Sanyuan County: The most complete ancient Ming and Qing architectural complex in China hidden near Xi'an
Sanyuan County, Xianyang City, which is only an hour's drive from Xi'an, hides a super exquisite Ming and Qing architectural complex - Sanyuan City God Temple! It is located on East Street in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province, with a total area of over 13,000 square meters. This temple was built in the early Ming Dynasty and has a history of nearly 600 years. Looking at it now, it is still so exquisite. It is one of the relatively complete Ming and Qing architectural complexes still existing in China and is especially worth a visit! Moreover, it has been listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council. It is definitely a place not to be missed!
Sanyuan City God Temple is really worth seeing! There are more than 40 buildings including towers, palaces, corridors and pavilions, which are well laid out. Each one is made with great care and has a rigorous structure, making it look solemn and spectacular. As soon as you enter the mountain gate, you can see a large screen wall more than ten meters high, and in front of the screen wall there is an iron flagpole weighing 10 tons! In front of the main entrance stands a 12-meter-high hip-and-gable archway, which is carved with traditional Chinese auspicious patterns and is particularly exquisite.
Behind the archway is the mountain gate of the City God Temple, which is 15 meters high and is also called the "Bagua Suspended Roof Without Beams Gate". It is supported by ten large pillars and is carved with Tai Chi diagrams and Bagua symbols! After entering the door, there is a 3-meter-wide bluestone road running straight from north to south, with plaque galleries on both sides, which preserve the works of ancient great calligraphers and are very artistic. There is also an exquisite theater building in the north, and bell and drum towers on both sides (14.5 meters high). The whole building complex is really charming!
The City God Temple is the highlight here. The entire building complex is 15 meters high and covers an area of more than 700 square meters. There are 6-meter-high statues of the City God and the Four Heavenly Kings in the offering hall, which make people feel particularly majestic at first glance. In the worship hall, 20 paintings depicting the Ten Kings of Hell and the Eighteen Levels of Hell are displayed, which is really shocking.
By the way, there are also the Paper Burning Tower, the Auxiliary Palace, the Sleeping Palace, etc., each of which has its own characteristics. It is particularly worth mentioning that the Sanyuan County Museum is hidden in the City God Temple. It not only has the buildings of the City God Temple, but also houses nearly three thousand cultural relics and more than one hundred stone tablets. Among them, the "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital" written by Yue Fei and the original calligraphy of Yu Youren are both super precious treasures!
🤳Photography location:
P1: If you book a private room on the 3rd or 4th floor of the Green Wave Restaurant in Baxiu Building
You can take pictures of similar scenes on the balcony.
P3: Intersection of Fangbang Middle Road and Guanyi Street
P4: Outside the restaurant on the second floor of Jiushi Building, near Jingrong Building
P5: Outside the east door of Jingrong Building
P6: Gate No. 5 of Chenghuang Temple
P7: Shanghai Old Street (intersection of Henan Middle Road and Fangbang Middle Road)
P8: Under a big tree next to Liyu Pavilion
P9: The shop door on the left after entering Gate 6
P10: The parade ground on Fangbang Middle Road
P12: Entrance of Green Wave Gallery
P13: Gate 2 of Yuyuan Shopping Center
P14: North balcony on the second floor of Jingrong Building
P15: Go inside Gate 7 and you will see the light set
P16: Dragon Gate
P17: 2nd floor of Jiushi Building
P18: Intersection of Fangbang Middle Road and Houjia Road
❤️Tickets: 35 yuan
Address: East Street, Sanyuan County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province
Food: Pao Pao You Gao, Gan Lan Sao Zi Noodles, Long Long Meat, Thousand Layer Oil
Cakes, lamb liver steamed buns, wo wo noodles, etc.
This one is really worth collecting, don’t miss it! Follow us so you won’t get lost!