Temple recommendations.

A small temple in a small alley in Xinjiang, Yuncheng, which looks very inconspicuous, is actually a national treasure from the Yuan Dynasty!
The Sanguan Temple was built in the first year of the Zhizheng period of the Yuan Dynasty (1341), and was rebuilt in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It used to be called the Gourd Temple, but unfortunately, the big stone gourd in front of the door has been destroyed. Does this remind you of anything? The staff said that this is the prototype of the Gourd Temple in "Dream of the Red Chamber".
The two clay sculptures on the left side of the entrance are so damaged that they are unrecognizable (Figure 8), but they are a bit cute and adorable. In fact, two of the statues in the hall are replicas of their original appearance. Do you think they look a bit like they used to?
There are also many exquisite Yuan Dynasty clay sculptures in the hall. The faces of the main sculptures of the "Heaven, Earth, and Water" statues have been restored, but due to poor craftsmanship, they appear stiff and clumsy. On the contrary, several small statues may not have been restored because they were not valued, and they retain their original charm and are very vivid. The folds and sleeves of the painted sculptures are beautiful, and the luster of the mineral pigments can still be faintly seen, which is incomparable to chemical pigments.
Address: Sanguan Temple, Xinjiang, Yuncheng, Shanxi
It just opened on May 1 this year, so don't miss it!
You can take photos, but don't use the flash.

Post by JUNE BUTLER | Nov 15, 2024