Yu County Jade Emperor Pavilion

Yuzhou Jade Emperor Pavilion The temple of the Jade Emperor Pavilion faces south and consists of two courtyards, front and back. The layout is rigorous, the halls are magnificent, and the momentum is grand. The front courtyard includes the Hall of Heavenly Kings, East and West Halls, and Zen rooms. The back courtyard includes the main hall of the Jade Emperor Pavilion, the Bell Tower, and the Drum Tower. The Hall of Heavenly Kings and the main hall of the Jade Emperor Pavilion are aligned on the same axis, appearing tall and majestic. Yuzhou Jade Emperor Pavilion Front Courtyard In the front courtyard, the Hall of Heavenly Kings has three rooms and two entrances, with a hard mountain roof. From south to north, there are four columns and three rooms on each side, with eighteen stone steps in the middle and two corner gates connecting to the back courtyard. Back Courtyard In the back courtyard, the Bell Tower is on the left side of the corner gate, the Drum Tower is on the right, and the main hall of the Jade Emperor Pavilion is in the center. It is built on the city wall, with a three-tiered Xieshan-style roof covered with glazed tiles. The interior has two floors, but the exterior appears to have three stories. Main Hall of the Jade Emperor Pavilion The walls of the main hall of the Jade Emperor Pavilion are divided into a base and brick walls, both made of brick and stone. There are arch gates on all sides, with dragon and pearl reliefs as decorations, giving a bold and unrestrained style. The main ridge of the hall is decorated with glazed floral ridges, with glazed dragon and ceramic beast ornaments at both ends. Along the golden pillars is a thick brick eave wall with paintings on the ridges. The main ridge features images of the Eight Immortals, while the side ridges have many beast ornaments. The corners are decorated with animal heads, and iron ornaments hang under the ridges, clanging in the wind. Inside the main hall, there is a statue of the Jade Emperor in the center, flanked by two statues of blue lions and white elephants carrying treasure vases. The walls are painted with images of the Five Emperors and the Queen Mother of the West, as well as the mythological 'Fengshen Tu' and 'Thirty-Six Thunder Gods'. Bell and Drum Towers The Bell and Drum Towers have a unique structure. The lower eave corners lack old corner beams, extending the corner beams horizontally and raising them vertically by one purlin diameter, forming a protrusion. The lower eave rafters only have eave rafters without flying rafters. The upper eave intersects with the eave purlin at a 45° angle, forming an 'I' shaped component. It extends outward from the inner corner beam, with the outer upper part forming the old corner beam and the lower part resting on the intersecting eave purlin, supported by eave columns. The upper part supports another purlin, functioning as an eave beam. The middle golden purlin of the double-eave Xieshan roof rests on the 'I' shaped component, forming a stable cantilever structure. The golden purlin also serves as a step, supporting the rear ends of the mountain eave rafters. The Jade Emperor Pavilion has arch gates on all sides, with dragon and pearl reliefs as decorations. The main ridge of the hall is decorated with glazed floral ridges, with glazed dragon and ceramic beast ornaments at both ends. Along the golden pillars is a thick brick eave wall with paintings on the ridges. The main ridge features images of the Eight Immortals, while the side ridges have many beast ornaments. The corners are decorated with animal heads, and iron ornaments hang under the ridges. Inside the main hall, there is a statue of the Jade Emperor in the center, flanked by two statues of blue lions and white elephants carrying treasure vases. The walls are painted with images of the Five Emperors and the Queen Mother of the West, as well as the mythological 'Fengshen Tu' and 'Thirty-Six Thunder Gods'. Under the west side of the front eaves of the main hall, there is a Tianxianzi stele. The stele is 222 cm high, 95 cm wide, and 19 cm thick. The base is 118 cm long, 144 cm wide, and 53 cm high. It has seven lines of cursive script carved vertically. The inscription is a poem written by Su Zhigao, the right assistant of Shanxi during the 23rd year of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, when he supervised the collection of taxes in Yuzhou. Su Zhigao's 'Tianxianzi Stele of the Jade Emperor Pavilion in Yuzhou' is not only smooth and natural in writing, with elegant and unrestrained characters, but also has significant calligraphic value.