Baoguo Temple, Ningbo: Memories of the Song Dynasty

After seeing so many ancient temples in Shanxi, I wasn't expecting much when I first saw the main hall of Baoguo Temple. Until... I stepped into the hall. Beneath the Ming and Qing temple exterior lies a thousand-year-old secret—a well-preserved wooden structure from the Song Dynasty. The ingenious craftsmen, unable to find large trees for the hall's pillars, used a technique of joining smaller pieces to form larger ones, creating melon-shaped columns that are both beautiful and have stood firm for a thousand years. The wood used is hard yet light yellow cypress, and the complex dougong brackets are intricately arranged, like a Song Dynasty construction symphony playing slowly above my head. The colorful paintings on the beams are still vibrant, with the scroll patterns clearly visible. For a thousand years, this hall has remained free of birds, insects, webs, and dust, standing firm on the humid shores of the East China Sea. Although the hall's deities and Buddhas are no longer present, standing before the altar, I can still feel the solemn scene of worshippers devoutly praying here a thousand years ago. Since the sixth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era in the Northern Song Dynasty (1013), Baoguo Temple has quietly stood here, witnessing countless storms and changes. Today, it is known as the "first ancient building in the south" and is one of the oldest and best-preserved wooden structures south of the Yangtze River. In the mountains for a thousand years, every step echoes with history. In its own way, it tells the distant stories of the Song Dynasty. 💡Ningbo Baoguo Temple Ancient Architecture Museum 🔅First batch of national key cultural relics protection units 🕰️Opening hours April–November: 08:00–17:00 December–March: 08:30–16:30 ‼️Closed on Mondays (except public holidays) 🎫Ticket: CNY 20 ⌚️Visit duration: 2–3 hours 🚌Public transport: Take Xianglv Line 1/Bus 332 from Ningbo City