Nanzenji Temple

Nanchan Temple, located in Lijia Village, Yangbai Township, Wutai County, is a rare national treasure in terms of architecture, statues and brick carvings. In Nanchan Temple, there is the oldest wooden structure building in my country - the Great Buddha Hall. It is the oldest building in the ancient buildings of Mount Wutai. According to the inscription on the beam of the main hall, it can be confirmed that the main hall was rebuilt in the third year of Emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty (782 A.D.), which has a history of more than one thousand years. 

The Great Buddha Hall is the main building of Nanchan Temple, with twelve eaves pillars supporting the huge hall roof. The walls of the hall are not heavy-duty, and only serve to separate the inside and outside and protect against wind and rain. The capitals of the surrounding eaves and columns are slightly inclined, and the four corner columns are slightly higher, which makes the brackets protruding from each other, and the two ends of the roof ridge are decorated with owl kisses. The main hall is both stable and beautiful, with a simple structure and a typical large-scale wooden structure architectural style in the mid-Tang Dynasty.

In the main hall, you can also enjoy the statues of the Tang Dynasty. The statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is enshrined in the main hall, and on both sides are two Bodhisattvas, Manjushri and Samantabhadra. Whether it is Manjushri Bodhisattva riding a lion, Samantabhadra riding an elephant, or the standing Ananda and Kassapa, all of them have a calm demeanor and lifelike expressions.

Around the Buddhist altar, there are dozens of Tang Dynasty brick carvings embedded, all of which are masterpieces of brick relief art in the Tang Dynasty. There are also two stone lions and stone pagodas in Nanchan Temple, which are also relics of the Tang Dynasty. One is a reclining lion, and the other is in the shape of "two lions facing each other". The stone pagoda is about half a meter high and is divided into five floors.