Regret going too late! Fengguo Temple in Yi County, Liang Sicheng did not lie!

🏯 Fengguo Temple in Yi County, as one of the three major Liao temples in China, is as famous as Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi and Dule Temple in Jizhou, Tianjin. This temple was built in the ninth year of Kaitai in Liao Dynasty, and has a history of 1004 years. It is a royal temple built by Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Yelü Longxu, for his mother, Empress Dowager Xiao, on the "family fiefdom". Fengguo Temple is famous for its "three wonders" - the Main Hall, the seven Buddha statues and the architectural paintings. Liang Sicheng praised it as a "millennium national treasure" and "supreme national treasure".

🏛️ The Great Hall is the main building of Fengguo Temple. It is known as the largest and highest-level wooden structure in ancient Chinese Buddhist temples, representing the highest level of Chinese architecture in the 11th century. The hall houses rare treasures in the world, so it is not called the "Main Hall".

🗿 The most precious treasures in the Main Hall are 23 Liao Dynasty colored sculptures, including the world's oldest, largest and most exquisite Liao Dynasty painted clay Buddha statue group "Seven Buddhas of the Past", as well as 14 Bodhisattvas and two Vajrapani. These Buddha statues are magnificent, especially the Vipaśyin Buddha in the center, which is 9.5 meters tall.

🎨 Although the murals in the Main Hall are in poor condition, twelve flying celestials can still be seen. Male flying celestials are a feature of Fengguo Temple. There are also 17 steles inscribed in the hall, which were built during the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

📅 【Tour Tips】
- Opening hours: From November 1st to March 31st of the following year is the winter season, open from 8:30 to 16:30 every day (ticket sales stop at 16:00).
- Tickets: 50 yuan, discounts available for online purchases.
- Transportation: There are three trains from Jinzhou Station every day, and it takes 45 minutes to reach Yixian. There are buses to Yi County from Jinzhou Bus Station, which run about every half an hour.
- Photography: Photography is allowed without flash, but please be respectful.

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Post by _StormRider | Feb 21, 2025