Bao Feng Lake Scenic Area

　　Bao Feng Lake is located 30 kilometers west of Xiangyuan County, adjacent to National Highway 208, the Taiyuan–Jiaozuo Railway, and the Taiyuan–Changzhi Expressway. With a total water storage capacity of 130 million cubic meters and a surface area of 10,000 mu, the lake is surrounded by numerous historic sites and revolutionary landmarks. These include the Bao Feng Temple, originally built during the Three Kingdoms period; the Ma Yi Cave, the dwelling place of the Ma Yi Patriarch; Gong Jia Gou, the hometown of the famous Eastern Jin Dynasty monk Faxian; the battlefield and monument of the Tulu Ambush during the Shangdang Campaign. According to planning, the Bao Feng Lake tourism development zone will include nine major scenic areas: the Bao Feng Temple Area, Water Park, Faxian’s Former Residence Area, Water Adventure Zone, Folk Culture Area, Revolutionary Holy Site Area, Lakeside Villa Area, Leisure Resort Area, Commercial Service Area, and 108 scenic spots. These span a total of 53 square kilometers across 23 villages.

　　Bao Feng Temple was originally built during the Three Kingdoms period. It is the earliest, largest, most exquisitely crafted, and home to the most renowned monks among temples in Xiangyuan’s history. The famous Eastern Jin Dynasty monk Faxian (a native of Xiangyuan) became a monk here. Faxian was the first person in Chinese history to journey to the West (India) in search of Buddhist scriptures, 230 years before Monk Xuanzang. He was also the first person in world history to reach the American continent, 1080 years before the Italian Columbus. Faxian made outstanding contributions in both Chinese and global history and gained great fame. He is revered as one of the “Ten Great Monks” by historians and the Buddhist community.

　　The restoration project of Bao Feng Temple commenced in March 2004, took over two years to complete, and cost 21.5 million yuan. The restored temple was rebuilt on its original site, maintaining the architectural style, overall layout, and general appearance of the original. Covering an area of 1,500 square meters, it consists of four courtyards and includes 23 buildings with a total of 87 rooms.

　　The largest Buddha hall, the Thunder Sound Hall, features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, gold-traced large dot-gold paintings, and measures 33 meters in length, 22 meters in width, and 19 meters in height. The three great Buddhas enshrined inside are gilded wooden seated statues, with a combined height of 6.5 meters. The corner tower in the third courtyard is the second-largest structure after the Thunder Sound Hall. It has two stories, doors at both the front and back, intricately carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves, and upturned corners, making it a spectacular sight. There are several similar structures in the temple, all of which hold high ornamental value.

　　Phone: 0355-7224521

　　Address: Xiangyuan County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province