Shuangta Temple, Liulin County, Luliang City, Shanxi Province
Shuangta Temple is located on the west side of Yangdaokou, Hechang Village, Liulin County, Luliang City, Shanxi Province. It faces north and faces south, with a quadrangle layout, covering an area of 1,612 square meters. It is unknown when the temple was first built. The existing buildings are a mixed structure from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and are relatively complete. Behind the mountain gate in the south of the temple, there are two brick towers, one empty and one solid, standing in the east and west. The two towers are 17 meters apart and have an octagonal plane. The east tower is empty and can be climbed up. The west tower is solid and has a pavilion-style imitation wood structure. Five floors, one statue on the upper floor. There is a water channel in front of the temple. Whenever the sun shines obliquely, the two tower spiers project into the water channel, just like throwing a pen into an inkstone, so it has the meaning of double pens and the beautiful words of many literati.
The main building is the main hall, which is three rooms wide and three rooms deep, hanging on the top of the mountain; the stage, three rooms wide and three rooms deep, is on the top of the mountain; the east and west side halls are all built on the top of the mountain, connected with the brick cave dwellings. There are three couplets in the temple written by He Yunlu, a famous local scholar in the Qing Dynasty, and He Yufeng, the uncle of the revolutionary martyr He Chang. The plaque on the mountain gate was written by Wang Jixian, the Zhizhou Hanlin of Yongning during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. The background of gold makes his skills more evident. The blue waves of the Forty Mile Douqi River are sparkling, and they look like flying jade ribbons. Green poplars and green willows are dancing in the wind. Birds are singing and cicadas are chirping. The scenery is so beautiful that it is like entering a painting, making people feel relaxed and happy, and they feel like they are drifting to heaven. Guanyin Temple, also known as Guanyin Hall, is located on the ancient slope of the Xuecun River, 10 kilometers west of the county. The year of its creation is unknown. It was renovated respectively by Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing and Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. It is a complete architectural complex of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temple faces east to west and covers an area of 1,000 square meters. It has a mountain gate, bell tower, Wei Tuo Tower, Guanyin Hall, Zhenwu Hall, Laojun Hall, etc.
The main building, the Guanyin Hall, is three rooms wide and two rooms deep. There are statues of the Eighteen Arhats in the Zhou Dynasty, and stories about figures from various countries in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty are painted on the viewing panels. On the west side of the front corridor, there are two groups of well-preserved large-scale figure murals in meticulous fine brushwork and heavy colors. The wood carvings and color paintings on the front eaves of each palace are exquisite, lifelike and unique in style. They are the essence of wood carvings and color paintings on ancient buildings in northwestern Shanxi. On the front of the mountain gate hangs a plaque titled "Bright Mountains and Beautiful Waters" in the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1803), which was inscribed by Kang Yumei, a calligrapher from Yi.
The mountains and rivers are beautiful, and its name is well-deserved. The Guanyin Temple is surrounded by trees, the mountains are quiet, the birds are chirping, the sun is shaded, and the clear springs and waterfalls are flowing all year round. Summer resort. At the foot of the mountain, the Sanchuan River flows through the mountain. The river is gentle and gurgling to the west. The Qinjin Highway (307 National Highway) faces each other across the river. The transportation is convenient. It is an ideal tourist attraction in Liulin.