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2024 Jiang County Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in September)
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Exploring the Tranquil Ancient Temple - Taiyin Temple in Jiang County
🌿 Exploring the Tranquil Ancient Temple - Taiyin Temple in Jiang County 🌿
🌄 Hidden in a corner of Jiang County, Shanxi Province, Taiyin Temple may not be well-known, but it holds national treasure-level secrets. Here, not only is there a long history, but also breathtaking wood carving art. 🏯
🕗 Opening hours: 8:00-18:00
💸 Admission: Free
📍 Address: Zhangshang Village, Weizhuang Town, Jiang County, Shanxi Province
🏛️ Honor: Fifth batch of national protected units
🌟 Highlights: Single wood-carved reclining Buddha, Taiyin Temple stele
📜 Taiyin Temple, also known as the Reclining Buddha Temple, was first built during the Northern Wei Dynasty and has undergone expansions and renovations during the Tang, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The main hall here is a relic from the Jin Dynasty, while other buildings are newly constructed in recent years.
🏺 The plaque inside the main hall, titled "Hall of Great Hero," has a unique writing style that is rare nationwide. The main hall is spacious, cleverly using the "reduced column method," making the space appear particularly open, supported only by four golden pillars behind the reclining Buddha.
🌈 The most dazzling treasure in the main hall is undoubtedly the largest single wood-carved reclining Buddha in the country. The reclining statue of Shakyamuni in Nirvana is 4 meters long, with a golden body shining brightly and flowing robes. Every detail of the Buddha statue is vividly lifelike, as if telling the Zen meaning of a thousand years.
🖼️ Inside the wooden shrine, there are also precious wooden panel murals from the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, depicting a mourning scene that makes one feel as if they have traveled through time, experiencing the sorrow and solemnity of that era.
😔 Unfortunately, the Jin Dynasty murals and colored sculptures inside the hall were stolen during the Republic of China period and lost to the Netherlands. The Buddha's head on the statue was also later repaired; although the craftsmanship is superb, it is ultimately not the original appearance.
📜 The "Stele of the Reconstruction of Taiyin Temple by the Master of the Carved Sutras" inside the temple is equally precious and closely related to the national treasure "Zhaocheng Jin Tripitaka" in the National Library. The stele records the carving and printing process of the "Zhaocheng Jin Tripitaka," which is important material for studying the Song Dynasty woodblock printed Chinese Tripitaka.
👨🦲 The statue of Monk Fashu beside the reclining Buddha is extremely realistic, as if a high monk is sitting on an ancient chair, waiting for visitors through the millennia.
🏞️ Taiyin Temple, a niche and mysterious place, awaits every history lover to explore. Here, every step is a journey through time, and every glance is a discovery.
A sense of fate + a sense of fragmentation, a million kinds of loneliness converge here
A single-eave hanging mountain top,
Cylindrical tile roof,
Receiving the low hum from the sky.
Loneliness, a million kinds of loneliness,
It is the Nanliu Taishan Temple.
No walls,
No mountain gate,
Empty and vast.
It is the symbol of all wandering, seeking, and homesickness,
Yet stubbornly hangs between time and eternity.
♥️
A visit is not easy, only accessible by self-driving.
Hard to find.
Directly navigate to Nanliu Village, ask locals, cross the fields, by the crops drying on the roadside (because really few people walk this road).
You can fly a drone, it's super beautiful from high above, with a strong sense of fate.
Taiyin Temple in Jiang County: The location of the largest single-wood carved reclining Buddha in the country
Taiyin Temple, it is said to be named for its south-facing north or for its exclusive use by noble women. Although it is located in a remote location and the temple is not large, it has a rare treasure in the country!
⏰: 8:00-18:00
💰: Free
🏛: Zhangshang Village, Weizhuang Town, Jiang County, Shanxi Province,
📍: The fifth batch of national protection units
🌟: Wood-carved reclining Buddha Taiyin Temple stele
Taiyin Temple, commonly known as the Reclining Buddha Temple, was established during the Northern Wei Dynasty, expanded during the Tang Dynasty, rebuilt the main hall during the Jin Dynasty, and was repaired during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. At present, only the main hall is a relic of the Jin Dynasty, and the rest are newly built.
The plaque of the main hall is huge, named 'Hall of the Great Hero', which is different from the writing of the Hall of the Great Hero in other places, which is rare in the country. The main hall is five bays wide and six beams deep, with a single eave and a hanging mountain top. The interior uses the 'column reduction method', and almost no columns can be seen in the entire main hall, only four golden columns are left behind the reclining Buddha.
The highlight of the entire temple, and the largest single-wood carved reclining Buddha in the country, is in the Buddha's tent in the main hall. The reclining Buddha is 4 meters long, a single-wood golden body Sakyamuni Nirvana reclining statue, wearing a kasaya, with a dignified shape and a peaceful expression. The bun on the Buddha's head is clearly visible; the face is square and round, and the eyes are like 'pretending to sleep' and 'meditating', half-open and half-closed. The right hand is curved up, gently supporting the right cheek, the head is slightly raised, looking at the sky at a 45-degree angle. His left hand seems to be gently lifting the sleeve, and it seems to be lightly placed on the leg, which is very natural. In addition, a group of precious wooden panel murals painted during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty are well preserved in the wooden carved shrine, depicting a mourning scene, which is very rare.
There were originally Jin Dynasty murals and colored sculptures in the hall, but unfortunately they were stolen and sold to the Netherlands during the Republic of China. Only the body of the Buddha statue is original, and the Buddha's head is repaired during the Republic of China, which is really not flattering.
The 'Taiyin Temple Stele of the Main Reconstruction of the Carved Sutra' in the temple is also a treasure. It is related to the treasure of the National Library, the 'Zhaocheng Gold Collection'. The inscription records in detail the origin, initiator, engraving place and some incidents during the engraving process of the 'Zhaocheng Gold Collection'. The 'Zhaocheng Gold Collection' is a large-scale sutra collection engraved and printed based on the format of the first Song Dynasty woodcut version of the Chinese Tripitaka 'Kaibao Zang'. Because it was engraved during the Jin Dynasty and found in Guangsheng Temple, Zhaocheng County, Shanxi Province (now Hongdong County, Linfen), it was named 'Zhaocheng Gold Collection'.
The statue of Monk Fashu next to the reclining Buddha is quite realistic, just like a real person. The chair he sits on is of an earlier age and is very rare.
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