[2025 Pingshun Attraction] Travel Guide for Longmen Temple (Updated Apr)

The Hall of Heavenly Kings is a Jin Dynasty structure. Few of the major wooden components of this hall have been replaced during successive repairs. The pillars, beams, brackets, and Dougong are all relics of the Jin Dynasty. The intercolumnar Dougong brackets on the front eaves, with 45° and 60° oblique arches, are characteristic of the Jin Dynasty. The murals inside the hall are similar in style to those at Yongle Palace. The Four Heavenly Kings inside the hall are newly sculpted, but some faint murals remain behind them, similar in style to the murals of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly at Yongle Palace.

On the way to Longmen Temple, near the source of the Red Flag Canal, you'll pass through Cuijiazhuang Village. By the roadside, you'll find a Guandi Temple. Unattended and unvisited, only the main hall remains, built in 1647 during the Qing Dynasty (Shunzhi reign). It has a single-eave hard-ridge roof and a width of three bays. The main gate is closed, bearing a plaque that reads "Loyalty and Righteousness Reach the Heavens." The inscriptions on the stone stele under the eaves in front of the hall have been systematically defaced, likely during a specific period in history. Two stone pillars stand tall before the gate, their bases intricately carved. The couplets on the pillars have faded, but the words are still clear: A Thousand Autumns of Righteous Fame Illuminate the Sun and Moon Ten Thousand Years of Loyal Soul Strengthen the Mountains and Rivers (However, the top and bottom lines are reversed.) 📍Address: Cuijiazhuang Village, Pingshun County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province 🎫Tickets: Free 🈺Opening Hours: 🅿️Parking: None, roadside parking available (please be cautious) 🏆Designated as an Immovable Cultural Relic of Pingshun County

Depart from Changzhi City and tour along the ancient buildings in the Zhuozhang River Valley~ Step 1 - Beside the Zhuozhang River at the entrance of Wangqu Village, a "traditional Chinese village", remember to stop the car and enjoy the river view under the blue sky and white clouds Step 2 - Tiantai Nunnery. Tickets are 10 yuan. It was removed from the list of Tang Gou and updated to the Five Dynasties building. Step 3 - Alpine Flowing Water Scenic Area Free. Camping and picnic sanitation fees are 10 yuan per person. If you rent a tent, the fee is 30 yuan per person. The water is super clear. It was the first time I saw the spring popping up. It was magical. Step 4 - The first rafting waterfall in the North China Spring Region is free. The operation has stopped in 2024. Stop the car along the way and feel the waterfall flowing across it. It will cool your heart. Step 5 - Yuanqi Temple is free. The Qinglong Pagoda built in the Song Dynasty and the Sutra Pillar in the Tang Dynasty. The small stone inscriptions on the Sutra Pillar are still clearly visible. Step 6 - Dayunyuan Tickets are 20 yuan. Although the only remaining Five Dynasties murals in the country are mottled, they are still beautiful (Qinglong Pagoda is outside the temple). Pay attention to safety when passing cars on mountain roads. Step 7-Longmen Temple ticket is 20 yuan. In my opinion, the location of the ancient buildings in the Zhuozhang Valley is the best. The stone steps up the mountain are beautiful (don’t be lazy to drive up there). The temple spans six dynasties and is a veritable "museum of ancient buildings"... This route is also suitable for parents and children. The whole journey is slow and leisurely. There are ancient buildings, water flows and waterfalls. My baby is less than two years old and he is so excited🥰The key point is that there are no traffic jams and the people he meets are all nice. The experience is great...

Longmen Temple is located in a mountain valley 1.5 kilometers north of Yuanyuan Village, Shicheng Town, Pingshun County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. It was founded in the first year of Tianbao (AD 550) of Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi Dynasty and covers an area of ​​5,070 square meters. Longmen Temple not only has become a rare treasure among Chinese ancient buildings with its superior environmental features, superb overall layout, and exquisite architectural space processing, but also integrates the architecture of the Five Dynasties, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the temple with the oldest history, the most existing cultural relics and buildings, the longest span, and the richest stone carvings in the Zhuozhang River Valley. On November 20, 1996, Longmen Temple was announced as the fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. Ticket: 20 yuan Address: Changzhi City—325 National Highway—Pingchang Expressway—Ping'an North Road—670 National Highway—Dongfang Road—Lianyin Mountain—Yuanyuan Village Longmen Temple

The Zhuozhang River Valley in Changzhi, Shanxi Province is the most densely populated area of ​​Five Dynasties-Song and Jin Dynasty buildings in my country. There are 8 national protected buildings in the 40-kilometer stretch on both sides of the river, making it the well-deserved "No. 1 Valley of Ancient Buildings". · 👉Zhuozhang River Valley National Protection Route: Yuanqi Temple - Tiantai Temple - Dayun Temple - Fotou Temple - Chunhua Temple - Huilong Temple - Xiayu Temple - Longmen Temple · 🔻Wonkiji Temple Located on the terrace, there are the Sutra Pillar from the Tang Dynasty, the Main Hall from the late Northern Song Dynasty, and the octagonal seven-story Qinglong Pagoda from the Northern Song Dynasty. The stone tower is an imitation wood structure with huge brackets. 🎫Tickets: None 🔻Tiantai Temple A very beautiful small temple, the dating of which is controversial (it was previously believed to be a Tang Dynasty structure), but it has now been comprehensively determined to be a Five Dynasties and Later Tang Dynasty building. The eaves are obviously upturned, like a flying phoenix. 🎫Ticket price: 10 yuan 🔻Dayun Zen Temple The Amitabha Hall is a textbook-level building from the Later Jin Dynasty during the Five Dynasties (it houses the earliest existing Pu Pai Fang), and there are also murals from the Five Dynasties inside the hall. The Seven Treasures Pagoda in front of the temple dates back to the Later Zhou Dynasty and is very exquisite. 🎫Ticket price: 20 yuan 🔻Buddha Head Temple The mountain behind the temple looks like a Buddha's head, hence the name Buddha Head Temple. The only remaining Song Dynasty Buddhist temple and murals are worth seeing. The cultural relics protection teachers here are the icing on the cake. Their explanations are very good and they gave us a vivid lesson on ancient architecture. 🎫Tickets: None (Explanation fee is 10 yuan per person) 🔻Chunhua Temple Only one main hall from the Jin Dynasty and two stone pagodas from the Song Dynasty remain. The national treasures of the Jin Dynasty are just visible on the roadside. Shanxi is truly full of treasures. 🎫Tickets: None 🔻Huilung Temple A small temple from the Jin Dynasty, which also contains murals from the Qing Dynasty, suspected to be about the Journey to the West. We saw the Western Paradise Sutra, the Rake and the Pig's Ears on the mural. 🎫Tickets: None 🔻Xia Yu Temple The temple is located high on the mountain top, facing the mountain peak in the distance. The pedestal of the Yuan Dynasty platform is very beautiful, and the eye wall is also very interesting. 🎫Tickets: None 🔻Longmen Temple The mountain gate from the Jin Dynasty, the Main Hall + murals from the Northern Song Dynasty, the West Side Hall from the Later Tang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties (the earliest existing building with a gable roof), and the Dipankara Buddha Hall from the Ming Dynasty, which integrates architecture from the Five Dynasties, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, can be called an ancient architecture museum. 🎫Ticket price: 20 yuan · 🚗Transportation: The scenic spots are far apart, so it is recommended to drive or charter a car. · The Zhuozhang River Valley is home to many hidden treasures. The three preserved buildings from the Five Dynasties are enough to prove the importance of this area in architectural history. There are also so many Northern Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasty buildings, and the land is full of treasures👍. ·

In a thousand-year-old ancient temple in Shanxi, there are rare national treasures inside, and there is also a 'transparent' stone stele at the entrance. Curious friends might ask, where exactly is this thousand-year-old ancient temple in Shanxi? What unique scenery does it have? With these questions and curiosity, let's talk about the stories of Longmen Temple today. Longmen Temple was founded during the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty. It is located on Longmen Mountain, which is surrounded by towering mountains and steep cliffs. The mountain is named Longmen (Dragon Gate) because the rocks in the valley resemble a dragon's head, and the temple is named Longmen Temple because of Longmen Mountain. The temple is surrounded by three mountains and one water body, creating a serene and elegant scenery. There are scenic spots such as Dragon Mouth Spitting Water, Stone Valley Dragon Gate, Golden Lamp Flowing Oil, Transparent Stone Stele, and Cliff Stone Buddha. Moreover, it is particularly worth mentioning that Changzhi Longmen Temple is known as the 'Eight Treasures Dragon Gate.' According to records, during the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Monk Fashong traveled from Mount Wutai to this place and built the 'Fahua Temple' here. It was renamed 'Longmen Temple' during the Qiande period of the Northern Song Dynasty. The existing halls and corridors are arranged meticulously. The central axis has three courtyards, and the east and west Zen halls and other buildings each form a separate area. Among them, the west side hall in the front courtyard was built in the third year of Tongguang in the Later Tang Dynasty (925 AD). It has three bays and a hanging mountain style, with no columns inside. The beams and rafters are simple and orderly, still retaining the Tang style.

Longmen Temple, originally named Fahua Temple, faces south with its back to the north. According to inscriptions, it was founded in the second year of Wuding during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 AD). It was expanded during the Later Tang and Northern Song periods. During the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was renamed Longmen Temple, and in the first year of Jianlong (960 AD), the temple reached its peak size, boasting 'hundreds of halls and chambers.' It was renovated during the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The existing architectural complex adopts a layout with three central axes: east, middle, and west. The central axis includes the Mountain Gate (Heavenly King Hall, pics 1, 3, 4, 7) from the Jin Dynasty, the Mahavira Hall (pics 5, 6) from the Song Dynasty, the Lamp-Burning Buddha Hall (rear hall, pic 12) from the Yuan Dynasty, and the Stone Buddha Pavilion (pics 13, 14), flanked by the east and west cloisters and side halls, with the west side hall (pics 8, 9) from the Five Dynasties and the east side hall (pics 11, 20) from the Ming Dynasty, as well as the east side bell tower, etc.; the east axis includes the Holy Monk Hall with five rooms (pic 19), the Water and Land Hall with seven rooms, and the Zen Hall (pic 18), as well as auxiliary buildings like monks' quarters and stables; the west axis includes monks' quarters and storehouses (pics 15-17), all from the Qing Dynasty. Particularly noteworthy is the unassuming west side hall, which, according to the stone stele from the third year of Qianyou during the Later Han Dynasty (950 AD) inside the temple (pic 10), was built in the third year of Tongguang during the Later Tang Dynasty (925 AD). It is one of the three oldest surviving semi-Tang Dynasty wooden structures in China. Also, the Mahavira Hall, according to the stone pillars in the front eaves, was built in the fifth year of Shaosheng during the Northern Song Dynasty (1098 AD), ranking it among the oldest surviving ancient buildings in China! The temple also preserves four Song and Jin Dynasty stone pagodas (outside the west wall, not found), nine Ming Dynasty steles, thirteen Qing Dynasty steles, and many fine brushwork and color murals. As an architectural complex that well preserves buildings from the Six Dynasties in one temple, Longmen Temple only charges 20 yuan for admission, which is truly a conscientious price, and parking is free. Photography is also not restricted within the temple. However, it is located in a remote area, far from both Changzhi city and Pingshun county town, so a self-driving tour is more convenient for those who wish to appreciate its beauty.

Originating from the Taihang Mountains, the Zhuo Zhang River Valley conceals numerous pristine ancient architectural treasures. The first stop on the 'land of cultural relics in Shanxi' tour to visit ancient sites brings us to this somewhat magical temple, the Longmen Temple located in Pingshun County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. Although small in scale, Longmen Temple has a complete layout, combining the Western Side Hall (Five Dynasties), the Mahavira Hall (Song), the Heavenly King Hall (Jin), the Lamp-Burning Buddha Hall (Yuan), the Eastern Side Hall (Ming), and the East-West Axis Buildings (Qing) from six dynasties into one temple, earning it the reputation of 'China's Ancient Architecture Museum'. (Fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units, ticket price: 20 yuan) Founded in the third year of Tianfu during the Later Jin of the Five Dynasties (938 AD), Dayun Temple is a 33-kilometer drive from Longmen Temple. Its main attraction is the thousand-year-old Amitabha Hall, one of the only five remaining Five Dynasties wooden structures in the country. The 21 square meters of murals inside the hall are the only surviving temple murals from the Five Dynasties period in China, making them extremely precious. When the caretaker of Dayun Temple opened the doors of the Amitabha Hall, the complex wooden structure and the Five Dynasties murals absolutely, absolutely, absolutely dazzled me, leaving me in awe of the exquisite craftsmanship of the ancient artisans!!! (Third batch of national key cultural relics protection units, ticket price: 20 yuan)