Jincheng, Shanxi | Zezhou Yedi Dai Temple with the most beautiful swallowtail ridge

| Zezhou Yedi Dai Temple with the most beautiful swallowtail ridge. 🌟 There are many ancient villages and temples in the southern part of Zezhou County, the largest of which should be the Dai Temple in Yedi Village. Because of its local fame, the round plaque hanging on the mountain gate is now called "Zezhou Dai Temple", and the villagers call it the West Temple. ♦ This Dai Temple faces north and south, built on the hillside west of Yedi Village, surrounded by mountains on three sides, covered by green trees, and the scenery is beautiful. The temple has two courtyards, located on the stacked high platform, there are two stone lions outside the mountain gate, the shape is fierce and playful, the front legs were smashed during the "destruction of the four olds", leaving only the lion head, body and hind legs. Because the lion's body was originally leaning forward, the absence of the front legs turned the whole into a beautiful arc shape, with the momentum of wanting to leap into the air. ♦ Entering the mountain gate, the courtyard is wide, here is the ancient tree "Ginkgo King" with a life span of two thousand years, there are two "human" shaped cypress, and there is also the Dragon Spring Well that does not dry up all year round. In the middle of the yard is a rectangular pool, Sunfish Marsh, also known as Cold Pool, which is the release pool in the temple. Behind the pool is a lush bamboo forest, and on the high platform behind the forest is a dance floor. The pavilions and flying eaves under the reflection of clear water and bamboo have a touch of the charm of Jiangnan gardens. ♦ The second courtyard as a whole goes up another high platform, and you can enter the courtyard from the side door next to the dance floor. Under the dance floor is a stone platform base more than one meter high, surrounded by railings, with stone steps on both sides to climb the platform, and can lead to the east and west side buildings, where should be the backstage for the gods to perform in the old days. The dance floor is square in plan, with a single elm cross hip roof four-column structure, supported by four sandstone chamfered square columns, and later supplemented with wooden columns on both sides. The shape is simple and rugged, the lifting is gentle, the oar is large, and the eaves are flamboyant. It is said to be a relic of the Jin Dynasty. ♦ On the brick and stone high platform directly north of the dance floor is the main hall of the Dai Temple, Tianqi Hall, also known as Wuyue Hall, three bays wide, six purlins deep, single eaves hip roof, the hall is tall and spacious, the shape is elegant and atmospheric, and the flying eaves are like double wings. Under the eaves is a front porch, supported by four tall green stone chamfered square columns, on the upper part of the stone column you can see inscriptions such as "Wuyue Hall Wang Qiong stone column one, Song Yuanfeng three years (1080) February 3rd record". ♦ Although the founding year of the Dai Temple is no longer verifiable, these inscriptions at least prove that the main hall was built during the Northern Song Dynasty, and the huge lotus-shaped column base one meter square under the column and the brick and stone platform base one person high were also built during the same period. The secondary rooms of the main hall are fitted with straight lattice windows, the main rooms are fitted with panel doors, and there are beautifully carved green stone door frames, covered with dragons, lions, chrysanthemums, lotus, peonies, and Huasheng boys. The door pillow stone is well preserved, the little lion on the right is playing mischievously in the mother lion's arms, and the big male lion is stroking the embroidered ball and looking to the right. The long years have polished the lion smooth and round, and the little lion's butt is even shiny enough to reflect people. ♦ In the Tianqi Hall, there are many ancient steles displayed on both sides, recording the multiple renovations from the Yuan Dynasty to the Yongle, Wanli and Qianlong periods of the Ming Dynasty. However, the main hall still retains the style characteristics of the Song and Jin periods from the beam frame to the doors and windows, and is an outstanding representative of early ancient architecture in the southeast of Shanxi. On both sides of the two turrets and the east and west sides, there are buildings such as Bi Xia Yuanjun Hall, Tu Di Hall, Wu Gu Shen Hall, Chong Wang Ye Hall, Niu Wang Hall, Long Wang Hall, Su Bao Si Shen Shrine and Guan Di Hall, most of which are relics of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.