Longmen Temple in Pingshun, hidden in the deep mountains, gathers ancient buildings from the Six Dynasties

Longmen Temple, originally named Fahua Temple, faces south with its back to the north. According to inscriptions, it was founded in the second year of Wuding during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 AD). It was expanded during the Later Tang and Northern Song periods. During the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was renamed Longmen Temple, and in the first year of Jianlong (960 AD), the temple reached its peak size, boasting 'hundreds of halls and chambers.' It was renovated during the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The existing architectural complex adopts a layout with three central axes: east, middle, and west. The central axis includes the Mountain Gate (Heavenly King Hall, pics 1, 3, 4, 7) from the Jin Dynasty, the Mahavira Hall (pics 5, 6) from the Song Dynasty, the Lamp-Burning Buddha Hall (rear hall, pic 12) from the Yuan Dynasty, and the Stone Buddha Pavilion (pics 13, 14), flanked by the east and west cloisters and side halls, with the west side hall (pics 8, 9) from the Five Dynasties and the east side hall (pics 11, 20) from the Ming Dynasty, as well as the east side bell tower, etc.; the east axis includes the Holy Monk Hall with five rooms (pic 19), the Water and Land Hall with seven rooms, and the Zen Hall (pic 18), as well as auxiliary buildings like monks' quarters and stables; the west axis includes monks' quarters and storehouses (pics 15-17), all from the Qing Dynasty. Particularly noteworthy is the unassuming west side hall, which, according to the stone stele from the third year of Qianyou during the Later Han Dynasty (950 AD) inside the temple (pic 10), was built in the third year of Tongguang during the Later Tang Dynasty (925 AD). It is one of the three oldest surviving semi-Tang Dynasty wooden structures in China. Also, the Mahavira Hall, according to the stone pillars in the front eaves, was built in the fifth year of Shaosheng during the Northern Song Dynasty (1098 AD), ranking it among the oldest surviving ancient buildings in China! The temple also preserves four Song and Jin Dynasty stone pagodas (outside the west wall, not found), nine Ming Dynasty steles, thirteen Qing Dynasty steles, and many fine brushwork and color murals. As an architectural complex that well preserves buildings from the Six Dynasties in one temple, Longmen Temple only charges 20 yuan for admission, which is truly a conscientious price, and parking is free. Photography is also not restricted within the temple. However, it is located in a remote area, far from both Changzhi city and Pingshun county town, so a self-driving tour is more convenient for those who wish to appreciate its beauty.