Main Hall of Emperor Cheng Tang Temple

Period: Yuan Dynasty Address: Shangtun Village, Baishan Township, 3 kilometres northeast of Bo'ai County, Henan Province

Emperor Cheng Tang Temple was first built in the first year of the Yuanzhen reign of the Yuan Dynasty (1295 AD). The original complex consisted of a mountain gate, an offering hall, the main hall, a screen wall, and east and west side chambers. Today, the core buildings along the central axis—the offering hall and the main hall—are still preserved.

Facing south, the Main Hall of Emperor Cheng Tang Temple has three bays in both width and depth. It is a front-veranda building with a single-eave gable roof covered with grey cylindrical tiles. The whole structure adopts a rugged and simple construction technique typical of early ancient architecture.

Four eave columns are arranged on both the front and rear sides of the hall, standing on inverted lotus-shaped plinths. The rectangular platform matches the outline of the building, measuring 11.2 metres east to west and 8.1 metres north to south, paved with square bricks.

The bracket sets under the eaves are sparsely laid out, with one inter-column bracket in the central bay and each side bay. These are four-tier bracketing systems with a single downward cantilever built on a full frame. The cantilever tip is flat, with its base width twice its height.

The beam frame uses rough-hewn timbers, with natural logs for beams and crossbeams. The roof framework employs a four-rafter beam supported by two columns. The eave columns feature obvious inward inclination and upward camber. The ridge purlin on the central post is held up by a small bracket and a pair of struts. Since the main beam heads point northward, local people call it the "Inverted Beam Temple".

The lower part of the wall is built with neatly laid bricks without staggered courses, while the upper part is made of adobe. The gable wall is of mixed brick-and-timber structure with wooden posts embedded inside. Traces of coloured paintings remain on the beams, depicting landscapes, flowers, and two dragons playing with a pearl. For the front facade, wooden plank doors are installed in the central bay and vertical mullion windows in the side bays. The roof has a gentle slope, and the main ridge and sloping ridges remain intact.

The bracket layout and style retain early architectural features. The open ceiling, use of unprocessed natural timber, and inverted beams all reflect local Henan craftsmanship of the Yuan Dynasty. This hall serves as precious physical evidence for the study of early architectural styles in Henan.

On September 25, 2000, the People's Government of Henan Province designated it one of the Third Batch of Provincial Key Cultural Relic Protection Units.