Shanhua Temple (Datong)

National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit; A Buddhist Temple With Liao And Jin Dynasty Timber Halls On Original Frames And Jin Painted Clay Sculpture Of The 1120s 1130s · Datong, Shanxi

Timber buildings of the Liao and Jin dynasties standing in the middle of Datong, which matters because almost nothing of that date survives anywhere - the Liao were a Khitan dynasty that ruled the north for two centuries and their architecture was largely lost, so a complex with a Liao main hall and a Jin gate and side hall still on their original frames is close to unique. The Daxiongbao Hall is the Liao one, huge, low-eaved and severe, and inside it are thirty-three statues including five central Buddhas and a set of twenty-four deva figures along the walls that are Jin work of the 1120s and 1130s, painted, unrestored, and considered among the best Buddhist sculpture surviving in China. The Sansheng Hall and the Shanmen gate are Jin as well. There is a Ming glazed screen wall moved here from elsewhere in the city. Datong sends most of its visitors to Yungang and the Hanging Temple; Shanhua sits in the reconstructed old town and is comparatively quiet, which is the argument for going.

Nanguan South Street, Pingcheng District, Datong, Shanxi, China

Generally open daily, roughly 8:30-18:00 in summer and 8:30-17:00 in winter, with last entry about half an hour before closing. Real-name booking with ID is expected at Shanxi heritage sites. Sometimes sold in a Datong combination ticket with Huayan Temple and the city walls. THE HALLS ARE UNHEATED and Datong winters are severe. NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY - the Jin painted surfaces are unrestored and the rule is enforced.

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