The Temple of Mother Earth decorated with colored glaze

Jiexiu Houtu Temple is an ancient Quanzhen Taoist temple complex located at No. 99 Miaodi Street, Jiexiu City, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. It is known as the "Glass Art Museum" and is a national key cultural relic protection unit. Hou Tu, also known as the Holy Mother, is the goddess in charge of population, fertility, land, mountains, rivers and all living things, and is known as the Mother of the Earth. Hou Tu Temple was first built before the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Most of the existing buildings were renovated during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty to the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, and are at least 1,500 years old. The temple faces south and is more than 120 meters long from north to south and nearly 100 meters wide from east to west. It covers a total area of ​​9,196 square meters and has a construction area of ​​2,206 square meters. It is the largest and best preserved royal palace-style temple among the Houtu temples in my country. The Hou Tu Temple complex is magnificent and exquisitely constructed. It adopts the traditional Chinese deep courtyard structure, and is surrounded by three axes: two vertical axes from north to south and one horizontal axis from east to west, forming a closed building complex. The west longitudinal axis is the main axis, which is connected by the screen wall, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of Protector of the Dharma, the Hall of Offerings, the Three Pure Ones Building, and the Hall of the Holy Mother of Hou Tu. The other vertical axis is composed of the Hou Tu Temple mountain gate, the passing hall, and the Niangniang Hall. Towards the east, Lu Zu Pavilion, Guandi Temple and Tushen Temple are arranged horizontally in sequence, forming the third axis inside the temple. There is a stage in front of each of the three temples. The three stages are well preserved and connected together, and are called the "Three Connected Stages." In addition to the exquisite architectural complex, Hou Tu Temple also has two other highlights: the gorgeous colored glaze and the exquisite colored sculptures and hanging sculptures. There are more than a thousand Ming Dynasty colored sculptures on display in the Hou Tu Temple complex, distributed in the mountain gate, the Dharma Protector Hall, the Sanqing Hall and the two corridors, covering all the registered gods of Taoism. The "Ten Thousand Saints Paying Homage to the Origin" painted sculptures in the Sanqing Hall and its two corridors depict the spectacular scene of Taoist immortals paying homage to their main deity. The "Three Pure Ones" and "Four Emperors" are enshrined in the Sanqing Hall. There are two corridors on the east and west sides of the Sanqing Hall. The east one is the "Holy Mother Hall", which enshrines the "Taiyuan Holy Mother", and the west one is the "West King Pavilion", which enshrines the "West Queen Mother" and four maids. They were sculpted in the Ming Dynasty, and the sculpting technique still retains the lingering charm of Song and Yuan Dynasty colored sculptures (included in the "Complete Collection of Chinese Art·Sculpture"). Nearly a thousand Taoist immortals are enshrined in the east and west corridors, each of which is led by an immortal riding a beast and "paying homage to the origin", forming a fairyland full of religious mystery. The colored glaze of Hou Tu Temple is lifelike and vivid in shape, and colorful. Every tower and pavilion in the ancient building complex is decorated with exquisite glazed tiles, which is magnificent, magnificent, golden and colorful. The Houtu Hall is covered with golden colored glaze, which is elegant and magnificent; the top of the Sanqing Temple is dominated by blue and green colored glaze, which is solemn and dignified; the four colored glaze screen walls of "Qilin Making Trouble with Eight Treasures", "Two Dragons Making Trouble in the Sea", "Carp Leaping over the Dragon Gate" and "Penglai Fairy Pavilion" are the most exquisite works of glass art in Houtu Temple, reflecting the superb detailed depiction skills of glass making. The glazed tiles have exquisite ridge decorations, beasts with owls' noses and tails, immortals and auspicious birds, as well as numerous bats, green grass, pine trees, magpies, Ganoderma lucidum, lions, unicorns, dragons, lotus, peonies, pomegranates, grapes and other components. They are exquisitely designed and lifelike in shape, with fine and firm glaze that has not changed color for hundreds of years. Hou Tu Temple is known as the "Chinese Colored Glass Art and Architectural Museum" because of the variety and color of colored glaze. The use of yellow glazed tiles, which symbolize imperial power, in ancient buildings shows the dignity of Hou Tu Niangniang and the feudal emperors' piety and admiration for her. The tourist resources around Hou Tu Temple are relatively rich and each has its own characteristics. The famous scenic spots include Wuyue Temple, City God Temple, Confucian Temple, Mawang Temple, Shigong Tower, Shuangfushou, Museum, Zoroastrianism Tower, etc.