[2025 Pingshun Attraction] Travel Guide for Chunhua Temple (Updated Jun)

Located in Yanggao Township, Pingshun County, Changzhi City, it was originally a branch temple of Longmen Temple. Although its layout is incomplete, the existing early-era architecture with intact structure provides valuable material for studying early temple buildings, earning it the designation as the fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council in 2001. Chunhua Temple was first built during the Tianbao era of the Northern Qi Dynasty. Destroyed during turbulent times, it was rebuilt in the second year of the Chunhua era (991) of the Northern Song Dynasty and named after the reign title. Renovated in the ninth year of the Dading era (1169) of the Jin Dynasty, it underwent further repairs during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, yet the main hall has retained its ancient simplicity and grandeur. The temple measures 9.23 meters east-west and 8.47 meters north-south, covering an area of 79 square meters. Originally, the central axis likely featured at least two courtyards, but now only the Buddha Hall remains. The hall stands on a stone platform, facing south, with three bays in width and six rafters in depth. It features a single-eave, nine-ridged hip-and-gable roof with gray barrel tiles, upturned eaves, and nearly flat ridges. The interior framework consists of six-rafter beams, with two columns supporting the front and rear eaves. The column heads have plain architraves, and the bracket sets are four-tiered with single downward cantilevers, lacking intermediate brackets. The central bay has double-leaf wooden doors, while the rear has a door with an overhanging eave, resembling a waist eave—a unique design. In front of the hall stand two stone sutra pillars from the first year of the Jianlong era (960) and the third year of the Kaibao era (970) of the Song Dynasty, inscribed with the Dharani Sutra and the Diamond Sutra. Three steles embedded in the north and west walls record renovations during the ninth year of the Qianlong era (1744) and the twenty-fourth year of the Jiaqing era (1944) of the Qing Dynasty. Additionally, a travelogue stele from the ninth year of the Dading era (1169) of the Jin Dynasty, composed by Li Yan (the magistrate of Licheng County), is embedded on the rear eave wall, titled "Two Poems on Staying Overnight at Chunhua Temple." Today, the temple is surrounded by residential houses, forming a small village square. Elderly villagers bask in the sun on the steps, while a local dog naps peacefully in front. This quiet, unguarded village temple remains locked, with no statues or murals inside. To view the architectural structure, visitors may contact the caretaker.

⛩️Chunhua Temple is the smallest and most unique ancient building in the Zhuozhang River Valley. Only one main hall remains and it is located in the middle of the river. On the day I went there, there was a busy market and stalls were lined up on both sides of the road. 🏘️An ancient building suddenly appeared in the market, with no courtyard walls, no mountain gates, just a lonely hall. In front of the hall, two sutra towers stood like candles in a small open space. 🏯According to the county annals, Chunhua Temple was first built during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. It originally had two courtyards, but now only one Buddhist temple remains, which is a relic of the Jin Dynasty. Single-eaved hip roof, tiled roof, and a flat roof. The door of the main hall is not open, but through the mullioned windows one can see some blue geometric painted patterns remaining under the beams and pillars. In front of the hall are two sutra pillars dating back to the third year of Kaibao in the Song Dynasty. They are made of octagonal stone with clear inscriptions. Both the upper and lower parts are shaped like upturned lotus petals, and the bottom part is a circular Sumeru pedestal. The two pagodas are respectively inscribed with the "Sutra of the Supreme Dharani" and the "Diamond Sutra". They were carved in the third year of Kaibao in the Northern Song Dynasty (970) and were written by Daozhen, the abbot of the Zen temple. The handwriting is clearly legible. On the back wall of the main hall there is a stone tablet erected by Abbot Guangmiao during the Dading period, with the words "Visiting Longmen and returning to Chunhua Temple" on it. It can be seen that Chunhua Temple was still of a certain scale at that time and people could stay overnight. 📍Address: Chunhua Temple, Yanggao Village, Gaoxiang, Pingshun County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province 🎫Tickets: Free 🈺Opening hours: Not open 🅿️No, it is recommended to park at the bridge head outside the alley 🏆 The 5th batch of national key cultural relics protection units

Chunhua Temple is located in Yanggao Village, Yanggao Township, Pingshun County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. According to the records of the "Pingshun County Annals" in the 32nd year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1693), it was built during the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty (550~559). The mountains in the south and the north are towering, and the peaks are towering; the east and the west are close to the houses, and the farmhouses are densely covered; the temple is close to the deep valley, and the Zhanghe River flows slowly from here, and the Ganlin Highway runs through the east and west of the temple. The scenery here is unique and the transportation is convenient. The only remaining main hall is facing south, with a width of three rooms and a depth of six purlins. The single eaves and the top of the mountain are covered with tube tiles. The front and rear of the Ming Dynasty are divided into doors, and the brackets are made of four single copies, and the style is high. The beam frame is made of through-the-top Ming, the construction system is regular, the materials are standardized, the two ends of the beam are directly placed on the column head brackets, the flat Bo vertical roll cloud camel hump, the upper part is separated from the arch, and the flat beam melon column. The Song and Jin specifications are significant. In front of the main hall, there are two stone sutra towers in the Song Dynasty, which are more than 3 meters high, and the tower body is 1.8 meters. The plane is octagonal, and the harmony book is engraved with the "Zunsheng Tuoluoni Sutra" and "Diamond Prajna Paramita Sutra" in the third year of Kaibao in the Northern Song Dynasty (970)... On June 25, 2001, Chunhua Temple was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. Chunhua Temple