[2025 Jiyuan Attraction] Travel Guide for Daming Temple (Updated Apr)

Daming Temple is located in Zhicheng Town, 6 km south of Jiyuan City, Henan Province, and is adjacent to Nigou River in the west. The history of Daming Temple can be traced back to the early Western Han Dynasty. Its predecessor was the incense burning courtyard for the sacrifice of the ancestors of the Marquis of Zhi. During the Jingyou period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1034–1038), it had developed considerably and was called Tonghui Zen Temple at that time. At the end of the Jin Dynasty, it was destroyed by war and became a ruin. In the 13th year of the Zhiyuan period of the Yuan Dynasty (1276), it was rebuilt over a period of 30 years and renamed to its current name. It was repaired and rebuilt many times in later generations. Daming Temple is one of the best-preserved ancient architectural complexes in Henan Province. It is built along the central axis and consists of three courtyards. It is square in shape and covers an area of 20,600 square meters. There are 13 ancient buildings with 41 rooms, including the mountain gate, the Middle Buddha Hall, the Rear Buddha Hall, the left and right side halls, and the monks' rooms. Among them, the main building, the Middle Buddha Hall, was built during the Zhiyuan period of the Yuan Dynasty (1264–1294). The hall is square, with three rooms, a single-eave hip roof, five sets of brackets, and a true beam. The interior of the hall is built with reduced columns, and the building is of high purity. It is one of the four existing single wooden structures of the Yuan Dynasty in Henan Province. The Rear Buddha Hall was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty, with a single-eave gable roof. The murals in the hall are well preserved and brightly colored, which are valuable materials for studying the mural art of ancient buildings in the Central Plains. The temple also preserves more than ten steles from the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, as well as a thousand-year-old sal tree with a circumference of 3.3 meters, lush branches and leaves, and a canopy-like shape. Jiyuan, Henan

📍Address: Jiyuan Daming Temple is quietly located on the east side of Tugou River in Tucheng Town, southern Jiyuan City, Henan Province. It was the center of the ancient Gudi Kingdom! Its predecessor was the ancestral temple of Gudi Marquis, and its profound historical and cultural heritage seems to tell ancient stories. 😃 🚌Transportation: Public transportation: Take bus No. 18 from Jiyuan city center and get off at Jiyuan No. 4 Middle School station. Then walk about 530 meters to reach Daming Temple. This is a good option for those without a car. 🚌 Self-driving: If you prefer self-driving, follow the navigation instructions to the east side of Tugou River in Tucheng Town. There is a parking lot near Daming Temple for your convenience. 🚗 ✨Must-visit attractions: 🏯Central Buddha Hall: This is the earliest extant building in Daming Temple, built during the Yuan Dynasty! It is also one of the four surviving single-body Yuan Dynasty buildings in Henan Province with the highest degree of architectural purity. The architectural style of the Central Buddha Hall is bold and unrestrained, with natural and casual use of wood. It is built according to the terrain and uses the materials as they are, showcasing the Yuan Dynasty craftsmanship. Moreover, there is a thousand-year-old bodhi tree (or sal tree) in front of the Central Buddha Hall, adding a touch of antiquity and mystery to the temple. 😍 🏛Rear Buddha Hall: Built during the Ming Dynasty and renovated during the Qing Dynasty. The colorful paintings on the beams and rafters are exquisite and are among the best-preserved beam paintings in Henan. The architectural style of the Rear Buddha Hall is completely different from that of the front hall, being more ornate and complex, but it also has high historical and artistic value. 👏 🪨Ancient Steles: There are several ancient steles in Daming Temple, such as the "Stele of Merit and Virtue of the Great Ming Temple" from the fourth year of Taiding in the Yuan Dynasty and the "Record of Rebuilding the Front Hall of the Great Ming Temple" from the sixteenth year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty. These steles record the historical changes and renovations of Daming Temple and are important materials for studying the history and culture of Daming Temple. 📜 🎫Ticket information: As a religious site and cultural heritage protection unit, Daming Temple usually does not charge an entrance fee. However, visitors must respect the temple's rules and beliefs during their visit. Please do not make loud noises or touch or damage cultural relics. 🙏 💡Tips: Visiting hours: Daming Temple is open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, but please note that entry is stopped after 4:30 pm. Visitors should plan their time accordingly and visit all the attractions properly. 🕙 Clothing suggestions: As there are many ancient buildings and steles in Daming Temple, it is recommended to wear comfortable and easy-to-walk shoes. Please avoid wearing overly revealing or inappropriate clothing. 👟 Taking photos: There are many attractions in Daming Temple with historical and artistic value. Visitors can take photos as souvenirs, but please respect the temple's rules and beliefs. Do not take photos of Buddha statues or other sensitive areas. 📷 Environmental protection: During your visit, please pay attention to environmental hygiene and do not litter or damage vegetation. 🌳 Understanding history: Before visiting Daming Temple, visitors can learn about the historical and cultural background and architectural style of Daming Temple in advance. This will allow for a better appreciation and understanding of the unique charm of this ancient temple. 📚 Come to Jiyuan Daming Temple and embark on a wonderful journey of history and art! 🎉

After returning from Shanxi, there's no need to visit other temples except for Jiyuan. On May Day, to avoid the crowds, I swiftly retreated from Taiyuan to the territory of Jiyuan, choosing this smallest city in Henan for no other reason than this: Henan's most notable ground constructions are in Jiyuan. Luoyang and Kaifeng, located at the heart of the Central Plains, have suffered through the ravages of successive dynasties, leaving few ground structures. 📜 There are many Daming Temples, but Jiyuan is the only one under national protection. The fifth batch of national protected units, originally established in the Kangding year of Emperor Renzong of Song, was destroyed by war at the end of the Jin dynasty, and rebuilt in the fourteenth year of Yuan Zhiyuan. The central Buddha hall is one of the four Yuan dynasty single-structure wooden buildings with the highest architectural purity in Henan Province... Ming dynasty relics: Mountain Gate, Garan Hall, Rear Buddha Hall Qing dynasty: Vajra Hall, Yanjun Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall 🌈Highlights Stone inscriptions, Yuan dynasty wooden structures, painted beams and columns, thousand-year-old sala trees (which complement the ancient buildings and are especially photogenic), and not far away there is a Ming dynasty Guandi Temple within walking distance. 🎫Ticket: Free ⏰Time: The display board at the entrance shows 8:00-12:00 in the morning; 14:00-18:00 in the evening. 🚌Public transportation does not reach directly, it is recommended to take a taxi, not far from the city center. ⛰️A hidden gem city with few visitors, possibly without high-speed rail, only train, which isolates most of the passenger flow.

Daming Temple was originally the Xunxiu Xiangyuan, a place where the Marquis of Zhi conducted ancestral worship rituals. In the first year of Kangding of the Song Dynasty (1040), it was rebuilt into a temple and named Tonghui Zen Monastery, but it was destroyed by military fire at the end of the Jin Dynasty. Reconstruction began in the thirteenth year of the Yuan Dynasty's Zhiyuan era (1276) and took thirty years to complete, after which it was renamed Daming Temple. It has been repaired multiple times during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Following the Song Dynasty system, this small town hides the most beautiful Yuan Dynasty architecture in Henan! Jiyuan City, the smallest city in Henan, is located on the west side of Jiaozuo. Although it is small, it is full of well-preserved ancient buildings. After experiencing the regret of the second station, the Daxu Village Erxian Temple, which was mentioned in the first few issues, seemed to be about to collapse, but the arch carving was beautiful. The second station we came to was Daming Temple, which hides the most beautiful Yuan Dynasty wooden architecture I have seen in Henan so far. Not only does it follow the Song Dynasty's construction system, but the internal structure also retains the rugged characteristics of the Yuan Dynasty's beam frame. What first attracted me to Daming Temple was not the ancient architecture itself, but a giant tree that can be seen at a glance after entering the mountain gate (Figure 2). This giant tree almost completely blocks the Yuan Dynasty Buddha Hall behind it. It is not an ordinary tree, but a thousand-year-old Shala tree. The Shala tree is the sacred tree of the Buddha's Nirvana in the legend, and it is called the 'Three Treasures of the Buddha Country' together with the Bodhi tree and the Bay tree. The Shala tree in Daming Temple is the most lush one in Henan. The circumference is 2.94 meters and the height is more than 20 meters. It can be said that it has fully witnessed the rise and fall and history of Daming Temple. Speaking of the Buddha Hall, it is the earliest existing building in the temple, rebuilt during the Yuan Dynasty (1264-1294 AD), a large hall that took thirty years to build. It is one of the four Yuan Dynasty single-wood structure buildings with the highest architectural purity in Henan Province. How to reflect the Yuan Dynasty craft style? The beam frame is rugged, the wood is used naturally, and the construction is natural, the style is natural, simple and vivid. The Buddha Hall's bucket arch is like a knife, gun, sword, and halberd, which is amazing. How is the Song Dynasty's legacy reflected? The beam frame in the hall reduces the column structure, the front groove does not apply the golden column, the space appears particularly open, the plane is square, the single beam frame, also inherits and retains the architectural art of the Song Dynasty. In addition, the Buddha Hall built in the Ming Dynasty is also a major highlight. The beam frame in the hall is colorful (Figure 18), which is the best-preserved Qing Dynasty beam frame painting in Henan Province and has high artistic value. The history of Daming Temple is very rough, and it is very lucky that she can still be seen by the world after being devastated. The earliest Daming Temple can be traced back to the early Western Han Dynasty. In 187 BC, Empress Lv sealed Liu Zhao, the son of Emperor Hui of Han, as the Marquis of Zhi. The Marquis of Zhi set up an ancestral temple on the east bank of the Tugou River. The predecessor of Daming Temple was the Fenxiu Xiangyuan used by Marquis Zhi Liu Zhao for ancestor worship. During the reign of Song Renzong, the ancient Zhihou ancestral temple, as a carrier of Confucian thought, was renamed Tonghui Zen Temple after reconstruction. The Yuan Dynasty stele 'Daming En Gong Qinde Stele' currently standing in the temple records the history of that year. According to the stele, Tonghui Zen Temple experienced wars in the late Jin Dynasty, 'after the war, it turned into a mound.' Until the fourteenth year of the Yuan Dynasty, the temple was rebuilt and renamed Daming Temple.