The elegant small wooden structure of the Tian Gong in the Erxian Temple of Xiaonan Village

Unlike Datong in northern Shanxi, which served as the Western Capital during the Liao and Jin dynasties and was a political center with the religious status of the Buddhist holy site of Mount Wutai, featuring grand architectural scale and high rank, with large temples and tall towers embodying the bold style of northern ethnic minorities, the ancient buildings in southern Shanxi are rich in regional characteristics, small and exquisite, finely crafted, with almost every village having a temple. Due to its remote location and dry climate, many stunning cultural treasures have been preserved. Additionally, the rich and complex folk beliefs here have provided numerous unique materials for ancient buildings, including not only Buddhist temples and Taoist temples but also various ancestral halls and shrines. The principle of 'believing in the divine' means that regardless of the deity, as long as it is believed to respond to prayers, the people will build temples to worship and pray for blessings. The Erxian Temple in Xiaonan Village, Zezhou County, Jincheng, is one such example. The Jincheng Museum has a table showing the local practice of Erxian worship, indicating its widespread presence. The Erxian Temple in Xiaonan Village was first built during the Song Dynasty, and the inscription of its construction still exists. Its value lies in the 16 Song Dynasty painted sculptures, of which only 5 have preserved their original heads. The most astonishing masterpiece in the temple is the small wooden structure of the Tian Gong pavilion, which is an original construction from the Northern Song Dynasty. It is connected by a high platform and an arched corridor bridge, with a hall at the top and wooden shrines of the two immortals and their attendants below. The mortise and tenon structure of the small wooden pieces is like building blocks, creating a floating Tian Gong in a very limited space, which is not at all rustic like a mountain village product, but rather elegant.