[2025 Wutai Attraction] Travel Guide for Yanqing Temple (Updated Jul)

📍 Yanqing Temple is located in Shanwen Village, Wutai, Xinzhou, Shanxi. Yanqing Temple, a temple little known even to locals, was originally built in the Tang Dynasty. Our trip focuses on the innermost single-eave, hip-and-gable, gray-tiled, Jin Dynasty Grand Buddha Hall. It was the popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong" that brought this hidden gem to light, allowing us to unveil its mysterious face and witness its true beauty. Hidden in the river of history, it stands quietly and solemnly. Every detail of the hall seems to tell the story of the exquisite craftsmanship of the artisans of the time, and the erosion of wind and rain has added a unique flavor. The most distinctive feature is the beast head attached to the doorposts. Known as "Tun Kou," these beast heads serve to protect the temple and ward off evil spirits. Their glaring eyes and horns add a layer of mystery to the hall. 📌Cultural Relic — Scripture Pillar The round base of the scripture pillar in front of Yanqing Temple has a diameter of nearly 1 meter and is carved with a clear lotus pattern. Above the base is a nearly 2-meter-high pillar inscribed with the characters "Buddha's Ushnisha-Vijaya-Dharani Pillar." Atop the pillar is a damaged platform with nothing else on it. The scripture pillar dates back to the Song Dynasty or even earlier. 🚗 Transportation: Chartering a car or self-driving is recommended. There is ample parking space outside the temple (public transportation is not convenient in the village where Yanqing Temple is located). 🎫 Tickets: Free (with the popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong," the doors of many national treasures, long sealed, have been opened, making access easy). ⏰ Opening Hours: No specific time, it's better to go early. ⬆️This niche attraction is suitable for ancient architecture enthusiasts. Now we can only see this ancient hall. The passage of time prevents us from witnessing its former glory. We hope it will not disappear into the river of history.

Yanqing Temple is a 10-minute drive from Nanchan Temple. Each temple and hall is becoming more and more concrete. When visiting ancient sites in Shanxi, you often have to climb mountains to see a relic scattered among the rural villages, but it often brings surprises. I went to Yanqing Temple to see a Jin Dynasty structure. There is little information about Yanqing Temple, and the exact date of its founding is unknown. The architectural style of the remaining hall suggests it was built in the Jin Dynasty. It underwent a large-scale restoration in 2012, with the mountain gate, walls, and other buildings rebuilt. Although relatively low-key and unknown, the temple is well-maintained. When I went, it was the promotion period for Black Myth: Wukong, and the temple keeper seriously asked every visitor to sign and handed out promotional materials, which left a deep impression. The most distinctive feature of the Yanqing Temple Hall is the two clay animal heads on the door, but these were added later during the Qing Dynasty. However, such full and complete original animal heads are rare and quite cute. In addition, the hollowed-out chiwen at both ends of the eaves are also unique. The architectural style of the hall itself is very particular. The use of "shengqi" gives the hall a distinct curve from a distance, making the roof appear light and lively. This is achieved by adjusting the height of the columns, raising them by two inches for each bay from the center to the sides. This subtle detail contributes to the overall beauty. The use of "ce jiao" gives the building a slight ladder-like structure, effectively preventing the beams from tilting, allowing us to see this Jin Dynasty hall. More professional visitors can look at the dougong inside and outside the hall. The two beam structures use different structural treatments, as folk structures often consider local materials, so different combinations are often seen in the same building. There is flexible creativity within the regularity, which is very interesting. There is also a Northern Song Dynasty sutra pillar in the temple, but unfortunately, only half remains. Halfway through the visit, it started to snow, even though the sun was shining just now. The jujubes laid out by the old men were still on the ground. Ancient houses, jujubes, and snow - it was a sudden romance in northern Shanxi.

| An ancient architectural treasure. 📍Located in Shanxi, this temple is a testament to the passage of time. Step into Yanqing Temple and feel as if you've entered a river of history. The ancient architecture and every carved beam and painted pillar tell stories of the past. The temple's tranquil and peaceful atmosphere allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of the world and experience its ancient charm. It's a great place to cleanse your soul.💕

✨ Today, I want to share with you a pearl of ancient architecture lost in the fields - Yanqing Temple in Wutai County. 💖 This is also the filming location of "Black Myth: Wukong." 🏯 Historical Origins: The exact date of Yanqing Temple's construction is unknown, but experts speculate it was around the Jin Dynasty. It may have existed as early as the Tang Dynasty, with renovations in the Song Dynasty (1035 AD) and subsequent repairs in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. The Northern Song Dynasty's Jingyou 2nd Year Zunsheng Dharani Sutra Pillar in the temple seems to silently tell stories of the past. 😌 🎨 Architectural Style: - The Great Buddha Hall is three bays wide, about 13 meters long, with a slightly square plan and a single-eave hip roof. Standing on a half-meter-high platform, the wide eaves and bold overhangs convey a sense of solemn beauty. 😍 - The architectural style, with techniques like eaves, interspaces, slanting brackets, and camel humps, is similar to the Manjusri Hall of Foguang Temple. The unique column-reduction method was common in the late Jin and early Ming Dynasties. Although the hall originally had no columns to reduce, it cleverly saved a four-purlin, showcasing the wisdom of the ancients. 👏 - The column head is a five-purlin single-eave single-ang, the interspace is a double-eave, the main space uses slanting brackets, the interspace in the middle of the mountain face also has slanting brackets, the corner columns are clearly raised, and the mountain walls are tapered, with every detail highlighting the unique charm of Jin Dynasty architecture. 🐱‍🏍 💬 Once, each bay of the Great Buddha Hall had a statue, with the main Buddha in the center "standing tall." Unfortunately, during the Republic of China period, it was converted into a school and dismantled. Although the statues in the hall today are later reconstructions, they still allow one to imagine the grandeur of the past. The wooden beast faces on top of the round columns on both sides of the hall were added in the Qing Dynasty. 🌟 On May 25, 2006, Yanqing Temple was listed as the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units, a high recognition of its historical and architectural value. It is not just an ancient building but a witness to history. 💎 💕 If you love ancient architecture and enjoy exploring historical footprints, Yanqing Temple in Wutai County is definitely worth a visit.

🌿Explore Shanxi: Xinzhou Yanqing Temple｜A Mysterious Journey to a Thousand-Year-Old Temple🏯✈️ ❶. 🚩Destination: [China] Yangmingbao Town, Dai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province ❷. ⏰Best Time to Visit: Spring (flower season) or autumn (red leaf season) ❸. ⌛Duration: We recommend spending half a day to a full day visiting this ancient temple. If you have more time, consider hiking in the surrounding natural landscapes to experience the rural charm of northern Shanxi. ❹. 💡How to Get There: Take public transportation to Datong Railway Station/Airport, then transfer to a long-distance bus directly to Dai County; or drive and navigate to "Yanqing Temple" to easily find the parking spot and start your historical and cultural journey.👣 ❺. ✨Tip #1: To better protect cultural relics and the environment, please wear comfortable, durable, and lightweight clothing, and avoid bringing large backpacks into the temple area. This not only reduces the risk of damage to ground facilities but also allows you to focus more on the tranquility and solemn beauty before you. In addition, considering the possible cold weather or UV radiation, appropriate warm clothing and sunscreen are also important details.😌🥾☀️ ❻. 🎐Background & Historical Value📖: Built during the Northern Wei Dynasty, it has a history of nearly 1,500 years. It is not only a key cultural relic protection unit in China but also an important milestone witnessing the prosperity and decline of Chinese civilization. On this ancient land, every brick and tile carries profound cultural heritage and wisdom, waiting for us to discover and appreciate... ❼. 🐲Main Attractions🤗: Upon entering the gate, the first thing you see is the majestic Mahavira Hall, where many Buddhist statues, including Shakyamuni Buddha, are enshrined for believers to worship and pray for peace, health, and other wishes to come true. Moving forward, you will reach the place of Guanyin Bodhisattva, another spiritual sanctuary for devotees. They offer incense and flowers, wishing for world peace, freedom from suffering, and liberation from the cycle of rebirth. In addition to the main buildings mentioned above, there are also auxiliary facilities such as the Medicine Buddha Tower, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Sutra Library, Manjusri Pavilion, and Samantabhadra Hall, forming a complete religious architectural complex. With their exquisite architectural style and profound historical connotations, they have become an important base for studying ancient Chinese architecture and culture, providing valuable materials and inspiration for future generations.👍🏻✨ ❽. 🍜Local Snacks🤤: When it comes to hometown delicacies, how can we forget those mouthwatering classic combinations—knife-cut noodles, bean sprouts with bean curd, tofu pudding, cold noodles, braised pig trotters, lamb skewers, roast whole lamb, and other specialties? The taste is so irresistible that you can't stop eating, satisfying your appetite and taste buds without feeling too greasy. It's a perfect choice!😍🤘🏻🔥 ❾. ❤️Conclusion: "This is a place where the soul is purified and elevated, an opportunity to rediscover oneself and the world, and a memorable and precious memory." May we all continue to pursue our dreams and future with this feeling and strength, shining brightly and becoming better versions of ourselves!💕🌹🎓🙆‍♂️🏃♀️💪💼💖

[Love] Xinzhou Yanqing Temple is a Buddhist temple left over from the Jin Dynasty. It is located in Shanwen Village, Yangbai Township, northwest of Wutai County, Shanxi Province, and has important historical and cultural value. With the popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong", this ancient temple has also attracted more attention. [Island] Introduction to Xinzhou Yanqing Temple -Historical background: Yanqing Temple was first built in the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt in the Jin Dynasty. The existing Great Buddha Hall is a relic of the Jin Dynasty, showing the typical architectural style of the Jin Dynasty. -Architectural features: The Great Buddha Hall is three bays wide and about 13 meters long. It has a single-eaved hip roof and a simple and ingenious structure. The unique beam structure in the hall demonstrates the superb skills of ancient craftsmen. -Cultural value: Yanqing Temple is not only a symbol of Buddhist culture, but its architectural structure and decorative art also provide valuable physical materials for the study of ancient Chinese architecture. [Fire] The impact of the popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong" on Yanqing Temple The sudden popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong" has brought unprecedented attention to ancient buildings in Shanxi and even the whole country. In order to make the scenes more realistic, the game production team established China's first virtual asset library of ancient buildings, many of which were filmed in Shanxi. Xinzhou Yanqing Temple is one of them. With the popularity of the game, it has attracted more attention from tourists and scholars. [Sunflower] The role of Yanqing Temple in cultural protection and development As a national key cultural relic protection site, Yanqing Temple is not only a carrier of Buddhist culture, but also a treasure of ancient Chinese architectural art. Its protection and research are of great significance to the understanding and development of Chinese traditional culture. By strengthening the protection of ancient buildings such as Yanqing Temple, we can promote the development of cultural tourism, enhance the vitality of the local economy, and leave valuable cultural heritage for future generations. [Sakura]Xinzhou Yanqing Temple is not only a symbol of Buddhist culture, but also a treasure of ancient Chinese architectural art. Under the influence of "Black Myth: Wukong", it has become a window for more people to understand and explore China's cultural heritage.

Yanqing Temple, an open hall, with vast and boundless mountains behind it. The weather was particularly good that day, the sky was blue as if washed, and the resting clouds bloomed quietly like white lotus flowers, making the place even more outstanding. At noon, although the sun was intense, the weather in northern Shanxi was not as sultry as in the south. Coupled with the northern wind blowing from beyond the Great Wall, it was not tiring, and even if you sweated, it would dry quickly. 📜About Yanqing Temple Only the main hall remains, and its age is untraceable. Based on its architectural style, it is inferred to be a wooden structure from the Jin Dynasty. The roof slope is gentle, the eaves extend freely, the eaves curve beautifully, and the thick side walls taper inward, with harmonious proportions, completely exceeding my aesthetic expectations. If it weren't for visiting Foguang Temple, who would know of its existence? It is said that the stupa inside the hall was stolen earlier, and it stopped being open to the public. When I went, new buildings had already been constructed around it, and many students from Xi'an were sketching inside. 📝Professional Knowledge The main hall of Yanqing Temple is three bays wide, with a nearly square floor plan. It is a wooden structure with six purlins and a hip-and-gable roof. In terms of architectural style, the techniques of the eaves, intercolumnar brackets, diagonal braces, and camel hump are similar to those of the Manjusri Hall of Foguang Temple within the same region. The long purlins and the eaves brackets shaped like elephant trunks are also similar to the techniques used in the Amitabha Hall and Guanyin Hall of Chongfu Temple. 📸Recommended Highlights The stupa from the second year of Jingyou in the Northern Song Dynasty (1035), standing on a lotus base. The upper half of the stupa was stolen by thieves in 2011; The beast heads on the column tops of the main hall are particularly distinctive, resembling the masks used in southern Nuo opera, identical to the beast heads seen in the main hall of Guangji Temple in Wutai County. 🎫Tickets: Free, open all year round 🚖Transportation: Taxi is best, navigate to County Road 002, Wutai County, Xinzhou City 🐝Ancient Architecture Tour Route: Hongfu Temple - Yanqing Temple - Nanchan Temple - Guangji Temple - Foguang Temple

Yanqing Temple is located in Shanwen Village, Yangbai Township, Wutai County, Shanxi Province. The exact date of its construction is unknown, but the stone inscriptions in the courtyard indicate that the temple already existed during the Tang Dynasty. It was rebuilt in the second year of the Jingyou era of the Song Dynasty and was renovated during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. The temple was originally a three-courtyard layout, but only the third courtyard remains. The main existing building is the main hall of Yanqing Temple, a relic of the Jin Dynasty, which faces south. The main hall is three rooms wide and about 13 meters long, with a slightly square floor plan. It is a wooden structure with six rafters and a hip roof. In terms of architectural form, the methods of the head, the supplement, the oblique arch, and the camel hump are similar to those of the Wenshu Hall of the Foguang Temple in the territory. The large supporting wooden feet and the head shape of the elephant are similar to the Amitabha Hall and Guanyin Hall of the Chongfu Temple in Suxian County. The hall uses a reduced column architectural structure, which was common in the late Jin and early Ming Dynasties. It is a newly created wooden structure, that is, it saves beams and columns without affecting the stability of the building. The two column heads in the center of the main hall are decorated with animal faces, which are uniquely shaped. Some people think it looks like a dragon, while others think it looks like a pig's head. There are relics of the Northern Song Dynasty in the temple. Although some are broken, the lotus base is very exquisite. The text on it records a lot of history of Yanqing Temple and has high research value. On May 25, 2006, Yanqing Temple was listed as the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. Although Yanqing Temple is not large, as a wooden building of the Jin Dynasty, it has important historical, artistic, and scientific value and is a precious example of ancient architecture research.