Contact: 0573-4614042

Best Time to Visit Changzhi has a warm temperate monsoon climate with four distinct seasons. Winters are long and summers short, while spring lasts slightly longer than autumn. The climate is mild, with rainfall coinciding with hot weather. The annual average temperature ranges from 5℃ to 13℃, and rainfall is abundant. Recommended visiting seasons: Spring and Autumn.

Complaint Hotline: 0355-2035096

Changzhi Airport serves medium and small-sized passenger aircraft. It operates direct flights to Beijing, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Taiyuan and other cities, greatly facilitating exchanges and economic ties between Changzhi and the capital as well as regions inside and outside Shanxi Province.

Two national trunk railways, the Taiyuan-Jiaozuo Railway and Handan-Changzhi Railway, run across the area in all directions. Two newly built local railways and 24 dedicated railway lines deliver an annual freight capacity of over 30 million tons.

The region has four national highways. Centered on National Highway 208 and the Handan-Changzhi Class II Highway, together with 14 local roads, they form a road network shaped like the Chinese character Feng, with a total length of 2,681 kilometers. Asphalt roads connect 104 townships and 846 villages to the county seat, covering 1,000 kilometers in total. More than 202 long-distance bus routes link Changzhi with Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang and other cities.

Dayun Courtyard is situated on Long'er Mountain, north of Shihui Village, Shihui Township, 23 kilometers northwest of Pingshun County seat. Surrounded by mountains on the east, west and north, and facing the Zhangshui River to the south, it is enveloped in dense woods, boasting a serene and secluded environment.

According to stone inscriptions, the temple was founded in the 3rd year of the Tianfu reign of the Later Jin Dynasty (938) during the Five Dynasties period, originally named Xianyan Courtyard. The Grand Buddha Hall was built in 940, and the Seven-Treasure Pagoda outside the temple was completed in the 1st year of the Xiande reign of the Later Zhou Dynasty (954). By the 1st year of the Jianlong reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (960), the temple had over 100 halls and chambers. In the 8th year of the Taipingxingguo reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (983), it was officially renamed Dayun Chan Courtyard by imperial order.

A stone incense burner was carved and placed in front of the Grand Buddha Hall in the 2nd year of the Guangshun reign of the Five Dynasties (952). A stone sutra pillar was erected in the front courtyard in the 4th year of the Qiande reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (966), and a stone arhat statue was carved in the 2nd year of the Xianping reign (999). A stone stele recording the imperial grant to Shuangfeng Mountain Dayun Courtyard was carved in the 4th year of the Tianxi reign (1020).

The Heavenly King Hall at the entrance was renovated in the 13th year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty (1477). In October of the 4th year of the Hongzhi reign (1491), the Three Buddhas Hall was reconstructed: its structure was expanded from three bays to five, with three grand Buddha statues and two Bodhisattva statues newly enshrined. The temple also underwent renovations in the Kangxi and Daoguang reigns of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era.

From 1961 to 1964, the Cultural Relics Committee of Shanxi Province allocated funds to repair the roof of the Grand Buddha Hall, reinforce its interior beam frames and exterior bracket sets, rebuild 12 meditation halls on the east and west sides, and erect 80 meters of enclosing walls.

Facing south with its back to the north, Dayun Courtyard consists of two courtyards and covers an area of 4,000 square meters. The existing entrance gate, Heavenly King Hall, Three Buddhas Hall (rear hall) and wing rooms in the front courtyard feature architectural styles of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Grand Buddha Hall is a well-preserved structure dating back to the Five Dynasties. In total, there are 24 existing halls and chambers.

The Heavenly King Hall is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a gable roof. Four rafters span the entire length supported by two columns. Large horizontal beams run along the front and rear eaves. The bracket sets on column tops and the inter-column brackets on main and side bays are five-tier sets with two downward cantilevers. The roof is paved with grey tiles, decorated with glazed roof ornaments, tile ends and drip tiles. Both sides of the roof ridges are elaborately carved with immortals, mythical beasts and miniature rockeries, presenting distinctive craftsmanship.

The Grand Buddha Hall is three bays wide and three bays deep. Its beam structure combines four main rafters and rear secondary rafters, with three columns supporting the full eaves. It adopts a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Both column-top and inter-column brackets are five-tier sets with two upward cantilevers, and corner brackets are fitted with diagonal cantilevers. With round columns, square architraves and upturned flying eaves, the building features a primitive, solemn and magnificent style.

Inside the hall lie 21 square meters of murals from the Five Dynasties. The eastern wall depicts the Buddhist story Transformation of Vimalakirti, with painted palaces, drifting clouds and eight celestial musicians playing musical instruments or dancing gracefully. On the front of the partition wall stand Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas, while flying apsaras wander freely among the clouds in elegant postures. Another 11 square meters of colored paintings from the Five Dynasties remain on the bracket eye panels and architraves. The hall also houses the Five Dynasties stone incense burner, Northern Song stone sutra pillar and stone arhat statue.

The Three Buddhas Hall is five bays wide and three bays deep, with four full-length rafters supported by two columns. Its column-top brackets are three-tier sets with a single downward cantilever and cloud-shaped ornamental heads. Inter-column brackets identical to those on column tops are installed on all bays. With a gable roof, it is a typical building of the late Qing Dynasty.

On the left side outside the temple stands the Seven-Treasure Pagoda, a stone pagoda built in the Later Zhou Dynasty of the Five Dynasties. Carved entirely from bluestone, it originally had seven storeys and now retains five, standing about six meters tall. The lower three storeys are octagonal. The first storey is carved with lotus patterns, lions, kylins and flying horses. The second storey features graceful dancing figures and vivid accompanying musicians. Twisted dragon pillars decorate the corners of the third storey.

Beneath the eaves are lifelike carvings of flying phoenixes, immortals and birds of mutual life. Curtain patterns run around the eaves. The front arched gate is carved with two dragons playing with a pearl, flanked by two Heavenly Kings. A monk is partially hidden behind the rear gate, with two strong guardian warriors standing on both sides. The fourth storey is decorated with curtain patterns and false wooden doors on the front and rear sides. The top of the fifth storey is crowned with a large dome and a precious pearl finial. Exquisitely designed and elaborately carved, the pagoda embodies superb craftsmanship.

Dayun Courtyard is listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.