Shangdang has always been the backbone of the world | The wooden building of the Yuan Dynasty that Liang Sicheng missed

|The wooden building from the Yuan Dynasty, a national treasure that Liang Sicheng missed. Everyone knows about Shanxi's "South Tower and North Tower", namely the wooden tower "Feiyun Tower" built in the Ming Dynasty in Wanrong County, Yuncheng, southern Shanxi, and the wooden tower "Fogong Sakya Tower" built in the Liao Dynasty in Ying County, Shuozhou, northern Shanxi. However, few people know that in the southeast of Shanxi, there is a wooden five-story pavilion built in the Yuan Dynasty - the Wufeng Tower of Yuhuang Temple in Changzhi, which is also a wonder of Chinese wooden structure pavilion-style architecture. The architectural masters Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin visited Shanxi four times, but due to the limitations of terrain, transportation and the background of the times, they missed the treasure trove of ancient buildings in southeastern Shanxi. A number of outstanding ancient buildings like the Wufeng Tower were buried in the public's view, which is a pity. But I don’t want this to become a regret. So after visiting Kaihua Temple in Gaoping, we drove here. Su Shi has a poem that says: "Shangdang has always been the backbone of the world." Shangdang is located on the top of Taihang Mountain, with the highest terrain and a direct connection with the sky. In ancient times, Shangdang was a place of strategic importance. It overlooked the Yellow River from the highest point, and could threaten Chang'an and Xianyang on the left and Luoyang, the eastern capital, on the right. From ancient times to the present, from the Battle of Changping to the Battle of Shangdang, thousands of wars have broken out in this area. Today, Shangdang District is a district under the jurisdiction of Changzhi City, and Wufeng Tower is located here. Changzhi Jade Emperor Temple is located in Nansong Village, Nansong Town, Shangdang District, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. The founding date is unknown, but it was established in the seventh year of Zhizheng in the Yuan Dynasty (1347). It was repaired in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It worships the five daughters of the Jade Emperor who came to the human world, called the "Five Phoenixes". Wufeng Tower is the core building and mountain gate of Yuhuang Temple. It was built in the seventh year of Zhizheng Period in Yuan Dynasty. It is three rooms wide and deep, with a five-eaved hip roof. The brackets are majestic and the eaves are deep, with the majestic style of Yuan Dynasty, like a phoenix spreading its wings. The pavilion appears to have five floors, but is actually two floors; the first floor has a porch with eaves, the brackets on the first and top floors are of double-raised five-layer design, like blooming wooden flowers; the brackets on the flat floor are of double-raised five-layer design; the brackets on the second floor are of single-raised four-layer design. The ticket price is 15r and includes the summit. It is highly praised! Inside, you can see a whole mulberry wood ladder and thorn wood beam from the Yuan Dynasty. The top of the second floor is a caisson made of stacked paving. Behind the Wufeng Tower is the Bagua Pavilion, a relic of the Ming Dynasty. On top is a caisson made up of even more exaggerated stacked brackets, which is dazzling. The last hall is the Lingxiao Hall, which was rebuilt in the 42nd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1614). It is five bays wide and six rafters deep, and its beam structure and rear eaves retain the style of the Jin Dynasty. The front eaves are equipped with 13-step five-step brackets, which are like a show of skill; the fine beams inside run parallel to the brackets, which reminds people of the "Big Buddha" bracket-through style.