Hutu Temple (The Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units)

Period: From the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty

Location: Ximayu Village, Qingxu County

Hutu Temple is a national key cultural relic protection unit. It was constructed in memory of Hutu, a senior official of the State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period. The temple was first built in the first year of the Mingchang reign of the Jin Dynasty (1190). It was reconstructed in the 26th year of the Zhiyuan reign of the Yuan Dynasty (1298) and expanded in the 14th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1535). Facing south, the temple comprises two courtyards and covers an area of 1,875 square metres. The remaining buildings include the Offering Hall, the Main Hall and stele corridors.

The Offering Hall has seven bays in width and six rafters in depth. It features a single-eave gable roof covered with grey cylindrical tiles edged with glazed tiles. The bracket sets are three-tiered with a single angled bracket. The central bracket set of the main bay has a 45-degree diagonal angled bracket. A wooden plank door is installed in the central bay, and vertical mullion windows are fitted in the other bays. More than 60 square metres of murals are painted on the gable walls, depicting Lord Liying summoning rain and returning to the palace.

The Main Hall originally had three bays in width and four rafters in depth. It was expanded into two connected chambers during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty: the front audience hall and the rear sleeping chamber. The front hall has a curved roof with overhanging gables, while the rear hall adopts a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The two parts are connected by a composite roof structure. Eight coloured statues from the Yuan Dynasty are preserved inside. The seated statues of Hutu and his wife stand 2 metres tall in the centre, flanked by six maid statues each 1 metre high. A horizontal plaque inscribed with "Famous Minister of Sanjin" hangs above the central bay of the front eaves. The side hall on the left houses seated statues of the Black and White Dragon King and their wives.

A total of 18 stone steles of successive dynasties are kept in the Offering Hall and the two stele corridors, recording Hutu’s life story and the construction history of the temple in detail.

In May 2006, as an ancient architectural complex dating from the Song to Qing dynasties, Hutu Temple was approved by the State Council and included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units.