Chongshan
Temple is located
in Huangmiao Lane, Wuyi Road, Taiyuan City. It is first built in the Tang Dynasty
(618-907), once called White Horse Temple. In 1381, the temple was rebuilt and
extended by the third son of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, first emperor of the Ming
Dynasty, in memory of his mother, and renamed Chongshan Temple. Covering an area
of 40.4 acres, the temple has become a key cultural relic under the protection
of Shanxi Province and home to the Buddhist Association of Shanxi Province.
Most
part of the temple has been destroyed during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi (1856-1875)
of the Qing Dynasty. The present temple includes the Bell Tower, the Dabei Hall,
and the east and west wing rooms. The Dabei Hall is the most typical Ming Dynasty
architecture that has been preserved in the best condition and possesses high
artistic value. The design of the figure of Avalokitesvara with one thousand hands
and one thousand eyes is grotesque and spectacular. In the hall are also preserved
Buddhist scriptures of the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasty editions as well as picture
albums of Buddha's deeds and about his fifty - three disciples. The three gilded
Ming Dynasty mud statues of Bodhisattvas are all about 8 meters (26.2 feet) high.
All three statues still retain their florid colors and smooth lines, rare artworks
of the Ming Dynasty.
|