Lingqing Temple in Ruicheng

　　Lingqing Temple (fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

　　Era: Yuan Dynasty

　　Address: 25 kilometers northeast of Ruicheng County, Ximo Town, west of Potou Village

　　Lingqing Temple is located at the western part of Potou Village.

　　According to temple inscriptions, the temple was originally built in the seventh year of the Yuandade era (1303 AD) during the Yuan Dynasty, and was renovated during both the Ming and Qing dynasties. Most of the original structures have been lost, leaving only the Mahavira Hall, which dates back to the Yuan Dynasty.

　　The temple faces south. The Mahavira Hall is situated in the northern part of the temple complex, measuring five bays in width and three bays in depth, with a single-eave hanging hip roof. It covers a floor area of 572 square meters. The front terrace is spacious, and the hall’s roof is covered with tubular and flat tiles. The bracket sets (dougong) are intricately arranged, extending outwards with prominent depth and curvature, showcasing the elegant and vigorous style characteristic of the Yuan Dynasty. The intercolumniation is broad, with the ridge beam reaching a height of 8.83 meters. The roof framework adopts an exposed rafter system (cheshang luming zao), using raw timber construction methods. The front and rear pairs of bracket arms (ru'niuzhu) support the main beams, while the purlins and rafters are elaborately structured and tightly fitted, reflecting distinctive architectural features of the period.

　　In front of the hall, there are seven Yuan Dynasty steles, four Ming Dynasty steles, and two Qing Dynasty steles.