[2025 Fanshi Attraction] Travel Guide for Sansheng Temple (Updated Jun)

📍This county is not far from Datong and Mount Wutai, but few people make a special trip to stop here. In fact, it has seven national key cultural relics protection units. This is Fanshi County. 📍Fanshi County is located in the northeast of Shanxi Province, bordering the World Cultural Heritage Site of Mount Wutai to the south and the North Heng Mountain to the north. It is the eastern gateway of Xinzhou City. Fanshi County was established during the Western Han Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,000 years. It gets its name from the abundance of mountains and temples, as well as the north-south mountain confrontation. The terrain is characterized by two mountains sandwiching a river, with the Lutuo River, one of the five major tributaries of the Hai River, in the middle. [One] Sansheng Temple 🏯The construction date is unknown, but it has been renovated in the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The temple faces south and includes the Shanmen (Mountain Gate), Guodian (Passing Hall), Daxiong Hall (Main Hall), Grandma Hall, Mawang Hall (Horse King Hall), Erlang Hall, Guandi Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, meditation rooms, and other buildings. The Daxiong Hall preserves the Jin Dynasty structure, the Dizang Hall was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, and the other buildings are relics of the Qing Dynasty. The Daxiong Hall has three bays wide and three bays deep, with a single-eave hip roof. The Dizang Hall has three bays wide, with a gable roof and glazed tile trim, and murals on all four walls. Many steles are preserved in the temple. [Two] Yanshan Temple 🏯It has been repeatedly renovated in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The main hall of the temple has been destroyed. Except for the South Hall, the rest are buildings from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republican period. The South Hall is the Manjusri Hall. The hall retains Jin Dynasty colored sculptures of the Water Moon Guanyin, attendants, Heavenly Kings, and Manjusri's mount. The inner walls are surrounded by Jin Dynasty murals, with a total area of about 90 square meters, completed in the seventh year of the Jin Dynasty (Dading), painted by the court painter Wang Kui. The murals in the temple are valuable materials for studying the history of the Song and Jin dynasties, and are known as the "Twin Walls" of Shanxi murals together with the Yongle Palace murals. [Three] Princess Temple 🏯It is named after the daughter of Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty who became a monk here. The Daxiong Hall was rebuilt in the sixteenth year of the Ming Dynasty (Hongzhi). The hall contains statues of Sakyamuni, Bhaisajyaguru, Amitabha, and the disciples Kassapa and Ananda. The east and west gable walls are filled with paintings of immortals, Buddhas, ghosts, and spirits, as well as the spirits of past generations, worshiping the World-Honored One. The Pilu Hall in the Guodian (Passing Hall), built in the first year of the Ming Dynasty (Zhengde), contains statues of Sakyamuni, Brahma, Indra, and the Eighteen Arhats. [Four] Secret Temple 🏯The existing buildings are relics of the Qing Dynasty. There are also three brick towers from the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, and the Ming Dynasty, four Northern Song Dynasty Sutra Pillars, one Ming Dynasty Sutra Pillar, three Ming Dynasty cliff stone carvings, one Qing Dynasty cliff stone carving, and 16 steles commemorating the reconstruction and donation during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. [Five] Zhengjue Temple 🏯It was named Zhengjue Chan Temple in the third year of the Northern Song Dynasty (Xuanhe). During the Ming Dynasty, it belonged to one of the nine temples outside the North Peak of Mount Wutai. Only the Daxiong Hall remains in the temple. The Douqi (bracket set) and the parts below the main structure are relics of the Jin Dynasty. [Six] Glazed Tile Pagoda 🏯It is located in the Mount Wutai scenic area. Completed in the thirty-second year of the Ming Dynasty, it is an octagonal thirteen-story glazed tile pagoda, 32m high. The base is a stone-carved Sumi-style pedestal with carved lotus petals. There is a pavilion in the tower, and you can go up to the sixth floor through the tower cave. The exterior of the tower is decorated with yellow, green, and blue glazed tiles, mainly green glazed tiles. There are 10,000 glazed Buddha statues on the outside of the tower, so it is called the Ten Thousand Buddha Pagoda, also known as the "Buddha Statue Diancui Glazed Tile Pagoda." [Seven] Site of the Battle of Pingxingguan 📍No need to say more, pay tribute to the ancestors. There is a memorial hall. It is said that it recently collapsed.

There are two difficulties in exploring the treasures of Fanshi: one is that it is difficult to enter the temple gate; the other is that the road is difficult to walk. The road is difficult to walk, so you can try more; the temple is difficult to enter, so you must be emotionally intelligent, intelligent, and patient. The first time I traveled with a friend, it was surprisingly smooth, and the first stop in Fanshi was the king bomb - Sansheng Temple. 📸Highlights of Sansheng Temple: Yuan and Ming statues (the most vivid is the King of Duowen, the pagoda in his hand is no longer there, his face is finely depicted, and his beard is distinct); Wooden structures from the Jin to Qing dynasties (the rear hall of the Sansheng Hall is a Jin structure, and the Dizang Hall is a Ming structure); Ming and Qing murals (the images of the four great Ming kings in the rear hall are average, not masterpieces, but well preserved); Dragon king pillar head (unique to Yanbei, or a symbol of praying for rain); Dolls (dolls attached to the Dizang Hall, a primitive symbol of seeking children); The four heavenly kings and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva are in the same hall (a rare combination)… Tickets🎫: incense fee, the official is gradually opening, the specific situation is unknown Transportation🚘: self-driving/car rental is the only option Nearby🌈: Princess Temple, Yanshan Temple (Fanshi Three National Treasures)

| Facing the south, Tai Mountain looms majestically, with the saints' clouds overlooking the bustling Sha River. To the north, passing through the densely populated and economically thriving Shahe Town, known as the giant town of Sanjin, lies the San Sheng Temple, which overlooks the hustle and bustle of life on both sides of the Jingyuan railway line. Among the 'Three Temples of Fan Shi,' people are either intoxicated by the court-originated green murals of Yan Shan Temple or marvel at the wall paintings of Princess Temple that seem to sway with the wind. San Sheng Temple, however, appears somewhat understated. Nevertheless, its colored sculptures and murals exhibit a strong folk character, with the lively Heavenly Kings and the rich folk customs of the underworld scenes around the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha reflecting the folk ethical views of ancient society. San Sheng Temple, ranked as a national level six site, is an essential piece of Yuan Dynasty architectural essence in the northern part of Mount Wutai. Beast-faced column capitals, popular around Mount Wutai, can also be found in San Sheng Temple (in addition to Yanqing Temple, there are several examples of beast-faced column capitals from different eras in Fan Shi county town). Moreover, the rich folk customs depicted in the wooden carvings of children on the beams are also seen in Guangji Temple in Wutai county town, which is one of the local characteristics of the Mount Wutai area. The Ksitigarbha Hall is a Ming Dynasty relic, with a width of three bays and a depth of four purlins, featuring a single-eave hanging mountain roof. On the beam frame, there is a renovation inscription with the words 'Great Ming Country, Hongzhi Era, Yi Mao Year,' which should correspond to the Hongzhi Emperor's reign, and this phonetic error is quite amusing. The colored sculptures in the Ksitigarbha Hall are, in the author's opinion, the most worthy of appreciation in San Sheng Temple. The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, with his gentle and amiable demeanor, is flanked by the attendants Min Gong and Dao Ming. The four great Heavenly Kings on both sides are majestic and dynamic. Within the hall, one can observe the interplay of motion and stillness, making it a fine work. Among them, a complete colored sculpture of a dragon, supported by ghost soldiers, should have been winding around the arm of the Wide-Eyed Heavenly King. Instead, it has transformed into a giant dragon, forming a confrontational whole with the Heavenly King's image, as if capturing the moment of the Heavenly King subduing the dragon, full of dynamism and considered the crown jewel of San Sheng Temple's sculptures. The small statues flanking the reclining Guanyin in the back, although not very old, are quite interesting, with the theme of the Journey to the West. The Mahavira Hall is a relic from the Jin and Yuan dynasties, with a width of three bays and a depth of four purlins, featuring a single-eave nine-ridge roof. The age of the interior colored sculptures is a matter of debate, and the author does not dare to make a definitive judgment, but the craftsmanship is rough, and they are not of great value for appreciation. Behind the hall, there are Ming Dynasty wall paintings that are quite aesthetically pleasing. According to the caretaker, these Ming Dynasty paintings were originally distributed on the rear and east and west walls; later, they were covered by Qing Dynasty paintings depicting Buddhist stories. San Sheng Temple is one stop on the 'Three Temples of Fan Shi' route. The caretaker is usually inside the temple, and a management fee of at least thirty yuan is required, but photography is free. For visiting Yan Shan Temple, San Sheng Temple, Princess Temple, and Secret Temple, a chartered car for three hundred yuan is appropriate.