[2025 Pingshun Attraction] Travel Guide for Tiantai'an (Updated May)

I went to see the rooftop nunnery in Changzhi. The security guard at the door hurriedly helped me check my ticket and told me to go in quickly. I thought I had to take a lunch break again, but I didn't expect the elder brother to smile and say, "A group just entered. The tour guide said it very well. Go and listen." More people come to see Tiantai Temple than expected. There is always only a small remains, like a can of wine that has been buried for a long time, and suddenly everyone smells a very strong smell of wine. “It’s a good thing. The origin of Tiantai Temple was once a mystery. Although there is a slight gap from what was expected, Tiantai Temple is still a treasure. Its architectural style is atmospheric and simple, with a single eaves resting on the top of the mountain and a far-reaching eaves. After the Five Dynasties have been repaired many times, now the conspicuous kiss on the roof is a Yuan Dynasty work, the roof of the tile cover conforms to the Song and Jin regulations, the Ming Dynasty through the change of columns increased the roof slope, the house's beam brackets and mountain flower walls left the Qing Dynasty painting, Tiantai Temple survived in history, history left the traces of telling on Tiantai Temple. The ridge beast villains on the roof are particularly interesting because of the terrain, you can clearly see the vivid expressions of the four short people in the corner of the eaves, doing gymnastics as a fireproof ridge beast does not speak, but guards the roof of the temple from the land of incense to the national preservation remains. [○] Tip: 🎫$10 Self-drive friendly, drive to the temple gate.

❤Recommended because: The Tiantai Temple in Pingshun County, Shanxi, is a historic building of great cultural value, hidden in Wangqu Village in Pingshun County. 🌟Highlights: 📍The Tiantai Temple was built in the fourth year of the Tianyou era of the Tang Dynasty (907 AD). Although it is not large in scale, it is simple in structure, tightly intersected, without complicated decorations, and is sturdy and powerful. It is the earliest existing Tiantai temple in China. 📍The roof of the temple is gently curved, with a deep and wide eave, and the wing corners are stretched, which is very beautiful and has the style characteristics of Tang Dynasty architecture. The column head brackets are very simple, with only one jump in the mouth of the bucket, and a piece of wood is placed on the jump head to support the eaves, and the tail of the bracket is made by extending the two ends of the four rafters outside the eaves, without a command arch or a play head, which belongs to the "bucket mouth jump" method. The beam frame and the bracket are tightly connected into one, the overall structure is simple and clear, the intersection is tight, and it is sturdy and powerful. Many practices are similar to the main hall of the Nanchan Temple built in the middle of the Tang Dynasty, and it is a good structure in small Buddhist temples in China. 📌Glazed tiles, the roof preserves relatively complete glazed ridge decorations such as glazed ridge beasts and swallow mouths, all of which are dragon-shaped and should be relics of the Yuan Dynasty. It is high on the roof, fully demonstrating the majesty of the gods. The glazed tiles are exquisite and delicate, with brilliant and changing colors, and are rare art treasures. They also reflect the superb pottery making skills in the southeastern region of Shanxi during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. 📌Stone stele, only the main hall and a Tang Dynasty stone stele are left. 💎The Tiantai Temple is one of the only four existing Tang Dynasty wooden structures in the country and is a precious heritage of ancient Chinese architecture. 💎In 1988, the Tiantai Temple was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council.

Shanxi Pingshun Tiantai Nunnery was built in the fourth year of Tianyou in the Tang Dynasty (907 AD). It is a northern Tiantai sect nunnery with an area of 970 square meters. The main hall is one of the four existing Tang Dynasty (618~907 AD) wooden ancient buildings in China. The building has the characteristics of Tang Dynasty architecture, such as simple structure, strict intersection, and no sense of complicated decoration. However, during the major repair of Tiantai Nunnery in 2014, a text record about its founding year was found on the rafters, confirming that it was actually a building of the Later Tang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties, so it was removed from the Tang Dynasty buildings. Although Tiantai Nunnery was built in the Later Tang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties, the time interval with the end of the Tang Dynasty is very small, and the overall style continues the architectural features of the late Tang Dynasty. Its eaves scale is very large (the outer support column is added in later generations), and the eaves lines are more changeable than the Tang Dynasty buildings such as Nanchan Temple, which is very ornamental. On January 13, 1988, Tiantai Nunnery was announced by the State Council as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units. Address: Wangqu Village, Danchexiang, Pingshun County, ticket: 20 yuan Tiantai Nunnery

The Zhuozhang River Valley in Changzhi, Shanxi Province is the most densely populated area of ​​Five Dynasties-Song and Jin Dynasty buildings in my country. There are 8 national protected buildings in the 40-kilometer stretch on both sides of the river, making it the well-deserved "No. 1 Valley of Ancient Buildings". · 👉Zhuozhang River Valley National Protection Route: Yuanqi Temple - Tiantai Temple - Dayun Temple - Fotou Temple - Chunhua Temple - Huilong Temple - Xiayu Temple - Longmen Temple · 🔻Wonkiji Temple Located on the terrace, there are the Sutra Pillar from the Tang Dynasty, the Main Hall from the late Northern Song Dynasty, and the octagonal seven-story Qinglong Pagoda from the Northern Song Dynasty. The stone tower is an imitation wood structure with huge brackets. 🎫Tickets: None 🔻Tiantai Temple A very beautiful small temple, the dating of which is controversial (it was previously believed to be a Tang Dynasty structure), but it has now been comprehensively determined to be a Five Dynasties and Later Tang Dynasty building. The eaves are obviously upturned, like a flying phoenix. 🎫Ticket price: 10 yuan 🔻Dayun Zen Temple The Amitabha Hall is a textbook-level building from the Later Jin Dynasty during the Five Dynasties (it houses the earliest existing Pu Pai Fang), and there are also murals from the Five Dynasties inside the hall. The Seven Treasures Pagoda in front of the temple dates back to the Later Zhou Dynasty and is very exquisite. 🎫Ticket price: 20 yuan 🔻Buddha Head Temple The mountain behind the temple looks like a Buddha's head, hence the name Buddha Head Temple. The only remaining Song Dynasty Buddhist temple and murals are worth seeing. The cultural relics protection teachers here are the icing on the cake. Their explanations are very good and they gave us a vivid lesson on ancient architecture. 🎫Tickets: None (Explanation fee is 10 yuan per person) 🔻Chunhua Temple Only one main hall from the Jin Dynasty and two stone pagodas from the Song Dynasty remain. The national treasures of the Jin Dynasty are just visible on the roadside. Shanxi is truly full of treasures. 🎫Tickets: None 🔻Huilung Temple A small temple from the Jin Dynasty, which also contains murals from the Qing Dynasty, suspected to be about the Journey to the West. We saw the Western Paradise Sutra, the Rake and the Pig's Ears on the mural. 🎫Tickets: None 🔻Xia Yu Temple The temple is located high on the mountain top, facing the mountain peak in the distance. The pedestal of the Yuan Dynasty platform is very beautiful, and the eye wall is also very interesting. 🎫Tickets: None 🔻Longmen Temple The mountain gate from the Jin Dynasty, the Main Hall + murals from the Northern Song Dynasty, the West Side Hall from the Later Tang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties (the earliest existing building with a gable roof), and the Dipankara Buddha Hall from the Ming Dynasty, which integrates architecture from the Five Dynasties, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, can be called an ancient architecture museum. 🎫Ticket price: 20 yuan · 🚗Transportation: The scenic spots are far apart, so it is recommended to drive or charter a car. · The Zhuozhang River Valley is home to many hidden treasures. The three preserved buildings from the Five Dynasties are enough to prove the importance of this area in architectural history. There are also so many Northern Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasty buildings, and the land is full of treasures👍. ·

Tiantai Hermitage was once considered to be a Tang Dynasty construction. Located on a solitary mountain in Wangqu Village, Pingshun County, Shanxi. The temple has only one main hall, small in scale and solitary, yet rich in Tang Dynasty style. In 1988, when it was selected as a national key cultural relics protection unit, its registered identity was: Founded in 907 (the year of the Tang Dynasty's demise). At that time, it was said: There are a total of four existing Tang Dynasty wooden buildings in our country. Nanchan Temple, Foguang Temple, Guangrenwang Temple, and Tiantai Hermitage. At the end of 2014, Tiantai Hermitage underwent major repairs. During the repairs, an ink inscription was found between the ridge purlin and the replacement timber in the hall, which read 'September 2nd of the fourth year of Tang Changxing and the fourth year of Tang Tiancheng...' 'Changxing' is the era name of Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang, which is 26 years after the fall of the Great Tang. Thus, the identity of Tiantai Hermitage came out: it was originally built during the Five Dynasties period in 929 (the fourth year of Tiancheng of the Later Tang), and was renovated in 933 (the fourth year of Changxing of the Later Tang). Tiantai Hermitage is not from the Tang Dynasty, but from the Five Dynasties.