Taiyin Temple

　　   Taiyin Temple was first constructed during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 AD), and has been extensively repaired in the third year of the Tianhe era of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (568 AD), the first year of the Yonghui era of the Tang Dynasty (650 AD), the twentieth year of the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty (1180 AD), and the first year of the Dade era of the Yuan Dynasty (1297 AD).

　　   The original structures were grand and imposing, with numerous stone steles standing in the temple grounds. The North Hall was burned down in the fifth year of the Republic of China (1916), and the current North Hall is a relocated ancestral shrine from the vicinity. The surviving South Main Hall retains the architectural style of the Jin Dynasty. Taiyin Temple faces south while its back is to the north, hence the name “Taiyin” (meaning “Great Yin” or “Moon Temple”). The temple houses China’s largest single-log carved reclining Buddha. According to a Yuan Dynasty stele inscription, this statue of the Buddha entering Nirvana was carved when the temple was renovated and the Zhaocheng Jinzang (Zhaocheng Canon) was supplemented by Master Yun and Master Fashu (whose statues are located on the west side of the shrine) during the twentieth year of the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty (1180 AD). At the same time, three images of the Sages were also carved. The Zhaocheng Jinzang, the earliest and most complete version of the Buddhist canon still in existence among all historical editions, is now the national treasure of the National Library of China and is hailed as the most ambitious scripture project in history. The carving, continuation, supplementation, and printing of the canon spanned the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, with Taiyin Temple serving as one of the key sites for its engraving and printing. Within the shrine is a set of mourning murals painted in the fifth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1372 AD). Large-scale murals were also painted on the walls of the North and South Halls. Unfortunately, the extremely precious Jin Dynasty murals and the heads of the Three Sages statues inside the hall were sold to the Dutch Empire in the twelfth year of the Republic of China (1923 AD) by local gentry in collusion with antique dealers.

　　   Taiyin Temple is a precious cultural heritage for the study of ancient Chinese architecture, mural painting, sculpture, and Buddhist history. In 1986, it was designated as a “Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit of Shanxi Province” by the provincial government. In 2001, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council.