[2025 Xia County Attraction] Travel Guide for Ancestral Hall of Sima Guang, Xia County, Yuncheng (Updated Apr)

|Precious Northern Song Dynasty Relic. Yuqing Zen Temple was built in the first year of the Yuanfeng era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1078 AD) by order of the imperial court, and is also known as "Yuqing Temple" (another theory is that it was built in the second year of the Zhiping era, 20 years before Sima Guang's death). The main hall is a precious relic of the Northern Song Dynasty and one of the only remaining wooden structures from the Northern Song Dynasty in southern Shanxi, the other two being the City God Temple in Ruicheng and the Ji King Temple in Wanrong. The hall houses three gilded Buddha statues over 3 meters tall, with Vairocana in the center, the Medicine Buddha on the left, and Amitabha on the right. The statues are accompanied by protectors, Weituo, and attendants, with vivid shapes full of Song Dynasty style. There were originally sixteen Arhats on both sides of the temple, but only 12 remain. In 1994, the heads of 11 Arhats in the main hall were stolen, and 5 were recovered, but it was impossible to fully restore them to their original appearance. The main hall has a unique architectural style, with a hip-and-gable roof and distinctive dougong brackets. It is worth mentioning that the dougong brackets here are not the traditional four-bracket type, but rather the unique "erroneous corner begonia bracket." The front eaves have complex and delicate dougong brackets, while the rear eaves are simplified to a simple beam head, creating a sense of beauty with complexity in the front and simplicity in the back. The main hall of Yuqing Zen Temple is not only a treasure of architectural art but also a witness to history and culture. Address: Sima Guang Tomb Scenic Area, Xia County, Yuncheng, Shanxi Transportation: You can take a taxi or take Xia County Bus No. 6

📍Attraction address: Emei Ridge, Shuitou Town, Xia County, Shanxi Province You can go and see it on the way from Yuncheng to Jincheng. It is worth going and it is quite convenient. 🚗Attraction transportation: Self-driving from the highway to Xia County is not far away. 👍️Features: The peaks and ridges in front of the tomb are circled; the water behind the ancestral hall is surrounded. I think the biggest feature here is the excellent feng shui. There is also a modern square in front of the ancestral hall, with a tall bronze statue of Sima Guang in the middle, and bronze statues of Sima Guang smashing the tank and Sima Guang's calligraphy on the left and right sides. There is also a Chinese classroom in the ancestral hall, which opens at specific times, so it is very suitable for bringing children to receive literary and historical education. 🎟️Ticket related: You can buy Yuncheng annual tickets, including this attraction. Buy it separately seems to be forty. 💗Other tips: The main hall has beautiful statues, the Bodhisattva is as gentle as jade, and the colored paintings flow with historical marks.

Sima Wen Gong Temple in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province Sima Wen Gong Temple is located on Mingtiao Gang in Xia County, Yuncheng, facing southeast from the northwest. It is composed of five parts: the tomb area, the stele building, the Wen Gong Temple, the Yuqing Zen Temple, and the Sui Shu Academy. Among them, the stele building and the Yuqing Zen Temple are the highlights. The stele building is a relic of the Qing Dynasty, mainly storing the 'Stele of Loyalty and Pure Virtue'. The Wen Gong Temple was established in the Song Dynasty and has been repaired in every dynasty. The existing one is in the style of the Qing Dynasty. The bearded Song and Jin colored sculptures in the Yuqing Zen Temple: Xianghuo Temple, also known as 'Yuqing Temple', was built by imperial decree in the first year of Yuanfeng in the Northern Song Dynasty (1078 AD). The Zen Temple is the incense temple of Sima Guang's ancestral tomb, which is a Zen hall, that is, a Buddhist temple. The plaque on the main hall reads 'There is another world', which is different from the 'Daxiong Treasure Hall' of general Buddhist temples. Inside the main hall, there is a golden Buddha sitting statue, and there were originally sixteen Arhats on both sides of the hall, but now there are only twelve. Unfortunately, all the heads have been stolen. The three Buddhas all have beards, which is quite rare.