The Forbidden City in the Deep Mountains of Hei Wukong - Baoen Temple in Pingwu.
Baoen Temple in Pingwu is the most complete Ming Dynasty temple in China. It was built in the fifth year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty and completed in the fourth year of the Tianshun era. The temple is the only one in China built entirely of Phoebe wood. Because its ancient architectural complex is modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, it is also known as the "Forbidden City in the Deep Mountains". The "Six Wonders" of Baoen Temple are also very famous.
1st Wonder: The building materials of Phoebe wood. The pillars, beams, and rafters in the temple are all made of precious Phoebe wood, which does not grow insects or spider webs all year round, and is unique in the world.
2nd Wonder: The Great Compassion Hall. In the Great Compassion Hall, there is a golden Guanyin with a thousand hands. Her body is carved from a thousand-year-old Phoebe wood. There are 1004 hands behind her, arranged in a fan shape, very much like a blooming golden lotus.
3rd Wonder: The revolving sutra collection of Huayan Hall. The revolving sutra collection is divided into seven layers, which is a wooden structure tower-shaped device used for storing sutras and offering Buddha. It is one of the largest revolving sutra drums in the world, and it is the only one that can be rotated in the world's largest revolving sutra drum.
4th Wonder: The murals of Baoen Temple. There are more than 300 square meters of precious Ming Dynasty murals in the Daxiong Hall and Wanfo Gate Pavilion, with various styles, solemn and solemn.
5th Wonder: The architectural brackets of Baoen Temple. Brackets are one of the characteristics of ancient Chinese architecture. The brackets of Baoen Temple are not only the most in terms of quantity and variety. There are 36 kinds of exquisite brackets in the whole temple, more than 2,000, and it is also known as the "Bracket Museum".
6th Wonder: The gathering of dragons in Baoen Temple. In the temple, the pillars, beams, ceilings, ridge tiles, and even incense burners, plaques, and bell buttons are carved, painted, cast, or molded, highlighting the image of the dragon everywhere. Especially the four mud dragons in Huayan Hall, which are 7 meters long, are the most exquisite. According to statistics, there are 9,999 dragon bodies in the whole temple. Isn't this a shocking sight!
In addition, the ancient temple is presented as a cultural relic protection unit rather than a temple, without monks, without incense, and can be viewed as a museum, walking in it as if entering a concrete world of history.
According to the staff, after the opening of the Pingwu Expressway, the number of tourists has increased significantly, and it is hoped that more people will understand and love this ancient temple.
🧭Navigation: Baoen Temple, Pingwu County, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province
🕰Visiting time: 8:00-17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
💰Tickets: 40 yuan/person. It is recommended to ask the temple guide, the explanation is very exciting, interesting and vivid.