[2025 Pu County Attraction] Travel Guide for Dongyue Temple (Updated Feb)

| Discover hidden architectural gems. Dongyue Temple in Puxian County is a hidden gem that is often overlooked. It was built a long time ago and its architectural style combines features from several dynasties. As soon as you enter the temple, you can feel the strong sense of history. The buildings in the temple are arranged in a strict layout, with layers of buildings that are staggered and well-proportioned. 📸 The most worth visiting are the painted sculptures in the main hall. These sculptures are lifelike, and their colors are still bright despite the passage of time. There are also exquisite wood carvings and stone carvings, and every detail shows the superb skills of ancient craftsmen. 👀 In addition to appreciating the architecture and sculptures, the scenery of Baishan Mountain, where Dongyue Temple is located, is also very beautiful. Walking through it, you can feel as if you are far away from the hustle and bustle of the world. ⚠️ Travel tips: Some places in the temple are relatively narrow, so pay attention to safety when visiting. Respect cultural relics and local religious beliefs, and do not touch painted sculptures and other cultural relics at will.

| Ancient architecture through time. Puxian Dongyue Temple was built a long time ago, and most of the existing buildings are relics from the Yuan and Ming dynasties. As soon as you enter the temple, you can feel the strong historical atmosphere. 🌳 Attractions: Xinggong Hall: The main hall of Dongyue Temple, magnificent. The statues in the hall are exquisitely shaped, and although the colors have faded over time, you can still see the brilliance of the past. Eighteen Levels of Hell: The most unique place in Dongyue Temple! This is a group of Ming Dynasty wooden painted sculptures, with realistic shapes, depicting the scenes of hell vividly. Each statue has its own unique story, making people marvel at the superb skills of ancient craftsmen. Ancient cypress trees in the temple: The temple is full of towering ancient cypress trees, adding a touch of tranquility and mystery. 💡 Tips: Some places in the temple are relatively narrow, so pay attention to safety when visiting. Respect the monuments, and do not touch the cultural relics and painted sculptures.

📍Address: Located at 265 Puyi East Street, Puxian County, the location is excellent, built by the mountain, the feng shui should be very good. The creation date is not recorded in history, but it is said that it was already in the fifth year of Jin Taihe (about 1205). It was destroyed by an earthquake during the Yuan Dynasty and was rebuilt in 1318. 🚗Transportation: Drive by yourself. In the off-season, we can drive directly to the door and park (the management is good, they will ask you to park your car facing outwards, neatly). It is said that during the peak season, the car is parked at the foot of the mountain and there is a special battery car to go up. 👍️Highlights: There are both heaven and hell in the entire temple, which is very large, and there is also a part of the world in the middle. There is a viewing pavilion, which is a place for people with status to watch operas and discuss affairs. There is also hell behind, including Yincang, Dizang Temple, and the Eighteen Layers of Hell. In addition, Dongyue Temple also has the saying of "One Spirit, Two Wonders, Three Treasures, Four Uniques" locally. One Spirit: It means that it is the most effective to make a wish and ask for a god here. Two Wonders: Thousand-year-old ancient yew and cypress. Both are thousand-year-old trees from the Tang Dynasty. Three Treasures: Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity, Sunny Rain Monument, Jin Dynasty Stone Carving. They are all rare treasures, exquisite and beautiful. Four Uniques: Ring-shaped temple, high-altitude corridor, product-shaped stage, and sound rhyme around the sky. The architectural form is distinctive, and the spatial layout is also different from other temples. Its historical value and artistic value are unparalleled.

In the Dongyue Temple in Puxian, Linfen, there is an underworld, commonly known as the Eighteen Levels of Hell. Its large scale and comprehensive content are rare in the country. Initially worried about being scared, but the strong sunlight on this day actually shone a bit into the hell after descending eighteen steps. Although there were not many tourists, having someone nearby made it less frightening. This Dongyue Temple is located on the top of a mountain, built around the mountain, and its age is untraceable. There are two catalpa trees from the Tang Dynasty in the temple, lush and green. The wood carvings, clay sculptures, opera stages, and pavilions are all artistic treasures. Viewed individually, they feel very ancient and charming. Legend has it that this place is also the palace of the Great Emperor of the East, who governs the cycle of life and death in the human world. Therefore, there are also seventy-two departments and various regulations and punishments, which envelop this place in a mysterious and uneasy atmosphere.

The Dongyue Temple in Puxian County is said to have been built during the Tang Dynasty, and has been repaired and expanded during the Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing and other dynasties. It mainly worships the Taoist Eastern Emperor, who is in charge of the book of life and death, so most of the interior sculptures are themed around the underworld. 📍Attraction Address: Shanxi Linfen-Puxian County 🚗Attraction Transportation: It takes about an hour's drive from Linfen city area to Dongyue Temple. After arriving at the scenic area, you need to switch to the scenic area's shuttle to go up the mountain, and the tour time is 0.5~1 hour. 👍️Must-visit Attractions: The overall architecture is built according to the mountain terrain, with clear layers, the main hall, side halls, bell and drum towers, and stage are all old buildings that have been preserved. The clay sculptures inside are not as shocking as those in Xiaoxitian, but they are also worth seeing. I only took photos of the more exquisitely made ones; I didn't take pictures of the rough ones in the hell mansion. 🎟️Ticket Information: I joined a day tour group departing from Linfen city area. The itinerary was Xiaoxitian in the morning and Dongyue Temple in the afternoon, two attractions in one day, and the total cost was over 💰200 (including ticket price). 💗Other tips: The mountain is very cool, and the view from the top is also quite good.

🌟 It is often said that 'to see the cultural relics, look to Shanxi'📜, but Linfen, this underestimated historical city🏯, is definitely one of the dazzling jewels✨! It is the birthplace of the Chinese nation🌱, the capital of numerous dynasties🏛️, and every brick and tile here tells a story of a thousand years📜. 1️⃣🏯 The Feihong Pagoda of Guangsheng Temple🌈 is exquisitely beautiful, with glittering glazed tiles💎, as if traveling through time🕰️. The Yuan Dynasty murals in the Water God Temple🖼️ are so detailed that they leave one in awe👀. 2️⃣📸 Visiting Xiaoxitian🏞️ is like entering a hall of sculpture art🎭. The hanging sculptures from the Ming and Qing dynasties🗿 are intricate yet not cluttered, truly heart-stirring✨. 3️⃣🎞 The Jin State Museum🏛️, with its chariot and horse pits🐎 that predate the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang by 602 years, and the burial site of the Jin state rulers🕳️, seems to echo with the voices of history👂. 🌟 A 3-day and 2-night travel guide to Linfen📝, taking you through a thousand years🕰️, to experience the profound history and cultural heritage📚! 𝐃𝐀𝐘 1️⃣: Drum Tower🕰️ - Dongyang Houtu Temple🏯 - Wangqu Dongyue Temple🏛️ - Weicun Niuwang Temple🐂 - Guangsheng Temple🏞️ 𝐃𝐀𝐘 2️⃣: Xiaoxitian🏞️ - Puxian Dongyue Temple🏛️ - Huozhou Drum Tower🕰️ - Wa Huang Temple🏯 - Dayun Temple🏞️ 𝐃𝐀𝐘 3️⃣: Linfen City Museum🏛️ - Fencheng Ancient Buildings🏯 - Jin State Museum🏞️ - Da Bei Yuan🏞️ 🚗 The attractions are scattered🗺️, but renting a car for a self-driving tour is the best way to go!🚘 Freely navigate the streets of Linfen🛣️, and feel the unique charm of this city🌆. 🍜 A food guide is also essential!🍽️ Zhajiang noodles🍜, oil cakes🥞, soft-shelled turtles🐢... each bite is the taste of Linfen👅, sure to leave you with endless aftertastes!😋 Come to Linfen🏞️, and join me in exploring this treasure city forgotten by time!🎉🎈

Heaven is the small western sky, hell is Dongyue Temple. The Dongyue Temple mentioned here is the Dongyue Temple in Linfen. From Linfen to the west, 70 kilometers along the mountain road, there is a Dongyue Temple standing alone on the top of the mountain. The most famous thing in the rivers and lakes is its eighteen layers of hell statues, but it is a modern renovated thing, in terms of artistic value, it is far less than other ancient relics, the details are too popular, and the expressions are mask-like. The highlights are a wooden pavilion and a hall in the main channel, the carved beams and painted columns are heavy in style, the ridge and cross beams are decorated with glazed statues and wood-carved characters and animals, which is interesting. The eighteen hells yamen, only the official position is the most prosperous, the door lintel is full of blessing red bands, it seems that the gene of promotion and wealth is still deeply rooted in people's hearts.