Temple of the Earth Goddess in Wanrong

　　The Temple of the Earth Goddess in Wanrong, commonly known as the Earth Goddess Temple, is located on the eastern bank of the Yellow River, about 40 kilometers southwest of Wanrong County, Shanxi Province. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the temple was situated in Fenyin. Historical records indicate that this area was once part of the renowned "Fenyin Suidi," and since the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the Fenyin Temple of the Earth Goddess had become a sacred site where emperors of successive dynasties offered sacrifices to the Earth God and prayed for the prosperity and well-being of the people. In the seventh year of the Yuanyuan era of Emperor Wen of Han (163 BC), the Fenyin Temple was built, and in the second year of the Yuanshou era of Emperor Wu (126 BC), the Temple of the Earth Goddess was constructed. Thereafter, during the Eastern Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, the temple was expanded multiple times. By the fourth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1012 AD), the temple had reached an expansive scale and enjoyed its peak in ceremonial significance. However, it suffered repeated damage from floods of the Yellow River, and the original Temple of the Earth Goddess was submerged. In the ninth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1874 AD), the temple was relocated and rebuilt at its current site. Most of the existing structures date back to the late Qing Dynasty, but the main gate still originates from the Yuan Dynasty, while the Autumn Wind Tower is a remnant from the Ming Dynasty, featuring Yuan Dynasty stone inscriptions of Emperor Wu of Han’s “Autumn Wind Ode.”

　　The temple complex faces south and has an overall rectangular layout running from north to south, covering an area of approximately 17,600 square meters. Along the central axis are the main gate, theater stage, offering hall, worship pavilion, Hall of the Holy Mother, and the Autumn Wind Tower. On both sides of the offering hall are the East and West Five Tiger Halls, and to the east of the Hall of the Holy Mother is the stele pavilion. The main gate primarily features a three-bay hip-and-gable roof structure, with side gable-roofed auxiliary gates integrated with the main gate. The rear eaves form a corridor that serves as a performance stage for sacrificial music. Inside the temple, there are two parallel theater stages that connect with the inverted-stage theater inside the main gate, forming a “品” (pronounced “pin”) character shape in plan view—hence the common name “Pin Character Theater.”

　　The Autumn Wind Tower is situated at the very back, built atop a high platform. It has three stories, stands over 33 meters tall, and measures five bays in both width and depth. The tower is crowned with a cross-hipped roof. Inside, twelve vertical columns run all the way to the rooftop. The Autumn Wind Tower is grand, elegant, graceful, and tall, representing a fine example of traditional Chinese pavilion architecture. It is especially famous for housing a Yuan Dynasty stone inscription of Emperor Wu of Han’s “Autumn Wind Ode.”

　　The Temple of the Earth Goddess houses precious cultural relics such as iron bells, iron cauldrons, stone incense burners, drum stands, as well as the Song Dynasty “Screen Wall Stele,” Jin Dynasty “Temple Appearance Stele,” and Yuan Dynasty “Autumn Wind Ode” stele.

　　In November 1996, the Temple of the Earth Goddess in Wanrong was designated by the State Council as part of the fourth group of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites.