[2025 Jishan Attraction] Travel Guide for Dafo Temple (Updated Mar)

| A journey of discovery through a thousand-year-old temple. Let me share with you a niche attraction that is well worth checking out—the Jishan Giant Buddha Temple. Located in Jishan, Yuncheng, Shanxi, it is a thousand-year-old temple built against a mountain. The temple's Sakyamuni Nirvana statue is known as the "world's largest clay-sculpted Buddha." Upon entering the temple, the magnificent Giant Buddha comes into view. The Buddha is 16.68m high and 6.8m wide, with a full figure and dignified presence. Its legs hang down, and its feet rest on a lotus throne. The entire form is ethereal, tall, and majestic, and the exquisite craftsmanship is breathtaking. The architectural style of the temple is simple and elegant, with the eaves and brackets showcasing the charm of the ages. Strolling along the stone steps, you can almost hear the echoes of history. 📷Photo Spots ✅Shooting upwards from the foot of the Giant Buddha highlights its grandeur and solemnity. ✅The corners of the temple, with their red walls and black tiles, are excellent spots for artistic photos. ✅Standing on the high ground of the temple allows you to take panoramic photos.

Jishan Giant Buddha Temple is located on a high cliff in Jishan County, Yuncheng, Shanxi Province. It was built in the second year of Huangtong in the Jin Dynasty (1142). It is famous for a giant earthen sculpture of Sakyamuni Buddha with a height of 20 meters and a width of 6.7 meters. It is known as the "No. 1 Earthen Sculptured Buddha in the World". This was once an ancient temple in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Climbing to the top of the cliff, you can overlook the panoramic view of Jishan County. The thousand-year-old ancient charm and the mountain and river scenery are intertwined here🌄. ✨The world's largest earthen Buddha is carved from a loess cliff, with flowing folds and a majestic aura. It is known as one of the "Three Wonders of China" along with the Leshan Stone Buddha and the Tibetan Bronze Buddha. You can climb the wooden ladder to the top floor to admire the full view of the Buddha. Unfortunately, the ladder was not allowed when I went there😭. ▫️▫️▫️▫️ ⓘ ⓝ ⓕ ⓞ ▫️▫️▫️▫️ 📍Address: Gaoya, 1 km northeast of Jishan County, Yuncheng, Shanxi Province🚌Transportation: Take a bus from Yuncheng Bus Station to Jishan, transfer to bus No. 1 to "Dafo Temple" station🎫Tickets: Free⏰Time: 8:30-17:30

🌟 Jishan Great Buddha Temple is located on a high cliff 1 km northeast of Jishan County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. Originally named "Qingliang Temple" and also known as "Foge Temple," it is commonly referred to as the "Great Buddha Temple" due to the presence of a giant earthen Buddha statue sculpted into the cliff. The temple was first built in the second year of the Jin Dynasty's Huangtong era (1142) and has undergone multiple renovations and expansions during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The Jishan Great Buddha within the temple is a national key cultural relic protection unit and one of the tallest earthen Buddha statues in the world. 🎫 Ticket price: The ticket price for Jishan Great Buddha Temple is CNY 20 per person. However, the scenic area is sometimes open for free. ⌚ Opening hours: Open all year round, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. ✅ Location: Jishan Great Buddha Temple is located on Dafo Road, Jishan County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. ☀ Personal experience: My first impression of Jishan Great Buddha Temple was "awe-inspiring." Standing at the foot of the Great Buddha and looking up at the 20-meter-tall earthen Buddha statue, I was filled with reverence. This statue has withstood nearly a thousand years of wind and rain, standing tall as if telling the vicissitudes of history. Entering the main hall, the details of the Great Buddha are astonishing: the folds of the Buddha's robe are smooth and natural, the facial expression is solemn and dignified, and the corners of the mouth are slightly upturned, exuding compassion and peace. Standing at the top of the Buddha statue, overlooking the entire Jishan County, the view is wide, and my mood is suddenly brightened. In addition to the Great Buddha, the Ten Kings Cave and the Sixteen Arhats Cave in the temple are also worth visiting. These Yuan Dynasty clay sculptures of Buddha are vivid and showcase the superb skills of ancient craftsmen. Although most of the buildings in the temple have been rebuilt in recent years, the overall style still retains the charm of the Jin Dynasty, and walking through it feels like traveling through time and space.

Jishan Dafo The world's number one clay sculpture Buddha. Honestly, it's quite rare for the Buddha from the Yuan Dynasty to be preserved so intact to this day, especially considering it has survived nearly 20 earthquakes and fires. The monks in the temple say that when the main hall was struck by lightning and caught fire, the fire trucks were right there but didn't dare to put out the fire because the Buddha was made of clay and would have been destroyed by the high-pressure water jets. Miraculously, after the main hall was completely burned, the Buddha remained unscathed. This may be a kind of blessing, but it's more a testament to the ancient wisdom in constructing ancient buildings. 🪷 About the Dafo Temple The Daxiong Hall and other buildings in the temple are mostly imitations of Yuan Dynasty architecture, but the Buddha inside is an authentic sculpture from the Jin Dynasty, carved from pure loess. This is a more than 20-meter-tall, over 800-year-old clay sculpture Buddha. Inside the hall, there is a wooden staircase leading to the second floor, which is usually not open to the public. This time, I was fortunate enough to go upstairs and have a close encounter with the Buddha, which I consider to be a kind of fate. The stairs are very steep, and from behind the Buddha, you can see the dense curls on top of the Buddha's head. The Buddha's face is full and the ears hang over the shoulders. From the second floor, you can look closely into the Buddha's clear eyes. The Buddha's left hand is placed on the knee, and the right hand is raised high in a teaching gesture, probably representing a scene of preaching. The view from the second floor is truly amazing; from the first floor, it seems you can only see the Buddha's nostrils... you can't see all these details. 📍 Address: Jishan County, Yuncheng, Shanxi 🎫 Ticket: Free Some say the Buddha is Sakyamuni Buddha Actually, it's a Maitreya Buddha Don't disbelieve it‼️

Jishan, Shanxi Province has the largest wooden ancient Buddha and exquisite brick-carved tombs. Jishan is the most surprising place for me to visit in the nearby counties. [Big Buddha Temple]: The temple was first built in the second year of Huangtong in the Jin Dynasty (1142), and was rebuilt or expanded many times in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The original temple was quite large. As one climbed the stairs, one would see temples arranged in an orderly manner on both sides of the slope, and numerous statues. Most of the buildings were destroyed due to the war. Now only the main hall, the Duo Hall, the Ten Kings Cave, the Sixteen Arhats Cave, etc. remain. The Big Buddha Temple is located on a high ground, and the earth-carved Buddha is based on it, making it even more majestic and spectacular. The Jishan Giant Buddha is truly the largest earth-carved Buddha in the world. :Free 【Jiwang Temple】: The highlight of this county. There are wood carvings and stone carvings on the Offering Hall, Main Hall, and Jiang Yuan Hall in Jishan Jiwang Temple. The offering hall has a gable roof and glazed tiles. The front eaves balustrade is carved with reliefs of ancient farming scenes such as ploughing, sowing, harvesting, and threshing. The main hall has a double-eaved hip roof and 20 stone columns, two of which are embossed with coiled dragons in the front. The corridor railings are made up of 52 stone slabs with delicate floral carvings. There are no eaves walls in front and back, leading directly to the Jiwang Hall. The front and rear capital beams are carved with various patterns of figures and activities related to farming. :I didn't have high expectations, but I was still surprised by the murals. very nice. The young female guide in the yard was also very professional. According to the inscription by the painter on the window sill of the south wall, the murals in the main hall were repainted or reinstalled in the 18th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1385). Only a small part of the powder and ink in the southwest corner are traces of the Yuan Dynasty. The four walls of the central hall are "water and land paintings", which are the essence of the murals in Qinglong Temple. The entire composition of the hall includes more than 300 figures, painted on a 130-square-meter wall. On the west wall are the Three Buddhas and a picture of worshiping Buddha, and below is a picture of all Taoist gods; on the north wall are the Eighteen Arhats, and below are the Ten Kings of Hell, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, etc., as well as an execution scene in the underworld; the murals on the east wall are difficult to distinguish due to sun and rain. Although the above murals promote feudal etiquette and religious superstition, the pictures have rigorous structure, vigorous and fluent brushstrokes, soft and harmonious colors, numerous but not chaotic figures, moderate human body proportions, beautiful shapes, vivid images, flowing clothes, and are lifelike. It inherits the painting techniques of my country since the Tang and Song dynasties and is regarded as a masterpiece of Yuan and Ming dynasty paintings. [Macun Brick-carved Tomb]: I loved visiting tombs during school. This time I stayed in the tomb alone for a long time. The brick-carved tombs of the Song and Jin Dynasties are really exquisite! The picture of the woman opening the door is also very beautiful~ A total of 4 generations of tombs were opened, and it can be seen more and more that their family is gradually getting rich. But the tomb chamber is indeed very cool, so you can wear more clothes.