The exquisite Hou Tu Temple is the epitome of Jie Xiu's colored glaze craftsmanship

🌈In Shanxi, if the best glazed pagoda is in Guangsheng Temple, then the finest glazed hall is undoubtedly the Hou Tu Temple. 🗼Jie Xiu has been famous for producing exquisite colored glaze since ancient times. As early as the Ming Dynasty, the colored glaze industry became a well-known industry in the southern region of Shanxi, with Jie Xiu being the most famous and popular center for colored glaze manufacturing. However, due to the increasing scarcity of raw materials and the gradual loss of craftsmanship, many of the ancient colored glaze pieces in Hou Tu Temple, the last great achievement of Jie Xiu's colored glaze products, are now unique (many originals have been placed in museums). 🛕The exact founding date of Hou Tu Temple is unknown, but it existed more than 1500 years ago during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It was rebuilt and expanded over the dynasties, and it took on its current size after expansion during the Ming Zhengde years. In the eighth year of the Qing Yongzheng era (1730), the construction of the new Earth God Temple led to the current layout of the ancient building complex, which includes eight Taoist temples and shrines such as Sanqing Temple, Hou Tu Temple, Zhenwu Hall, Sanguan Temple, Niangniang Temple, Lüzu Pavilion, Guandi Temple, and Earth God Temple, with dozens of halls. Among the existing buildings, the Sanqing Tower is from the Yuan Dynasty, while the rest are from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 🐉'Hou Tu worship' was an important deity worship during the Qin and Han dynasties in China. It originated from the Fen Yin Hou Tu Temple by the Yellow River in Wanrong. Later, the concept of 'Yellow Earth Hou Tu' gradually evolved to include the worship of heaven, earth, sun, and moon, which is reflected in the layout of Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In folk customs, the Earth God Hou Tu is also mixed with secular concepts. 🐲'Hou Tu' is a term of respect for the Earth Goddess and female worship in the ancient primitive matriarchal society within the worship of the land. The vastness and boundlessness of the land, bearing all things, and being the fundamental basis for the nurturing and survival of all living beings, led to the supreme worship of the land by people, which gradually became personified, hence the term 'Hou Tu Niangniang', becoming a widely worshipped deity among the people of southern Shanxi. 🌈The largest and most magnificent place of worship for the Earth God Hou Tu is this Hou Tu Temple. After repairs and renovations over the generations, Hou Tu Temple and the surrounding Taoist buildings have merged into a grand architectural complex. It is known as the 'Taoist Earth'. Ticket🎫: Free🆓, enter with ID card🆔 Opening hours: 8:30～17:30