Shanxi Tourism | Ancient Fortresses and Ming Dynasty Glazed Temples in Southern Shanxi - Runcheng Dongyue Temple

We drove from Luoyang into Shanxi, and Runcheng was the first small highlight of our 'May Day Shanxi trip'. It's just a small town, yet it hides two national key cultural relics protection units: Dibocheng and Runcheng Dongyue Temple. Many places have Dongyue Temples, and the main deity inside - the Dongyue Emperor - is a Taoist god, in charge of the underworld and ruling over the 18 levels of hell and the fate of the living, both noble and lowly. He corresponds to the Buddhist Ksitigarbha. Therefore, those who have expectations for the afterlife and hope to lessen their sins will go to worship at the Dongyue Temple. Pushing open the temple gate, it's quite deserted inside. At the very front is a cross-hipped roof worship pavilion, covered with glazed tiles, very exquisite. After that is the main hall, Tianqi Hall. But the hall doors are tightly locked, and the interior cannot be seen. Behind it is a two-story rear hall. Likewise, the doors are tightly shut. Returning to the worship pavilion to take a closer look, I discovered many interesting details. On the railing of the pavilion, not only lions are carved but also monkeys, elephants, etc. Looking up, a beautiful caisson ceiling appears before you. The octagonal pattern is beautiful, and the hanging flower columns are elegant and attractive. Dibocheng, before the Fen River (also known as Jixi Water) changed its course, was built using the river as a barrier, becoming a rare integrated water and land defense fortress near Yangcheng. And the meaning of 'Di' comes from the phrase 'pillar in the midst of the stream', signifying great sturdiness. From the outside, the building materials of the fortress are no different from other fortresses; if you enter the fortress, you will find that its walls are covered with a honeycomb-like structure, that is, a large number of crucibles became the material for building the city, probably because the local iron industry was developed, and these crucibles were abundant, thus turning waste into treasure and becoming part of the city wall. 🎫Ticket: Free. But it depends on whether the cultural management staff is there, and if you want to go inside for a visit, you need to contact them. We did not choose to go inside due to our schedule. The ticket for Dibocheng is 30 yuan, worth visiting. ⏱️Visiting time: Dongyue Temple and Dibocheng can be visited together in about 1 hour.