The oldest temple in the country dedicated to the worship of Emperor Yan

Gu Zhong Temple is the oldest temple in Gaoping and even the whole country dedicated to the worship of Emperor Yan, the ancestor. It is a brick-wood structure, exquisite and elegant, with significant cultural relic value. According to the inscription in the Gu Zhong Temple from the 12th year of the Ming Wanli period (1584): "In the 12th year of the Ming Dynasty, the Gu Zhong Temple of Emperor Yan was decreed to be built in Xiaotai Village, Shangdu Zhongtai South Lane, Fengyi Township, Gaoping County, Zezhou, Shanxi Province," also known as the Zhong Temple of Emperor Yan, located in Shennong Town. The Yan Emperor Temple is divided into High Temple, Upper Temple, Middle Temple, and Lower Temple. Yangtou Mountain is the High Temple, where Shennong tasted grains; Huanma Ridge is the Upper Temple, where Shennong's tomb is located; Xiatai Village is the Middle Temple, adjacent to the Yan Emperor's palace; Dongguan is the Lower Temple, near the county seat of Dongguo. Gu Zhong Temple faces south and is divided into upper and lower courtyards. On the central axis, there are the mountain gate, the beamless hall, and the main hall. On both sides, there are side rooms and auxiliary halls. Outside the mountain gate, there are four opera stages on each side, and on the west side of the mountain gate, there is a brick-arched side door with the inscription "Yan Emperor Zhong Temple," which was originally the entrance to the temple. The beamless hall, also known as the Prince's Hall, is the main building of Gu Zhong Temple. It has a single room, square in shape, with a single-eave hip roof, five-purlin brackets, round wooden columns, large beams, and a nine-ridge roof covered with ordinary tubular tiles. The main hall has three rooms in width, with three auxiliary halls on each side, six rafters in depth, a single-eave suspended hill roof, five-step double-eave brackets on the column heads, simple tile roofs, and glazed ridge decorations. According to the book "Yingzao Fashi," the side feet of the columns should tilt inward by 8/1000 of the column height in the direction of the two hills. The columns of the beamless hall tilt inward significantly. The architectural style of the beamless hall is unique and is the earliest preserved building related to the worship of Emperor Yan in the country. The caisson ceiling is octagonal in shape, with a hanging lotus column in the middle. The column head has five-purlin brackets, and the base of the column is made of plain square surfaces, decorated with lattice panels. Above the hanging lotus column, there are brackets supporting the ridge finial, which is a Yuan Dynasty hanging flower structure, simple and plain in texture. Inside the beamless hall, there is also a Ming Dynasty stone tablet embedded in the wall, named "Record of the Construction of the Prince and Descendants Hall of Emperor Yan." Transportation: Take bus 808 from Gaoping Shennong Bus Station to Xinrong Community, then walk a few hundred meters. Tickets: Free