Chongqing Temple in Zhangzi

　　Chongqing Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, located at the foot of Ziyun Mountain, 22.5 kilometers southeast of Zhangzi County, Shanxi Province. Chongqing Temple was first built in the ninth year of Daguan reign during the Northern Song Dynasty (1016 AD). The entire temple faces south, with the Thousand Buddha Hall to the north, the Reclining Buddha Hall to the east, the Hall of Three Great Bodhisattvas and Eighteen Arhats to the west, and the Heavenly King Hall to the south. An entrance gate stands to the southeast, with the Guan Yu Hall to the east of the gate and the Ten Yama Kings Hall to the northwest. To the southwest is the Hall of the Elder Who Gives Alms. The small courtyard to the east serves as the monks' living quarters.

　　Chongqing Temple (Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

　　Period: Song Dynasty

　　Address: On the mountainside of Ziyun Mountain, 22 kilometers southeast of Zhangzi County

　　Admission: Free. Currently under repair and temporarily closed to the public. It is expected to reopen with a fee soon. My fellow car renter knew the maintenance staff and thus we were allowed to visit the temple.

　　Transportation: Inconvenient. It is 5 kilometers from Faxing Temple. It is recommended to hire a private car for a one-way trip at 20 RMB and round trip at 30–40 RMB.

　　Chongqing Temple is divided into the front temple and the back temple. The front is the Huguo Lingkuangwang Temple, and the back is Chongqing Temple, with a distance of 200 meters between them. The Huguo Lingkuangwang Temple was established in the fourth year of Xuanhe reign during the Northern Song Dynasty (1122 AD) and underwent multiple renovations in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The existing structures date back to the Ming and Qing periods. The temple has two courtyards arranged in an essentially symmetrical layout, covering a total area of 2,081.13 square meters, with a built-up area of 1,256.83 square meters. The central axis features the Mountain Gate, the King’s Hall (main hall), and the King’s Palace (bedroom hall). Flanking the Mountain Gate are side towers and side gates. The front courtyard has corridors on both the eastern and western sides. To the east and west of the main hall are the Gao? Shrine and the Medicine King Shrine, respectively. The rear courtyard has wing rooms on both the eastern and western sides (the eastern one has collapsed but the foundation remains). On either side of the rear hall are the East and West Ear Halls, which are the White-Robed Hall and the Great Mercy Hall, respectively. There are nine stone steles from the Qing Dynasty preserved in the temple.

　　Chongqing Temple was first built in the ninth year of Daguan reign during the Northern Song Dynasty (1016 AD). In the second year of Yuanfeng reign (1079 AD), the statues were fully completed, and expansions and renovations were carried out in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. According to a stele from the third year of Jiaqing reign in the Qing Dynasty: “The Thousand Buddha Hall is to the north, the Reclining Buddha Hall to the east, the Bodhisattva Hall to the west, and the Heavenly King Hall to the south...” The current overall layout of the buildings largely matches this description.