Jiwang Temple in Jishan, Yuncheng, 2024.

Southern Shanxi has a tradition of worshiping Houji, and almost every county has a Jiwang Temple. The Jiwang Temple in Jishan was originally located on Jiwang Mountain, but was later moved to the county seat. It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and rebuilt in the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. The Jiwang Temple is famous for its "three wonders" of glazed tiles, wood carvings, and stone carvings. It is a national protected site, with an entrance fee of CNY 20. The Yuncheng Tourism Annual Pass is not accepted. Upon entering the mountain gate, the first thing you see is the Xian Hall and the Bell and Drum Towers (Figures 2–4). The glazed tiles on the roof ridge are very exquisite (Figures 5–6), but the most distinctive feature is the iron pieces in the center of the roof ridge, which are "Nine Phoenixes Facing the Sun," "Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl," and "Five Blessings Holding Longevity" (Figures 7–8). There is a stone carving on each of the east and west gable walls of the Xian Hall, depicting the "Eight Scenic Spots of Jishan" and a poem by Li Jingchun, the magistrate of Jishan, about the reconstruction of the Jiwang Temple. The wood carvings and dragon columns on the door frames in front of the main hall are exquisite (Figures 11–17). Only the two square stone pillars behind the hall are not (Figure 18). The final pavilion and Jiang Yuan Hall (Figure 19) are Yuan Dynasty buildings.