Follow the Black Myth: Wukong to unlock China's oldest wooden building - Nanchan Temple.

Compared with Foguang Temple, Nanchan Temple is more remote. It took more than an hour to drive from Foguang Temple. The road conditions are generally good, but the road is narrow and you can't drive fast. · Compared with the hall-style Foguang Temple, Nanchan Temple is much smaller and more like a courtyard-style rural temple, but the main hall of Nanchan Temple is the oldest existing wooden building in China, no wonder it was selected by "Black Myth·Wukong". On a large flat beam in the hall, there are not very obvious ink marks: "Because the old name (time) Datang Jianzhong three years...rebuilding the temple law is obvious and cautious", which is the evidence of the reconstruction of this temple. Calculated, it has been more than 1200 years since now, 75 years earlier than Foguang Temple. · Because the level of Nanchan Temple is lower, the main hall is only three square rooms, built on a square base. The main hall is a single-eave gray tile hip roof, with a total of 12 eave columns. There is no ceiling or pillars in the hall. The beam frame is extremely simple. The wall does not bear weight and only serves as a barrier. The weight of the roof is mainly supported by the pillars on the eaves wall through the beam frame. The eaves wall serves as a barrier to the outside and prevents wind and rain. The four columns around the column head are slightly inclined inward, forming an oblique angle with the cross beam; the four corner columns are slightly higher, and the layered brackets and layered arches form a "lift". · However, the Nanchan Temple seen today is not the original appearance. It is said that serious damage was found in 1953. It was not until 1974 that the overhaul was started. The appearance has changed a lot. Not only the style of doors and windows has been changed, the eaves have been lengthened, the ridge has been cancelled, and the swallowtail has been replaced. Therefore, the restoration of the Tang style of Nanchan Temple is still controversial. It belongs to "incomplete induction based on a limited number of samples". It is not as well preserved as Foguang Temple. · However, it is commendable that the Tang Dynasty colored sculptures in the hall still retain their original appearance, which can be described as Tang Dynasty treasures. I personally think it looks more natural than Foguang Temple. Unfortunately, among the 17 Tang sculptures, 3 were stolen in 1999 and have not been found yet. Now the hall is surrounded by iron fences and guarded by someone. When I went there, I couldn't take pictures in the hall. It is said that I can take pictures now. · The most easily overlooked thing in the main hall is the brick-built Buddha altar under the colored sculpture, which is decorated with 70 exquisite brick carvings, all of which are original Tang Dynasty. I didn't pay much attention to it when I went there because I didn't do enough homework. I regretted it after checking the information. · In addition to the main hall, the east and west side halls of Nanchan Temple are also buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with slightly mixed content, including the Dragon King Temple built in the Ming Dynasty and the Guanyin Hall and Bodhisattva Hall built in the Qing Dynasty. The East Cross Courtyard is a monk's room, also a building of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. · 🏠Name | Nanchan Temple 🎫Ticket | 20 yuan ⛳Address | Lijiazhuang Village, Wutai County 🚗Traffic | Self-driving navigation "Nanchan Temple"