Jishan Jiwang Temple

　　The Jishan Jiwang Temple, situated on the north side of Xijie Pedestrian Street in Jishan County, is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. It was established in the fifth year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1345), destroyed by fire in the sixteenth year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty (1836), and rebuilt in the twenty-third year (1843). It covers an area of 10,080 square meters. The temple faces south and features a two-courtyard layout. Along the central axis are the Mountain Gate, Offering Hall, Houji Tower, Bagua Pavilion, and Jiang?? Hall, with Bell and Drum Towers on both sides. The Offering Hall has six bays, a single-eave hanging gable roof, and glazed tile decoration, with large stone carvings embedded in the east and west gable walls. The main hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, three bays in width and depth, with three-step single-kick bracket sets, richly decorated. Its front has 10 pillars, forming a screen-like railing with 52 patterned stone slabs. The Jiang?? Hall has three bays, a single-eave hanging gable roof, and is covered with cylindrical tiles. The Bagua Pavilion is a remnant structure from the Yuan Dynasty, while the Offering Hall, Houji Tower, Bell Tower, and Drum Tower date to the Qing Dynasty.

　　There are eight Qing Dynasty steles preserved in the temple.

　　On the gable walls on either side of the Offering Hall are stone carvings. The west wall features “Jiwang Temple Completion Ode,” a seven-character ancient-style poem composed by Li Jingchun, the magistrate of Jishan County during the Qing Dynasty, commemorating the reconstruction of the temple. In its elegant wording and vigorous calligraphy, one can sense the magistrate’s satisfaction in building this place of public reverence. The east wall of the Offering Hall depicts the “Eight Scenic Spots of Jishan,” including “Layered Greenery of Jifeng,” “Clear Mist over Guye,” “Sweet Spring 0,” “Dawn Light over Xiling,” and “Autumn Wind at Yubi.” These artworks portray the once-brilliant passage of time in this cradle of agricultural civilization, expressing former artistic splendor through form. The stone pillars in front of and behind the main hall are carved with couplets: “Thoughtful culture complements heaven, laying the foundation of an 800-year-old royal legacy; nurturing life as decreed by the emperor, opening the source of grain for countless generations” and “Hard work of farming by Houji, whose contributions nourish generations; people’s reverence for his virtue raises this sacred temple for a thousand autumns.” Every stroke showcases craftsmanship, every phrase reveals deep meaning, achieving perfect harmony between form and content.

　　The stone carvings on the east and west walls, along with the couplets on the main hall pillars, the seventy-six railing panels, and the twenty large stone pillars around the corridor, constitute one of the “Three Wonders” of Jiwang Temple — exquisite stone carving. Among them, the most breathtaking are the two coiled dragon stone pillars in front of the main hall’s entrance. One pillar features a fire dragon amid leaping flames and a soaring vermilion bird; the other shows a water dragon rising through surging clouds and leaping fish. These masterpieces display the cultural symbolism of the dragon totem in ancient Chinese civilization with incredible artistry. The corridor is enclosed by a screen-like railing made of 52 carved stone slabs, featuring patterns of landscapes, figures, flowers, birds, and beasts, including themes such as the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, Fishermen and Woodcutters Farming and Studying, Pine and Crane Symbolizing Longevity, and King Wen Visiting Virtuous Scholars. The railing pillars are carved with lotus flowers, while the finials feature designs of peonies, chrysanthemums, pumpkins, monkeys, lions, and human figures, all varied in shape, vivid, and lifelike. The glazed tile roof is magnificent, especially the ornate carvings on the main ridge. At the center are three triple-eave glazed towers, topped with delicate iron carvings, together forming the “Nine Phoenixes Facing the Sun” motif, appearing ready to take flight. Flanking these are reliefs of peony and peony leaf patterns, with flying horses at the top and dragon heads swallowing the ridge ends at both sides. The designs are vivid, brightly colored, and represent some of the finest Qing Dynasty glazed works. The sound of chisels from a hundred years ago echoes through millennia, giving Chinese civilization a rhythm of rise and fall.

　　The second wonder of Jiwang Temple is its magnificent glazed tiles. Upon entering the temple and looking up at the rooftops, one enters a dazzling world of art. The colorful roof tiles, the floral, heavenly horse, divine beast, and human figures on the ridge ornaments, and the towering chiwen dragon heads at either end of the main ridge — all make one forget whether they are admiring ancient Chinese culture or wandering through a magnificent art palace.

　　The oldest stele in the temple dates to the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. Though it does not record the temple’s founding, it proves that the Ming Dynasty was also an essential stop in passing on the legacy of Houji’s civilization. The third and most remarkable wonder of Jiwang Temple is its marvelous wood carvings. Their wonder lies in using static techniques to depict flowing history and silent brushstrokes to illustrate a vibrant world. It is a dynamic, living three-dimensional painting. On it are depictions of Houji holding ears of grain, farmers plowing and sowing, hardworking oxen and horses, rolling millstones, and winnowing fans. The figures on the painting are both Houji and the Zhou tribe who initiated agricultural civilization in the past, and the common people today who continue the agricultural legacy with spring planting, summer tending, autumn harvest, and winter storage along the path laid by Houji. Thus, this painting is not so much “hung” on the front eaves of the Offering Hall, but rather on the pillar of a nation’s faith — where every movement resonates with the music of past and present. Also suspended high is an eternal theme — “She” and “Ji,” “land” and “grain.”

　　Phone: 0359-5522446

　　Address: Jishan County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province