The most complete, oldest and most exquisite glazed tower that exists today

Guangsheng Temple is located at the southern foot of Huoshan, 17 kilometers northeast of Hongtong County. It was founded in the first year of Jianhe in the Eastern Han Dynasty (147), originally named Julu She Temple, also known as Ayuwang Tower Court, and was renamed Guangsheng Temple in the Tang Dynasty. Guangsheng Temple is divided into three parts: the upper temple, the lower temple, and the Water God Temple. The existing lower temple and the Water God Temple are mostly relics of the Yuan Dynasty; except for the Feihong Tower, which is a Ming Dynasty building, most of the upper temple still retains the architectural style of the Yuan Dynasty. Upper Temple Located at the top of Huoshan Mountain, it was founded in the Han Dynasty, and the existing one is a relic of the Ming Dynasty reconstruction, and the form and structure still have the style of the Yuan Dynasty. The temple borrows the mountain, which appears solemn and solemn. The layout of the upper temple is basically regular, and the central axis has a slight turn according to the terrain. The mountain gate, three rooms wide, hangs the 'Guangsheng Zen Court' on the door, and two vajras guard both sides. After the mountain gate is the tower courtyard, which is self-contained. Then the Amitabha Hall, the Great Hall of the Great, and the Pilu Hall are arranged in order. Feihong Tower It was built in the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty and is the most complete, oldest and most exquisite glazed tower that exists today. The Feihong Tower stands in front of the mountain gate of the upper temple. The tower body is built with blue bricks. Each layer has eaves. The exterior is inlaid with yellow, green, blue, purple, and white glazed components. The total height is 47.31 meters. The plane is octagonal and has a total of thirteen layers. The first, second and third layers are the most exquisite. Under the eaves, there are various components and patterns such as brackets, leaning columns, Buddha statues, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, flowers, coiled dragons, birds and beasts. The kneading is exquisite, the color painting is bright, and the color is still new. In the 34th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1695), the Linfen earthquake of magnitude 8, this tower was safe and sound, showing its magic! In August 2018, the building was confirmed as the 'world's tallest multicolored glazed tower'. In addition, Feihong Tower is also the location of 'Sweeping the Tower and Distinguishing Strange Injustices' in Journey to the West! Lower Temple Located at the foot of Huoshan Mountain, it is more than 500 meters away from the upper temple. It is composed of the Heavenly King Hall, the Front Buddha Hall, and the Great Hall of the Great (the Back Buddha Hall). The mountain gate is towering, three rooms are square, single-eave hip roof, front and back eaves add rain sheds, and it looks like a double-eave building, which is a very unique Yuan Dynasty building. Water God Temple Located on the west side of the lower temple, it is the most complete temple for worshiping the water god in China today. It was not built later than the Tang Dynasty, including the mountain gate (Yuan Dynasty stage), the ceremonial gate, and the Ming Yingwang Hall. The Ming Yingwang Hall was built in the sixth year of Yuan Yanyou (1319). It is five rooms wide and deep, with a double-eave hip roof, surrounded by corridors, and nearly 200 square meters of various content of Yuan Dynasty murals on the four walls of the hall, with rain prayers, rain lines, and gods as the main line. This is the only mural in ancient China that does not take Buddhism and Taoism as its content. Among them, the drama mural on the east side of the south wall is known as one of the three absolutes of Guangsheng Temple (Feihong Tower, 'Zhaocheng Gold Collection', Water God Temple Yuan Dynasty Mural), and the ball-playing picture on the north side of the west wall was included in the 'Chinese History' textbook in 1998. Address: Guangsheng Temple Town, Hongtong County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province Transportation: Get off at Guangsheng Temple Scenic Area Station on Hongtong 21/22 Road Time: 8:00-18:30 Per capita: Tickets 55 yuan, scenic area shuttle bus 20 yuan Warm reminder: The Yuan Dynasty murals of the Water God Temple are national treasure-level cultural relics, open for a limited time, 10:30-11:30 in the morning, 15:30-16:30 in the afternoon