A thousand-year-old ancient temple in Shanxi, with rare national treasures inside

In a thousand-year-old ancient temple in Shanxi, there are rare national treasures inside, and there is also a 'transparent' stone stele at the entrance. Curious friends might ask, where exactly is this thousand-year-old ancient temple in Shanxi? What unique scenery does it have? With these questions and curiosity, let's talk about the stories of Longmen Temple today. Longmen Temple was founded during the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty. It is located on Longmen Mountain, which is surrounded by towering mountains and steep cliffs. The mountain is named Longmen (Dragon Gate) because the rocks in the valley resemble a dragon's head, and the temple is named Longmen Temple because of Longmen Mountain. The temple is surrounded by three mountains and one water body, creating a serene and elegant scenery. There are scenic spots such as Dragon Mouth Spitting Water, Stone Valley Dragon Gate, Golden Lamp Flowing Oil, Transparent Stone Stele, and Cliff Stone Buddha. Moreover, it is particularly worth mentioning that Changzhi Longmen Temple is known as the 'Eight Treasures Dragon Gate.' According to records, during the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Monk Fashong traveled from Mount Wutai to this place and built the 'Fahua Temple' here. It was renamed 'Longmen Temple' during the Qiande period of the Northern Song Dynasty. The existing halls and corridors are arranged meticulously. The central axis has three courtyards, and the east and west Zen halls and other buildings each form a separate area. Among them, the west side hall in the front courtyard was built in the third year of Tongguang in the Later Tang Dynasty (925 AD). It has three bays and a hanging mountain style, with no columns inside. The beams and rafters are simple and orderly, still retaining the Tang style.