Yongzuo Temple

Yongzuo Temple, commonly known as Shuangta Temple among the people, is located in Haozhuang Village, Haozhuang Town, Yingze District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province. It was first built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620), with a construction area of 120,000 square meters. Yongzuo Temple is built against the mountain, facing south and north, and consists of the temple, the pagoda courtyard, and the stele gallery courtyard. The main buildings of the temple include the mountain gate, the east and west wing rooms of the front courtyard, the second gate, the third gate, and the Mahavira Hall, the meditation hall, and the abbot's room in the back courtyard. The pagoda courtyard currently has twin pagodas, a passage hall, and a rear hall. The Mahavira Hall is two stories high and rectangular in plan. The lower level has five bays, and the hall enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Medicine Buddha. The upper level is the Three Saints Hall, originally named Guanyin Pavilion, with three bays. The central bay has a square dome, while the two side bays have transverse arches; the central bay's ceiling features a brick-carved caisson. The exterior of the hall imitates wooden structures, with brick columns, beams, dougong (interlocking wooden brackets), rafters, and eaves, with relatively short eaves. The interior of the hall is entirely made of brick arches without beams, hence it is also called the Beamless Hall. The side halls on both sides of the Mahavira Hall are single-story with five bays, and their structure and appearance are similar to the Mahavira Hall.