Nanyang Fawang Temple

　　    Situated 4 kilometers southwest of Jishan County, Shanxi Province, in Nanyang Village. The year of its founding is uncertain. It was reconstructed during the Yuan Dynasty, and in the seventh year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1471), a dance hall (wuting) was added. Further partial renovations were carried out during the Qing Dynasty. The temple features an open and spacious layout with magnificent architecture. The mountain gate consists of three bays, and the dance hall is surrounded by corridors. To the left and right, the Hall of the Ten Generals and the Hall of the Goddess of Earth stand facing each other. The main hall has five bays, flanked by side chambers. Originally named the Fawang Hall, the main hall is of the xieshan style, with a front eave corridor, bracket sets in the five-purlin style, and diagonal brackets in the intercolumnar spaces—its structure is simple yet refined. The side chambers house deities representing the Nine Luminaries and Seven Stars, while the Hall of the Goddess of Earth to the south is also a Yuan Dynasty structure. These buildings come in both xieshan and xiēshān styles, differ in placement, and feature distinct structures. The dance hall is located in front of the main hall and was once used for theatrical performances during religious ceremonies. It is square in shape with three bays, surrounded by corridors on three sides, and topped with a hip-and-gable roof in the cross style. The bracket sets under the eaves are in the five-purlin style with double downward cantilevers and centralized hearting. The beam framework is exquisitely crafted with refined construction techniques. The roof is adorned with complete glazed ridge ornaments featuring delicate shapes and vibrant colors. In the Ming Dynasty theaters of southern Shanxi, interior columns were already used to divide the stage into front and back areas, but this square dance hall lacks interior columns and still follows the ancient design of Yuan Dynasty music towers, making it a valuable physical relic in the history of Chinese theater. A stone stele in the temple, inscribed with the "Record of the Construction of the Dance Hall" from the seventh year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, contains a complete site plan of the temple and is well preserved.