Dongyue Temple in Linfen

5 RMB

0357-2015547

Summer is the best time for travelling in Shanxi Province.

0357-2015547

Linfen Railway Station is located on Chezhan Street in the northeast of the urban area. The north-south Tongpu Railway trunk line runs through the city and connects northern and southern Shanxi. The Houxi and Houyue Railways, which form part of China’s second Eurasian Continental Bridge, cross the region from east to west. Trains run from Linfen to Beijing, Xi’an, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin and other cities.

An expressway directly connects Linfen and Huozhou. In addition, the Dayun Highway (Datong-Yuncheng) and National Highway 108 run north and south across Shanxi, while National Highway 318 and Jinhan Highway stretch east and west. Long-distance buses departing from Linfen Coach Station reach Taiyuan, Xi’an, Yuncheng and all counties and districts under Linfen’s jurisdiction.

There are plenty of bus routes to scenic spots in Linfen, bringing great convenience to tourists.

Dongyue Temple stands on the top of Cypress Hill, 2 kilometres east of Pucheng County, Shanxi Province. The mountain is covered with luxuriant evergreen cypresses all year round, so the temple is also commonly known as Cypress Hill Temple. It boasts a grand scale and well-structured layout, with more than sixty buildings including the Mountain Gate, Lingxiao Hall, Opera Tower, Council Hall, Offering Pavilion, Main Palace of the God of Dongyue, Houtu Temple, Goddess Shrine, Pure Void Palace, Ksitigarbha Shrine, the Hell Chamber, turrets and surrounding covered corridors.

The exact founding date remains unknown, but historical records confirm its existence as early as the fifth year of the Taihe reign of the Jin Dynasty (1205 AD). The existing Main Palace Hall was rebuilt in the fifth year of the Yanyou reign (1318 AD) after being damaged by an earthquake in the Yuan Dynasty. The hall is five bays wide and five bays deep, with stone steps all around and a double-eave hip-and-gable roof. All columns are carved from stone, inscribed with five poems to the tune of Magnolia Flower. Statues of the God of Dongyue (Yellow Tiger) and his attendants are enshrined inside the hall.

Beneath the ground level, eighteen layers of hell scenes are arranged in fifteen cave dwellings. Life-sized clay statues depict the Five Great Mountain Gods, the Ten Yama Kings and the Six Departments of Judges. More than 120 figures are presented, including ghost messengers and scenes of mountain of knives, boiling oil cauldrons, grinding wheels and sawing torture. This rare group of Ming-dynasty clay sculptures is a precious treasure among existing ancient Chinese temples.