Jinci, a temple for 3,000 years

Naturally weathered architecture and ancient works of art make it a must-see

If you have only one day to tour in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, most locals will recommend that you visit Jinci, a temple with 3,000 years' history.

Jinci, built at the foot of Xunweng Mountain beside the Fenhe River to the southwest of Taiyuan, is an artistic complex of ancient Chinese architecture, sculpture, fresco and inscription, as well as a cultural synthesis of religion, politics and family clan.

It was firstly built in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD368-534) in memory of Ji Yu, a prince of the Zhou Dynasty (1100 BC to 256 BC), at the site of his kingdom's capital for his commitment to improve the local people's livelihood.

The Zhou Dynasty is an important period in Chinese history, as it was so long and laid a foundation for many social, political and religious systems for even today's China.

The oldest things in the temple are two 2,900-year-old cypress trees (one died in the early 1900s, leaving the huge trunk there), which were supposedly planted by Ji Yu himself.

Few memorial temples built that early in China enjoyed the recognition of most emperors in the dozens of following dynasties. Jinci was transformed and expanded many times throughout Chinese history till now. There are dozens of buildings in the temple, most of which are built after the Tang Dynasty (AD618-907). Wood, tiles and stones are the main building materials.

They were designed and built by masters of different times. Every building is unique and has its own smart innovation of saving building materials, using natural light, and borrowing views from natural landscape.

The memorial hall of Yi Jiang, or holy water goddess, became the center of the temple after it was finished in the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279). The prince's mother, Yi Jiang, because her son, husband and brothers were all excellent governors in the Zhou Dynasty, later became the icon that the people adored most. Local farmers also compared her to the water goddess, as her memorial hall was built on three springs and surrounded by man-made canals.

The main way leading to the hall's entrance is a stone bridge, which has a wing bridge on either side of it, forming a rare cross-bridge over the spring pond under it. Between the stone pillars and the bridge slate is thick wood of a special kind, like railway sleepers, that ensures all the space is effectively filled in, and prevents the effects of humidity's on the contact surfaces between stones.

The Yi Jiang hall is about five stories high, and was constructed with wood and tiles without using any single piece of iron. The architects used tenons and holes in the wood to fasten the structure, and made the wood into different parts of the house, according to the special properties of the various kinds of wood. The hall covers an area of about four basketball courts, and the grand overhanging cornice is supported by about 30 wooden pillars along its border. There is no single pillar in the hall, as all the weight is distributed to the border pillars through layers of complicated wood tenons between roof and pillar head.

On each of the eight front pillars is a wood-carved dragon twining around it, and every dragon has its own body gesture and designs. The height of the pillars varies, with the middle ones slightly shorter than the side ones, and all of the 30 pillars tilt slightly at their heads in the direction of the hall's center point, forming a stable frame. For more than 1,000 years, the hall has remained sturdy even after suffering dozens of earthquakes.

The entrance faces east, and the temple park can be divided into three parts - the north, the south, and the middle.

On the middle line, from the east to the west, are a drama stage, a canal bridge, four iron statuts of soldiers made in the Song Dynasty, an archway, a hall to store sacrifices, a bell tower, the stone bridge and the Yi Jiang hall.

On the north of the middle line are 10 halls for the worship of gods in charge of education, life, wealth, Taoism and land, and in memory of Ji Yu. These buildings stand on a patch of mountain slope. Although they were separately constructed in different dynasties, the architects were careful to leave space that borrows natural scenic views such as the mountain peak in the distance, a stretch of water surface or a patch of flourishing old trees, for their future peers to build new buildings.

To the south of the middle line are three pavilions and four temple halls for the worship of virtuous court officials and a well-respected local woman. Buildings in the southern part take on characteristics of the gardens to the south of the Yangtze River, that emphasize the combination of plants, water, stones and buildings.

Many of the buildings are well protected. Unlike the Forbidden City in Beijing which has been redecorated with fresh paint, most buildings in Jinci look natural with old wooden surfaces polished by years of wind and rains, and have a smell of age.

Apart from these masterpiece buildings that co-exist harmoniously with one another and nature, what makes Jinci a must-see is that every building in it has large amounts of original artistic works, be they clay sculptures, stone tablets inscribed by ancient calligraphers, delicate frescos or plaques written by emperors.

Every house looks like a museum. Take the clay sculptures, for example. In Yijiang Hall, there are over 50 clay sculptures that are the size of a real person, whose facial expressions and gestures are so vivid that the visitor can sense their emotions. The color of the sculptures, which were made between the Song Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is well preserved and they are important research materials for archaeologists.

Thanks to its close connection with royal families, who attached great significance to their family names and usually awarded their family name as a noble prize, over the long period of time, Jinci was regarded as the origins of many big family names such as Li and Zhang.

It takes about two hours to walk around the temple. Yet, visitors who are interested in Chinese history and culture can spend one day in Jinci, because there are not only the views aforementioned, but also many interesting legendary stories associated with the temple park. Some background knowledge of the Zhou, Tang and Song dynasties will be useful in understanding the soul of Jinci.

liyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 06/04/2015 page10)