchang Temple,” it was rebuilt in the 21st year of the Daoguang reign period. As for when it was originally built, there is no stone tablet evidence. Based on estimates, it existed no later than the late Ming or early Qing Dynasty. Currently, the temple consists of three connected courtyards covering a total area of about 1,210 square meters, with a width of 22 meters and a depth of 55 meters. The Ziyun Palace, also known as the New Jiangshen Temple, is located at Gaotaizi Primary School within Lueyang County. It includes a quadrangle courtyard connected to an ancient theater stage, with twelve side rooms on both sides, and ancient-style pyramidal spire bell and drum towers at both ends. During the Lantern Festival, lantern riddle guessing activities are also held.

　　The most distinctive features of Jiangshen Temple are its emphasis on wood carving and painted artwork, highlighting external splendor, rich regional and ethnic characteristics. These ancient structures do not use the dougong (bracket sets) typical of Han Chinese architecture, but instead make extensive use of barrier boards to cover the eaves rafters and internal beam structures. They rely on angled supporting columns to bear the upward pressure of the upturned roof corners, and these slanting wooden pillars are carved as stout, fierce tigers, adding solemnity and a unique charm to the ancient buildings. The painted art on the ancient structures includes beast-head pattern paintings, Di-Qiang figure paintings, and high-relief figure story images. The beast-head patterns often depict animals such as bears, wild boars, and flying monkeys, characterized by strong local flavor and realistic style, related to the Di-Qiang people's religious practices of "nature worship" and "totem worship." The figures of the Di-Qiang people feature novel designs, with clothing and attire distinctly different from the Han Chinese. One painting depicts a general with a high nose, thick eyebrows, large eyes, wearing a pointed sheephorn hat adorned with a golden pheasant feather on top, hair draped beside the ears, a cape over armor, and pointed rolled-toe leather boots on his feet. The high-relief figure story images mostly consist of figures and floral designs, including depictions of Qiang people.

　　Jiangshen Temple faces west and is situated approximately 65 meters from east to west and 30 meters from north to south, covering a floor area of nearly 2,000 square meters. The overall architectural layout makes use of the terrain’s elevation differences and adopts the traditional Chinese residential layout, forming an upper, middle, and lower three-courtyard complex. From west to east, it consists of a theater stage, passageway hall, front hall, rear hall, and side corridors, all arranged compactly and logically. The group of buildings has an external solid wall structure that forms an enclosed space, achieving the effect of “seeing walls but no wood from the outside, and seeing wood but no walls from the inside.” The theater stage is three bays wide and four bays deep; the ground floor serves as the entrance to Jiangshen Temple, while the second floor contains the stage and makeup room separated by wooden partitions. The railings and eave brackets are exquisitely carved. The passageway hall, front hall, and rear hall are each five bays wide, all featuring post-and-lintel wooden frameworks.

　　All architectural details of Jiangshen Temple emphasize wood carvings and painted artwork, presenting an externally ornate appearance rich in regional and ethnic characteristics. The eaves extensively use wind-shielding boards to cover the internal beam structures. The angled support columns of the theater stage’s upturned corners are carved as golden tigers and are integrated with human figures, adding solemnity and a unique charm to the building. The subject matter of the wood carvings on the theater’s railings is diverse, including beast-head pattern paintings, Di-Qiang figures, and relief story images. The beast-head patterns mostly depict animals such as bears, pigs, and monkeys, with the entire temple featuring nearly 300 such illustrations. The Di-Qiang figures have distinctive appearances, and their clothing and attire are notably different from the Han Chinese. The relief figure story images mostly depict figures and flowers, with some depictions of Qiang people. Currently, only 215 wood carvings remain, showcasing a strong Qiang cultural character and realistic style. East of the theater stage is a courtyard, with two-story side halls on both sides. The ground floor walls display Lueyang folk songs and love songs, while the second floor exhibits Lueyang folk character legends and stories. Further east, ascending a small flight of steps and crossing a delicate marble bridge leads to the front hall of the Jiangshen Hall. Dragons are carved around the pillars, with the river god depicted sitting atop a dragon, one hand grasping a dragon horn and the other pointing to the sky. On both sides of the front hall are two small side rooms, which in ancient times served as rest areas for boatmen. Proceeding eastward from the front hall and ascending more steps leads to the rear hall. Between the front and rear halls is a small courtyard, with two side rooms on each side. The rear hall functions as a calligraphy and painting exhibition room, where the scent of ink and brushwork greets visitors upon entry.