Wuyi Yanfu Temple

　　Yanfu Temple is situated beside Fuping Mountain, east of Taocun Village in Taoxi Town, Wuyi County. It was first established in the second year of the Tianfu era (937) of the Later Jin Dynasty by the monk Zongyi, originally named Futian Temple. During the Shaoxi era (1190–1194) of the Song Dynasty, it was granted the name Yanfu. In the ninth year of the Kangxi reign (1670) of the Qing Dynasty, the Guanyin Hall and both corridors were rebuilt. From the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign (1730) to the thirteenth year of the Qianlong reign (1748), the main hall underwent multiple renovations, and the Heavenly King Hall along with side corridor wing rooms were added. In the thirty-first year of the Guangxu reign (1905), the Guanyin Hall was reconstructed. The existing architectural complex is arranged along a central axis, consisting of the mountain gate, Heavenly King Hall, main hall, and Guanyin Hall. Flanking wing rooms are situated on both sides, with a Longevity Pond between the halls, and a stone stream well at the rear.

　　The main hall was rebuilt in the fourth year of the Yuanguang era (1317) during the Yuan Dynasty, making it the earliest surviving Yuan Dynasty structure discovered in southern China. The hall has a square floor plan, measuring 11.8 meters in both width and depth, with five bays. It features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, with the lower eave being an addition made during repairs in the Tianshun era (1457–1464) of the Ming Dynasty. Except for the outer eave columns, the rest are polygonal (spindle) columns. The column bases include one type adorned with carved lotus petal designs atop a inverted-bowl base, and another type with a polygonal form. Between the front eave columns and the inner columns, a curved beam is used, supported by a short column (shuzhu) shaped like a melon, with its lower end carved into an eagle’s beak—a rare early example in surviving ancient Chinese architecture. The main hall has a depth of eight rafters (or ten if including the double-eave section). The flat beam does not have a central pillar, and a bracket set is placed in the middle of the beam, though without a forked arm. Below the architrave is a secondary beam, without using a horizontal beam (pubaifang)—a common construction method for Yuan Dynasty architecture in southern China. Between the bottom of the flat beam and the top of the inner column, an arched moon beam is added to serve as a tension member, marking an early instance of this technique in southern Chinese arched moon beams.

　　The bracket sets (dougong) in the main hall are arranged with three sets in the central bay, one set each in the side and end bays; on the mountain-facing side, the first, second, and fourth bays each have one set, while the third bay has three sets. The upper eave bracket sets have six tiers with a single bracket arm and double downward cantilevers, constructed with single arches—the first jump of the bracket arm is open-hearted, while the second and third jumps feature downward cantilevers with a V-shaped profile, their lower ends notably enlarged. The lower eave bracket sets use smaller materials than those of the upper eave, with five tiers featuring double bracket arms and a single crossbeam, also open-hearted in construction, with the rear section having double bracket arms that are open-hearted.