Zhenguo Temple in Pingyao

 
Why you should go:
Among all the Buddhist temples in China, the fame of Zhenguo Temple is just after Nanshan Temple and Foguang Temple in Mt.Wutai. As you know, Five Dynaties period in China was not peaceful for wars happened a lot. The ancient architecture even could hardly survive during that time but Zhenguo Temple was an exception. Look at it now,the exquisite and splendid building not only has the typical features of Buddhism but also indicates the characteristics of the ancient traditional Chinese architecture. As a treasure of Chinese culture, Zhenguo Temple has both the historical and cultural value and abundant tourism resources.

When Pingyao ranked into world heritage list, it clearly includes one city and two temples, one is Shuanglin Temple which is known well for the painted sculpture, and the other is Zhenguo Temple. Based on this, you will know the importance of it.

How it is:
The temple is only 10km northeast away from Pingyao. It contains two courtyards, occupying 10,892 square meters. From south to north, you will see Tianwang Hall, Wanfo Hall, Sanfo building and so on.

The Wanfo Hall, the main part of the front courtyard, is one of the oldest wood constructions existent now with a history of more than 1000 years. Different from the other wood constructions, there is no nail at all which makes the temple more special. Fourteen painted sculptures are displayed in the hall, but your attention will be firstly got by the butsudan : Gautama is in the middle (he is a spiritual teacher who founded Buddhism), with his two students Kasyapa Matanga and Ananda standing left and right of him.

Sanfo Hall is the major one of the back county yard. As the name implies, three main Buddha live here. If you get into this hall, you will never miss the gorgeous wall painting which can be dated to Ming Dynasty. It describes the whole life of Buddha Gautama.