[2025 Gaoping Attraction] Travel Guide for Dinglin Temple (Updated Oct)

The explosive popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong" has sparked my strong interest in touring Gaoping's ancient architecture. Following the official map, let's start the ancient architecture tour. The following route is based on my personal experience, for the reference of interested friends! Mishan Iron Buddha Temple: One of the filming locations for "Black Myth: Wukong," it is world-famous for the twenty-four heavenly beings surrounding the Buddha hall, made of wood frame, clay core, and iron wire sculptures, unparalleled worldwide. Mishan Dinglin Temple: According to the cultural relics protection staff, the grotto came first, followed by the temple. The grotto dates back to the Northern Wei Dynasty, while most existing buildings are from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Highlights include the mountain gate’s double-eaved, hip-and-gable style two-story pavilion and the lotus caisson ceiling on the second floor. Chengqu Kaihua Temple: I have a special note about this temple from before. The architecture and murals are the highlights. Additionally, the cultural relics protection staff was very enthusiastic, giving us a detailed demonstration of photo spots inside the temple and overlooked small scenes—thumbs up! The photo spots are: first, shooting the Mahavira Hall through the mountain gate archway; second, photographing the glazed roof ridge in front of the protection office; third, shooting the flying eaves of the mountain gate from the office steps—all stunning. Jiandu Temple in Jiannan: The mountain gate dates to the Ming Dynasty, the Jiandu Hall to the Yuan Dynasty, with murals inside from both Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Highlights include the adorable mountain gate and the Yuan Dynasty architecture and murals. Youxian Temple: The existing Pilu Hall is the original structure from the Song Dynasty, and the Three Buddha Hall is a Jin Dynasty relic. Highlights include the mountain gate, Pilu Hall, and Three Buddha Hall architecture. Chongming Temple: The central Buddha Hall inside the temple is a Northern Song wooden structure, combining Tang and Song styles. The hall features a unique broken bracket structure, the only one of its kind in the country, a distinctive ancient innovation of using small parts for great effect. Guzhong Temple, also known as the Yan Emperor Temple: Highlights include the Crown Prince Hall, a Yuan Dynasty relic also called the No-Bracket Hall, featuring a covered caisson ceiling with exquisite and unique structure. Wangbao Village Erlang Temple: The Jin Dynasty opera stage here is the earliest in China, with an inscription dating to the 23rd year of the Jin Dading era on the base. The offering hall and main hall are from the Ming Dynasty. Bofang Xianweng Temple: The main hall enshrines Zhang Guolao, with a very special I-shaped overall structure. The Xianweng Hall contains the precious mural "Tang Xuanzong’s Mount Tai Fengshan Ceremony." Bofang Village is also a traditional ancient village, highly recommended.

👈🏻 Gaoping in Shanxi is a treasure trove of ancient architecture, including Dinglin Temple. The temple's founding date is unknown, but it is said to have existed during the Tang dynasty. It was rebuilt during the Later Tang dynasty's Changxing era, the Song dynasty's Yongxi era, the Jin dynasty's Huangtong and Dading eras, the Taihe era, the Yuan dynasty's Yanyou era, and the Ming and Qing dynasties. 👈🏻 Dinglin Temple faces south and has four courtyards. The main buildings on the central axis are the Shanmen, Leiyin Hall, Three Buddhas Hall, and Seven Buddhas Hall. The Bell and Drum Towers and Dizang Hall are in the east and west of the front courtyard. Dizang Hall also has murals of the Ten Yama Kings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. 👈🏻 The must-see at Dinglin Temple is the lotus caisson above the Shanmen. The octagonal caisson is dome-shaped and made of multiple layers of dougong, fangmu, and other components, culminating in a lotus pattern at the center. The caisson is exquisitely crafted using traditional techniques such as wood carving and painting. The wood carving makes each component vivid, and the lotus petals and stamens are intricately carved! The paintings are mainly in red, blue, and green, and have retained their bright colors for hundreds of years. ⭕️ Tips: The temple requires reservations and does not charge admission. The lotus caisson above the Shanmen is currently closed to the public.

Surviving Original - Yuan Dynasty Lotus Caisson||Dinglin Temple is much smaller than Gaoping Iron Buddha Temple and is not as well-known, but the Yuan Dynasty architecture, Yuan Dynasty lotus caisson, and Ming Dynasty murals in the temple are all worth a visit for ancient architecture enthusiasts. Dinglin Temple was originally named "Yongde Temple," but was renamed "Dinglin Temple" because of the Dinglin Spring in the temple. The date of its creation is unknown, but the temple existed during the Tang Dynasty. It was renovated during the Later Tang Dynasty's Changxing period, the Song Dynasty's Yongxi period, the Jin Dynasty's Huangtong 8th year, Dading 2nd year, and Taihe 4th year, the Yuan Dynasty's Yanyou 4th year, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temple consists of four courtyards, with the main buildings being the Shanmen, Leiyin Hall, Three Buddhas Hall, and Seven Buddhas Hall. On both sides of the main building, there are also bell and drum towers, corridors, side courtyards, and pavilions. The existing Shanmen, Leiyin Hall, and east and west side halls are Yuan Dynasty buildings, while the rest are Ming and Qing Dynasty relics. It is an ancient architectural complex that combines the diverse styles of the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. The "Ten Kings of Hell" murals on the north and south walls of the Dizang Hall were painted in the 4th year of the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing period. They were created using the powder and gold technique, with symmetrical layouts and rich content, showcasing the theme of reincarnation.

Gaoping not only has the Iron Buddha Temple, but also has as many as 22 national cultural relics protection units. After visiting Tiefu Temple, we planned to go to Dinglin Temple, Chongming Temple and Youxian Temple on the way, which are really more unique. Each temple is located in various villages, fields and mountains. Dinglin Temple is located on Daliang Mountain. The mountain gate has a double-layer structure and the brackets are very spectacular. In the golden autumn season, the ginkgo trees in front of the Leiyin Temple are in full bloom, and their colors are brilliant under the sun. The broken beam structure of the central Buddhist hall in Chongming Temple is the only one still existing in my country. Youxian Temple has a two-story gate, and the arrangement of the bell on the left and the drum on the right on the second floor is quite peculiar. These temples are free to visit, just register at the entrance to the mountain. You can really appreciate it in the off-season.

Dinglin Temple Dinglin Temple, named after the Dinglin Spring next to the temple, is an ancient building that integrates the diverse styles of the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It is also the largest ancient temple among the 22 "national treasures" in Gaoping. Walking along the central axis, you can see the mountain gate, Leiyin Hall, Three Buddha Hall, and Seven Buddha Hall in turn. In addition, there are also bell and drum towers, corridors, side courtyards, pavilions, and other buildings. 🌟Main attractions of Dinglin Temple: Exquisite lotus head hanging flower caisson Located on the second floor of the mountain gate, a lotus flower blooms in the center of the inner circle, and a flower blooms on each of the eight sides, with exquisite carving craftsmanship, which is extremely beautiful! Currently, you need to queue up, and it is limited to 5-10 minutes/10 people to watch in turn Ming Dynasty murals in the East Side Hall On the north and south walls of the Dizang Hall in the East Side Hall of Leiyin Hall, there are murals of the Ten Halls of Yan Jun and related stories of the underworld, which are excellent murals of the Ming Dynasty Mountain gate The remaining Ming Dynasty building stands proudly in front of the temple in the form of a pavilion. There is a pavilion in front of the mountain gate, which cleverly creates a unique sense of space of "three bright floors and two dark floors". The eaves are flying, the drip eaves are staggered, and they stand side by side with the bell tower and drum tower on the east and west sides, weaving together a magnificent view of the five-story eaves, which is extraordinary and can be regarded as a model of Shanxi pavilion architecture. 🗺️Gaoping Ancient Architecture One-day Tour Route: Gaoping Chongming Temple-Mishan Tiefo Temple-Dinglin Temple-Youxian Temple Finally, as a native of Gaoping, Shanxi I am very happy that one day Gaoping's ancient buildings will be loved by everyone I am even more happy that our Shanxi Province can take advantage of the popularity of Black Myth: Wukong Walk in front of the people of the whole country