Fengguo Temple (Yixian)

Major National Historical And Cultural Site; Liao Dynasty Temple Of 1020 Whose Main Hall Is The Largest Surviving Single Storey Liao Timber Hall And Holds The Only Complete Set Of The Seven Past Buddhas In China · Yixian, Liaoning

In a small county town in western Liaoning, a long way from anywhere anybody goes, stands the largest single-storey timber hall the Liao dynasty left behind - fifty-five metres from end to end, raised in 1020, its roof carried on a frame that has not been replaced. Inside, in one unbroken line down the length of the building, sit seven colossal Buddhas about nine metres tall, the seven Buddhas of the past, modelled in clay in the eleventh century and still standing where they were made. There is no other complete set of them in China. Above their heads, painted on the beams, fourteen Liao flying figures survive with their original pigment, and the walls carry later Ming and Qing work. The hall is the kind of building that people travel to Japan to see equivalents of, and on an ordinary weekday you may well have it to yourself.

Yi County (Yixian), Jinzhou, Yixian, Liaoning, China

Open daily, generally around 8:00-17:00 with shorter winter hours and last entry before closing; admission is modest. PUBLISHED HOURS FOR THIS SITE DISAGREE AND IT IS A REMOTE COUNTY TOWN ABOUT AN HOUR FROM JINZHOU - confirm locally before driving out. The Main Hall is single-storey and dim, lit only by daylight through the doors, so visit in the middle of the day. Flash photography is prohibited inside and smoking is prohibited throughout the timber compound. The hall is unheated and bitter in winter.

Fengguo Temple (Yixian) on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos