Shuanglin Temple

Shuanglin Temple is a temple full of history in the heart of Shanxi. The temple is located in Pingyao, an ancient city with an amazing old town. 📍 Best way to get there is by taxi from Pingyao city. It's about 15 minutes from downtown. You can also walk or take a bus. Pingyao has two train stations. 🎟️ Ticket to the temple is 35RMB and is not included in the Pingyao Ancient Town ticket. #valentinescape #shanxi #pingyao #china #chinatravel #chinalife #templeblessed

The Four Heavenly Kings of Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao, Shanxi, are the best group I have seen so far. They have a firm gaze that exudes majesty, and even a bit of fierceness, but the Four Heavenly Kings at Pule Temple seem to have more of a human touch. It feels like behind their seriousness, they also have moments of hearty laughter. Perhaps when the night is deep and the temple is empty, they might even have a deep conversation about life. 📍Detailed address: Shuanglin Temple, Pingyao County, Jinzhong City 🕙Opening hours: 08:00-18:00 Ticket💰: 28 yuan per person 🛑: Flash photography prohibited 🌟Highlights: 1. Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin: Located in the Bodhisattva Hall, it is an incarnation of the Guanyin Bodhisattva. The expression is solemn yet full of compassion. The four walls of the hall are adorned with hundreds of standing Bodhisattva statues, with flowing robes, lifelike in appearance. 2. Carefree Guanyin: Located in the Thousand Buddha Hall, the statue has its right leg bent and squatting, with the left foot stepping on a lotus leaf, relaxed and carefree. It is considered one of the two most beautiful existing statues along with the Carefree Guanyin of Zhengding Longxing Temple. 3. Skanda: Located in front of the Carefree Guanyin statue, the body presents a clear curved shape, much like a fully drawn bow ready to shoot, strong and powerful. It reflects the bravery and magnificence of ancient warriors, and with its vivid facial expressions, this masterpiece is also known as the most beautiful Skanda.

Shanxi has more than just countless ancient buildings. Shanxi has more than just the dominant and invincible era of the Jin merchants. Shanxi is more than just a major coal-producing province. Shanxi has many reasons for you to fall in love with it.

Walking alone in this thousand-year-old temple, I converse with history and share snapshots with everyone via my phone. Zen is the ultimate stillness in motion, and the ultimate motion in stillness. Silent yet always illuminating, illuminating yet always silent, motion and stillness are one. It delves directly into the origin of life... The serene contemplation and the leaping vitality constitute the duality of art, and also the mental state of 'Zen'. Although these sculptures in Shuanglin Temple are locked behind layers of fences, the centuries-old faith and vitality, the grace and spirit that endure through the changes of time, continue to persist unceasingly.

Shuanglin Temple, originally named Zhongdu Si, has an untraceable founding date. A Song dynasty stele within the temple indicates a reconstruction during the Northern Qi dynasty, which suggests that Zhongdu Si has a history of over 1400 years. It was renamed Shuanglin Temple during the Song dynasty. According to Buddhist scriptures, the place where Buddha Sakyamuni entered nirvana was between two sala trees by the Hiranyavati River in Kushinagar, ancient India. At that time, the Buddha lay down between the trees, with his head to the north and face to the west, and passed into nirvana. The trees instantly bloomed with white flowers, which is referred to as 'twin groves entering extinction'. Speaking of Shuanglin Temple, what impressed me the most was the Thousand Buddha Hall I saw at Zhenguo Temple, with its thousands of clay sculptures from the Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing periods. The hall features a thousand Buddhas, each with a unique face, and even includes sculptures of women opening doors and Bodhisattvas pushing doors. Looking up at the divine Buddhas watching over the hall with serene and peaceful gazes, similar to the Guanyin of Freedom, I felt a sense of inner peace and dared to look directly into the eyes of the divine Buddhas. Here, not only is there the magnificent Guanyin of Freedom and the first Vajrapani, but even the faces of the clay sculptures of the donors are vividly detailed. Shuanglin Temple is not far away. However, taking a taxi in Pingyao can be inconvenient, and there's a high chance you'll have to wait for a taxi that's dropping off other passengers. Alternatively, you can download the Amap app, Didi, or Pingyao Travel. According to a hard-to-come-by rideshare driver I found, ridesharing is not allowed in the Jinzhong area, so it's still best to keep the driver's phone number just in case. The explanation costs 50 yuan per session, and the staff inside recommend the WeChat mini-program 'Sanmao You', which only charges 6 yuan for the guide fee. Remember to bring a cold light flashlight. That day, I encountered a group of students sketching, with charcoal, brush pens, fountain pens, watercolors, and various other drawing tools. After observing, I still think that the brush pen best captures the beauty of Chinese art With just a few strokes, the Vajrapani and Guanyin are vividly portrayed. After staying at Shuanglin Temple for three hours, because I was constantly looking up at the clay sculptures, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my shoulder and neck pain had disappeared when I returned

Visiting Pingyao Ancient Town right now is really awesome During the Spring Festival, Pingyao Ancient Town is really crowded Now that the peak season has passed Going to Pingyao Ancient Town will not only be more relaxing The price for accommodations has also become much cheaper - ✨Unique Pingyao Experiences✨ 👉Visit the 22 scenic spots inside the ancient town 👉Watch 'Pingyao Again', experience the story of the bloodline heritage of the people of Pingyao 👉Enjoy the light show, experience the collision of ancient times and technology 👉Taste the special cuisine of Pingyao 👉Search for historical traces in every alley of the ancient town 👉Go to Tianyuan Kui for delicious food and a unique atmosphere - 📝Specific Itinerary ✅Day One Watch Pingyao Again→Free time→Watch the light show→Tianyuan Kui 🎈Pingyao Again tells a story about bloodline heritage from the late Qing Dynasty, where visitors can walk into the scene and truly feel the story 🎈The light show starts at 8 pm at the south gate of the ancient town, it's a dialogue across time and space between modern technology and history ✅Day Two City Wall→County Government Office→Confucian Temple→Tongxinggong Escort Agency→Yonglonghao→Tianyuan Kui 🎈The scenery of the city wall is completely different at night compared to during the day, when the weather is good, the view from the wall is very broad, which can make one's mood much better 👉Tongxinggong is the escort agency featured in Pingyao Again, worth a visit 🎈Yonglonghao is a free-to-visit lacquerware museum, where lacquerware is a non-material cultural heritage, entirely handmade, not only exquisite but also of very high craftsmanship ✅Day Three Shuanglin Temple→Tianyuan Kui 🎈Shuanglin Temple is not far outside the ancient town, if you have time, it's recommended to visit, over 2000 exquisite statues are definitely a visual feast - 🚏Let's talk about transportation ⚠Train: Personally, I think it's the best option, the train station is closest to Pingyao Ancient Town, just a 10-minute walk from the station ⚠High-speed train: A bit faster than the train, but further from the ancient town, you'll need to take a bus or taxi from the station - 🏠Let's talk about accommodation Staying inside the ancient town is the best choice, not only is it convenient for sightseeing, but the travel experience is also better (after the peak season, the price is very cheap, not more than a hundred per person) - 😋Let's talk about food ❕For dining, head to the South Main Street of the ancient town to——『Tianyuan Kui Restaurant』🔥 It's the first choice, and the second is its branch Flavor: Amazing! The 13 dishes we ordered were all hits! Recommended by netizens, all delicious, our group of 11 people of all ages gave unanimous praise! We ordered 13 dishes, the waiter said it was too much, but in the end, we finished everything, not a single bite left, and even added three bowls of beef knife-shaved noodles, that's how delicious it was!😋 Dish recommendations: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Beef Copper Hot Pot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Vinegar Egg ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Long Dragon Eggplant ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Beef Roasted Kaolao, delicious without any misses.

Shuanglin Temple is known as the "treasure house of Oriental colored sculpture art". The 10 temples in the temple preserve 2052 colored sculptures of various sizes from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, of which 1556 are relatively intact. Its works are called "real, unique treasures" by experts from UNESCO. Shuanglin Temple was established before the Northern Wei Dynasty and was rebuilt in the second year of Wuping in the Northern Qi Dynasty more than 1400 years ago. It was originally named "Zhongdu Temple" because the Zhongdu County was set up here during the Han Dynasty. Shuanglin Temple

Hanging Sculpture Chapter: Shuanglin Temple, this is the second hanging sculpture. These photos are all small parts, imagine, the entire hall walls, top beams and columns are full of these exquisite statues... Tomorrow, Xixi County will be even more stunning, after all, it once commanded the martial arts world: Stop at the hanging sculpture! The meaning is like not looking at the mountains after returning from Huangshan, after seeing me, don't look at others.

Shuanglin Temple Portrait Chapter: The Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao County, Jinzhong, the actual construction age is difficult to verify, but from the cultural relics preserved in the temple, it has been at least 1400 years now. National key cultural relics. Three entrances hall, the statues are exquisite, the hanging sculptures densely cover the four walls and the horizontal and vertical beams. No repairs have been made, no color has been added, it's so original. One of the must-see temples in Shanxi.

How much is Shanxi worth going to I'm all talked out This time I've organized the must-see sights in Jinzhong⬇️ ▪️Known as the 'Folk Forbidden City': Wang's Grand Courtyard ▪️The treasure of the temple is the Vairocana statue from the history books: Shuanglin Temple ▪️The most intact ancient city in the Han region of China: Pingyao Ancient City · 🗺Day1 Wang's Grand Courtyard—Shuanglin Temple, stay in Pingyao Itinerary: ✔️9:00-11:30 Wang's Grand Courtyard: Mainly appreciate the beauty of the architecture, Hanfu really takes great photos📍The view from the corner tower overlooking the entire Wang's Grand Courtyard is yyds! ✔️11:30-13:00 You can have a meal and rest ✔️13:00-14:00 Head to Shuanglin Temple🚘45min drive ✔️14:00-16:40 Shuanglin Temple: Thousand Buddha Hall must see Vairocana statue/Bodhisattva seated statue/many small Buddha statues, Heavenly King Hall must see Heavenly King statue, Daxiong Treasure Hall must see the oldest stele—'Aunt's Stele' ✔️16:40-16:55 Shuanglin Temple-Pingyao Ancient City🚘15min drive🉑️Stay in a homestay near the entrance of the ancient city · 🗺Day2 Pingyao Ancient City-Return Itinerary: ✔️9:00-17:30 Pingyao Ancient City: The ancient city is very large, it takes a day to stroll around, if you are in a hurry, it is not recommended to buy a pass❌It will be a bit of a loss 📌If you have time after visiting the ancient city🉑️You can visit the Zhen Guo Temple near the ancient city 🈚️🎫No pass play: ▪️Visit Weng City, check in the military defense facility 'Catching Turtles in the Urn' ▪️Visit Qingping Street, both sides of the street are old houses with a hundred years of history ▪️Visit the ancient market tower, the three-tiered wooden structure tower is rich and magnificent 🈶🎫Buy a pass play: ▪️🉑️Play 2️⃣2️⃣ attractions ▪️Among them, the ancient city wall/county government/Rishengchang Bank/Confucius Temple/Qingxu View are must-sees ▪️There are also some old houses and old shops🉑️Choose your favorite to visit 🥘Recommended Pingyao food ✔️Ancient City Tianyuan Kui Restaurant: 💰Average per person 65+✅Yellow rice cold cake✅Vinegar skin jelly✅Stewed pork are all very special and delicious · ㊙️Attraction tips ☑️Wang's Grand Courtyard: Ticket 55 yuan, open 08:30-17:30 (last entry 17:20) ☑️Shuanglin Temple: Ticket 35 yuan, open 8:00-18:00 ☑️Pingyao Ancient City: Ancient city🆓free, city wall and various houses pass 125 yuan, open 8:00-17:30

Shuanglin Temple, located six kilometers southwest of Pingyao County in Shanxi Province, covers an area of about 15,000 square meters, divided into two major parts, east and west. The west part is the temple, along the central axis are three courtyards, composed of ten halls. The front courtyard of Shuanglin Temple includes the Sakyamuni Hall, Arhat Hall, Wusheng Hall, Earth Hall, Yama Hall, and Heavenly King Hall; the middle courtyard includes the Great Buddha's Hall and the Thousand Buddha Hall and Bodhisattva Hall on both sides; the back courtyard includes the Niangniang Hall and Zhenyi Shrine. The east part of Shuanglin Temple is the Zen Hall, Sutra Room, etc. (now used by a primary school). During the Ming Dynasty, a tall rammed earth wall was built around the temple, with arrow slits on it, and it looked like a small castle. The oldest existing stele in Shuanglin Temple is the 'Aunt's Stele' from the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu of the Northern Song Dynasty (1011). It has been worn down over the years, and the 20th line 'Reconstruction of the temple in the second year of Wuping' can still be recognized. 'The second year of Wuping' (571) is the era of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and since it was a reconstruction, the creation must have been earlier than this. Even if it starts from the Northern Qi Dynasty, Shuanglin Temple has already gone through more than 1,400 springs and autumns. The name of Shuanglin comes from the Buddhist scriptures. According to the Buddhist scriptures, the place where Buddha Sakyamuni entered Nirvana was between the two Sala trees beside the Batih River in the ancient Indian city of Kushinagar. At that time, the Buddha was under the two trees, with his head to the north and facing the west, lying on his right side, and passed away. The two trees on all sides suddenly bloomed white flowers, which was called 'Shuanglin Enters Extinction'.

Shuanglin Temple was established earlier than the Northern Qi Dynasty, and even if calculated from the Northern Qi Dynasty, it has a history of more than 1400 years. The name of Shuanglin Temple is derived from the meaning of Sakyamuni's Nirvana under the Sala Twin Trees. It is said that Shuanglin Temple was more famous than Pingyao Ancient City before 1997. When the ancient city was included in the World Heritage List, the application was for 'One City and Two Temples'. The city is Pingyao Ancient City, and the two temples are Shuanglin Temple and Zhenguo Temple, which we will visit tomorrow. 🍁Hall of Heavenly Kings As soon as you enter the mountain gate, you will see the Hall of Heavenly Kings. The Four Heavenly Kings stand with angry eyes, exaggerated shapes, and ferocious expressions (cute and silly). This is the essence of Shuanglin Temple - Ming Dynasty colored sculptures. There are more than 2000 colored Buddha statues in Shuanglin Temple, and the most distinctive feature is the depiction of people's eyes, which is very vivid. 🍁Sakyamuni Hall There are more than 200 hanging sculptures in the main hall of Sakyamuni, distributed on the walls of the hall. In addition to Buddha statues, there are various scenes and stories of people's lives, which are vivid and realistic, and are more interesting than the statues of Sakyamuni and Manjushri Bodhisattva. 🍁Bodhisattva Hall The main statue is the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, plump and dignified, with gentle eyes. There are more than 400 hanging sculptures of Bodhisattva around the hall. ⚠️Unfortunately, the Thousand Buddha Hall is under major renovation, and we did not see the Self-Contained Guanyin and the 'business card' of Shuanglin Temple, the Weituo statue. 🍁Architecture After watching the Ming Dynasty colored sculptures, you can take a look at the architecture. The outer perimeter of the temple is a circle of rammed earth and brick walls. The entire temple is built on a 3-meter-high earth platform. Along the brick wall, you can circle the temple from a high place. The temple is divided into two parts, east and west. The main halls are in the west: three courtyards and ten halls. The east is mainly Zen rooms and scripture halls. The roof ridge of Shuanglin Temple is inherited from Jiexiu, with yellow, green and blue glazed tiles, and the shape is gorgeous and exaggerated. 🍁Shuanglin Temple Colored Sculpture Art Museum Address: No. 28, Shuanglin Zheng Street, Qiaotou Village, Zhongdu Township, Pingyao County, Jinzhong Opening hours: 8:00-17:30, stop admission at 17:15 (winter) /8:00-18:00, stop admission at 17:45 (summer) Ticket: 33 yuan (there are zeros and wholes) The parking lot at the entrance is very large, and the parking fee is 10 yuan Transportation is indeed not very convenient, it is more convenient to drive by yourself or charter a car from Pingyao Ancient City.