Linfen | Visit Guangsheng Temple and Admire Its Unique Treasures

🌿 During the summer vacation, we drove back from Ningxia, passed through Anqing in Gansu, crossed the Yellow River in Shaanxi, and arrived in Linfen, Shanxi Province. When you come here, you must visit the famous attraction, Guangsheng Temple. Guangsheng Temple Scenic Area is located next to County Road 544 in Hongdong County, Linfen, Shanxi. It mainly consists of three buildings: the Upper Temple, the Lower Temple, and the Water God Temple. 🌿 The Feihong Pagoda, the Zhaocheng Jin Tripitaka, and the Yuan Dynasty murals in the Water God Temple are known as the "Three Wonders of Guangsheng Temple." 🌿 The scenic area is quite large. After entering the parking lot, it feels quiet all around, but the parking lot is full of self-driving vehicles. It was a sunny day, with green trees and clear rivers flowing quietly at the foot of the mountain. Looking up at the mountain, you can see the Feihong Pagoda in the Upper Temple. We didn't take the sightseeing bus up the mountain. Instead, we visited the Lower Temple at the foot of the mountain and then walked up the mountain. Our family strolled along the stone steps up the mountain for about 20 minutes to reach the Upper Temple at the top of the mountain. 🌿 The Lower Temple consists of the Mountain Gate, the Front Hall, the Rear Hall, the Duodian Hall, and other buildings. It is a very unique Yuan Dynasty building. The hall houses the statues of the Three Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas Manjusri and Samantabhadra, all of which are Yuan Dynasty works. The walls of the hall are covered with murals, which were stolen and sold abroad in 1928 and are now housed in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, USA. The remaining 16 square meters of murals on the upper part of the gable wall depict the story of Sudhana's 53 visits. The murals are exquisitely painted and richly colored. 🌿 The Upper Temple consists of the Mountain Gate, the Feihong Pagoda, the Amitabha Hall, the Mahavira Hall, the Tianzhongtian Hall, the Guanyin Hall, the Dizang Hall, and the wing rooms and corridors. It was founded in the Han Dynasty and has been rebuilt many times. The existing buildings are relics of the Ming Dynasty, but the structure still retains the style of the Yuan Dynasty. The Feihong Pagoda stands in the middle. It was rebuilt in the sixth year of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1527), and a surrounding corridor was added to the ground floor in the second year of the Tianqi period (1622). The pagoda is octagonal in shape, with 13 stories, and is 47.31 meters high. The pagoda is decorated with yellow, green, and blue glazed tiles. The first, second, and third stories are the most exquisite, with brackets, leaning pillars, Buddha statues, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, flowers, dragons, birds, and beasts under the eaves. The whole pagoda is exquisite and unique, and it shines brightly in the sunlight. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Scenic Area Introduction🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 🏞️ Scenic Area Name: Guangsheng Temple Location: County Road 544, Hongdong County, Linfen, Shanxi Province 📒 Scenic Area Level: 4A 🌳 Climate: Warm temperate semi-humid continental monsoon climate 🌄 Era: Yuan and Ming Dynasties 📖 Famous Attractions: Feihong Pagoda, Yuan Dynasty murals in the Water God Temple 🕐 Recommended Duration: 2–3 hours