The interweaving of time and space in Longquan Temple on Taishan Mountain in Taiyuan is the Western Paradise!

Speaking of Mount Tai, this Mount Tai is not the same Mount Tai, but a mountain located between Mount Long and Mount Meng in Taiyuan.
Taishan Longquan Temple was first built in the first year of the Jingyun reign of the Tang Dynasty (710 AD) and is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower temples. The Guanyin Pavilion, the essence of the architecture, was built in the 17th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. Its exterior is famous for its unique octagonal shape and is also known as the "Octagonal Pavilion". It has a yellow carved glazed ridge and colorful brackets.
There are Ming Dynasty colored sculptures inside. The statues of the Three Holy Saints of the West are solemn and sacred. The statue of Guanyin sits compassionately on a cleverly built hexagonal lotus platform in the center. Shancai Boy and Dragon Girl are floating in the air on the left and right, standing devoutly. The Eighteen Arhats are on both sides. The folds of their clothes are all delicate and gorgeous, and otherworldly.
On the four walls, the art of hanging sculptures is ingenious. From top to bottom, there are three layers, with undulating mountains, towering ancient trees, majestic palaces, and lifelike figures. The rich sense of space and layering is beyond words, and the characters are portrayed to be ethereal and elegant, each with its own expression.
On May 7, 2008, a fire-fighting water reservoir was built at Longquan Temple in Taishan. Stones, stone doors and other foreign objects were discovered at the excavation site. After entering the site, archaeologists first determined that this was the site of a Buddhist pagoda from the Tang Dynasty. During the excavation of the pagoda base, they unexpectedly found an underground palace of about 1m³ in the middle and a five-layer stone casket.
The five layers of stone caskets from outside to inside are: stone casket, wooden casket, gilded bronze casket, silver casket, and gold coffin. The coffin is inlaid with Buddhist Buddha's feet, Sumeru pedestal, and railings, as well as Taoist Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise, reflecting the equal importance of Buddhism and Taoism at that time.

Post by SophiaWeston7 | Jan 16, 2025