The Twin Pagoda Temple in Taiyuan (hailed as the landmark building of Taiyuan City)

There is an ancient temple in Taiyuan, but the Ming Dynasty twin pagodas within it serve as the landmark building of Taiyuan City. They are the pride of Taiyuan and also the pride of ancient Chinese architecture! Ancient Temple Introduction📖: The Twin Pagoda Temple, originally named 'Yongzuo Temple', is a famous temple in Shanxi known as the 'Twin Pagoda of Wenbi', and is also acclaimed as the 'Jinyang Spectacle'. The Twin Pagodas of Yongzuo Temple, originally named Xuanwen Pagoda, were named to commemorate the 'merit' of Empress Dowager Xuanwen's financial support for their construction. They were built in the 40th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1612). Located at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain, about 4 kilometers from the city center of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, in the south of Haozhuang Village. The twin pagodas were not built at the same time; the southeast pagoda was built slightly earlier than the northwest one. The two pagodas are 60 meters apart, symbolizing the 'perfection and infinity' of the Esoteric Buddhism's use of the number sixteen. Both pagodas are entirely made of brick and stone, with a single wooden bracket installed inside the eaves at each level, demonstrating exquisite construction skills. Both pagodas have 13 stories and are over 54 meters high, ranking first among all twin pagodas in China. The two pagodas stand opposite each other, north and south, side by side, maintaining a unified style while each has its own artistic characteristics. During the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, who led the peasant uprising, captured Taiyuan and visited the Twin Pagoda Temple, leaving behind the famous verse: 'The two pagodas of Haozhuang pierce the sky. Even if they cannot pierce through, just add a couple more bricks.' The towering and elegant twin pagodas are the best of their kind in China. They are now a national key cultural relics protection unit. Xuanwen Pagoda📙: The Xuanwen Pagoda was initially built in the 36th year of the Wanli era (1608) of the Ming Dynasty. It was expanded by the invitation of Zhu Minchun, the Prince of Jin, to the national master and high monk Miaofeng from Mount Wutai. The Xuanwen Pagoda is 54.78 meters high, with 13 stories and an octagonal plane. The pagoda spire is made of copper and iron, forming a treasure bottle top, a typical example of a hollow brick pagoda in the style of a pavilion. The outline of the Xuanwen Pagoda is streamlined, with a clear tapering above the seventh floor, and it is decorated with glazed tile edges, majestic and magnificent. The bottom floor of the pagoda has a pagoda door, and there are stairs inside the pagoda that spiral upwards. Wenfeng Pagoda📙: It was built in the 27th year of the Wanli era (1599) of the Ming Dynasty. It is a geomantic pagoda constructed by a group of scholars led by Fu Lin to supplement the insufficient 'literary fortune' of Taiyuan. The Wenfeng Pagoda is 54.76 meters high, with 13 stories and an octagonal plane. It is a typical example of a hollow brick pagoda in the style of a pavilion. The outline of the Wenfeng Pagoda is straight, without obvious tapering, and the pagoda body is constructed with uniformly colored blue bricks, finely ground and jointed, demonstrating exquisite craftsmanship, simple and elegant. Little tips flash: The ticket🎫 is 30 yuan. The temple is not large, and it consists of ancient buildings from the Ming Dynasty. The highlights are the two ancient Ming Dynasty pagodas, one of which can be climbed, and the other cannot. Be aware that the stairs are narrow and can only accommodate one person at a time. Inside the temple, there are also stone stele exhibitions from the Ming Dynasty, which calligraphy enthusiasts might find worth visiting.