[2025 Zezhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Erxian Temple (Updated Mar)

I'm running out of words to describe how stunning Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple is. Located in Jinxiang Town, Zezhou County, Jincheng City, the Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple has two courtyards. The main hall is the only remaining Northern Song Dynasty wooden structure in the temple. Although small in size, the building uses massive timbers. The roof is a nine-ridge hip-and-gable style, with eaves that sweep upwards like wings. Under the eaves are huge Dougong brackets, and twelve stone pillars surround the perimeter. However, even more precious than the architecture itself is the Song Dynasty "Celestial Palace" inside the hall. A pinnacle of Northern Song small wooden craftsmanship, it is exceptionally exquisite. Two female deities are enshrined in the center of the shrine, flanked by attendants, weaving women, and other female officials. Despite the dim light inside the hall, it evokes awe and wonder in those who look up. It is truly magnificent❗️❗️ Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple

📍Address: Located in Dongnan Village, Jincun Town, 13 km east of Jincheng City 🚗Transportation: Self-driving, navigate directly to Erxian Temple, arrive at a large T-junction, be sure to pay attention to a small road on the left leading to the village, it is easy to miss. 👍️Main Features: Erxian Temple is a unique belief in the southeast of Shanxi, and it is dedicated to two young girls. They were a pair of sisters during the Tang Dynasty, born smart and beautiful, lost their mother in their childhood, and although they were abused by their stepmother, the two girls were still very filial and later became immortals. They often appear in the local area to save people from suffering and difficulties. Unfortunately, what we see today, only five are Song Dynasty sculptures, and the other eleven, including the heads of the two immortals, have been stolen at the end of the last century. There is no historical record of the original appearance, and we can only imagine her style through the gorgeous patterns of the statue's clothes. 🎟️Ticket Information: Free, the cultural relic protection officer is very good, patiently explained, even when we went there at six o'clock, they still accompanied us to watch, and waited for us to finish watching before closing.

Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple, also known as Jincheng Erxian Temple, is located in Xiaonan Village, Jincheng Town, Zezhou County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province. It was built between the 4th year of Song Shaosheng (AD 1097) and the 7th year of Zhenghe (AD 1117). The main body of the main hall, the shrine and the statue are relics of the Song Dynasty. The front hall was rebuilt in the 18th year of Ming Hongwu (AD 1385), and the side halls on the east and west sides are relics of the Ming Dynasty. In the 23rd year of Jiaqing (1817), the Gaojin Temple, Sancang Temple, Xiling Temple, Wudao Temple, General Temple and the east and west corridor rooms were all repaired. Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple has high historical, artistic and scientific value. It is an important physical material for studying the architecture and religious culture of the Song and Jin Dynasties. It was rated as a national key cultural relic protection unit in 1996.

Shanxi is finally getting the attention it deserves! Out of the 36 ancient Chinese architectural sites featured in 'Black Myth: Wukong,' 27 are in Shanxi, showcasing Chinese aesthetics to the fullest. So, how should you explore Shanxi during the National Day holiday? ❶ Book the Black Myth filming locations in advance ❷ Avoid Datong and Taiyuan; the Jin South and Jin Southeast routes are more comfortable, often offering exclusive experiences 🗺 Jin South 7-day route D1 Yuncheng, Jiezhou Guandi Temple - Changping Guandi Temple - City Museum D2 Ruicheng, Yongle Palace - Guangrenwang Temple - City God Temple D3 Wanrong, Feiyun Tower - Houtu Temple - Ji King Temple D4 Xinjiang, Longxing Temple - Jiangzhou Great Hall - Fusheng Temple D5-6, Xixian Xiaoxitian - Feihong Tower D7 Linfen, City Museum - Dayun Temple - Three Theaters in the Northern Suburbs 👀 Highlights Jin South has a high density of ancient buildings, with the Guandi Temple featuring a true statue of Guan Yu, Yongle Palace murals comparable to those in the Mogao Caves, Guangrenwang Temple being one of the three Tang structures, and the suspended sculptures in Xiaoxitian discovered after Black Myth. 🗺 Jin Southeast 7-day route D1 Changzhi, Guanyin Hall - City God Temple - City Museum D2 Changzi, Faxing Temple - Chongqing Temple D3-4 Gaoping, Iron Buddha Temple - Dinglin Temple - Kaihua Temple - Erlang Temple - Chongming Temple D5 Lingchuan, Chong'an Temple - Xixi Erxian Temple - Cui Fojun Temple D6-7 Jincheng, City Museum - Jade Emperor Temple - Qinglian Temple - Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple - Zexian Dai Temple 👀 Highlights Guanyin Hall, Faxing Temple, Iron Buddha Temple, and Jade Emperor Temple are all Black Myth filming locations. It is recommended to visit them at noon on sunny days. Leaving these sites, the scattered ancient buildings disperse the crowds; the dressing tower in Xixi Erxian Temple is as beautiful as a fairy, and the small wooden works in Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple are exquisite. Appreciating ancient buildings is essentially about appreciating art. Do you love art and museums like I do? What do cultural travelers see when they look at the world? They see timeless art treasures, the blending of civilizations after geographical boundaries are broken, and empathize with ancient people across millennia. I linger in museums and ancient buildings around the world, 'The world is reachable, only emotions are priceless,' reaching every corner of the world, and being moved to tears by the world!

📚Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple is also known as Jincheng Erxian Temple. It was established in the 4th year of the Shaosheng era of the Song Dynasty (1097) and was renovated during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The main hall is a Song Dynasty relic, the side rooms of the main hall are Ming Dynasty relics, and the entrance hall and worship hall are Qing Dynasty relics. The rest of the buildings are replicas. 🏠Layout: The temple faces south and is divided into two courtyards. The central axis includes the mountain gate, entrance hall, worship hall, and main hall, with side rooms and wing rooms on both sides. Highlight 1: Song Dynasty clay sculptures of the two immortals in the main hall: The two immortals are unique to the southeastern region of Shanxi. Other gods include Cheng Tang, Hou Yi/Sanzong/Huguo Lingbao Wang, Xia Yu, Cui Fugong, Jiutian Shengmu, and Xianweng, which form the southeastern Shanxi god system. The clay sculptures in the wooden niches of the main hall are original Song Dynasty works and are the only remaining Song Dynasty works of the two immortals in China. Highlight 2: Song Dynasty heavenly palace: When visiting ancient buildings in Shanxi, don't just look down, look up. The essence is "in the sky". The main hall retains a Song Dynasty wooden niche. The flat surface is "concave" in shape, with two niches at the back as the main part and symmetrical niches on the left and right at the front. The niches have two layers of eaves, a waistband flat seat with nine ridges on top, and the mountain surface facing outwards. The niches are connected by an arched bridge, with a nine-ridge pavilion in the middle. All the buildings are made of wood. The complex brackets, the loft buildings on the roof, and the bridge across the Milky Way are all stacked up, making it a masterpiece of Song Dynasty small woodwork. Standing underneath and looking up, it feels like you are a grain of sand in time. Highlight 3: Song Dynasty clay sculptures and Song Dynasty steles in the temple: The temple originally had 16 Song Dynasty clay sculptures and 2 Song Dynasty steles. The stone tablet of the "Two Immortals Inscription" from the 5th year of the Chongning era of the Song Dynasty (1106) is embedded in the center of the front of the brick-carved god platform in the niche of the hall. It is determined that the niche is a relic from the 5th year of the Chongning era of the Song Dynasty. In the 1990s, more than a dozen clay sculpture heads in the temple were stolen, and they have been remodeled. Highlight 4: Paintings on the pillars of the worship hall: The paintings on the pillars of the worship hall are also very exciting. The dragon and phoenix are very vivid. They should have been painted during the Qing Dynasty and have been preserved to this day. 🕹️Address: Chengjin Village Town, Zezhou County, Jincheng City 🎫Ticket: Free, no reservation required 🕙Opening hours: Estimated to be 8:30-11:30, 14:00-17:30, closed at noon 🚘Travel tips: (1) Navigate directly to "Xiaonan Village Erxian Temple" on Gaode. The roads in the village are narrow, so drive carefully. (2) The temple is currently undergoing major renovations, including adding fire prevention measures. You can only enter from the side door. It is not known whether the renovations have been completed. (3) When we went, the uncle was there. After communicating with him, we were able to visit the main hall smoothly. If the uncle is not there, you can call the number on the cultural relic protection responsibility card. The cultural relic protection master has a good temper and there should be no problem visiting.

【Jinshan Jinmei·Jincheng·Jade Towers and Jade Palaces, Heavenly Abode Hidden in the Walls】As mentioned earlier, there are many Erxian Temples in the southeastern Shanxi region, which is a unique local belief. There are more than 50 existing Erxian Temples, seven of which are listed as national protected sites. The Xixi Erxian Temple visited a few days ago is one of them, and today we are going to visit the ancestor of the existing Erxian Temples, the Erxian Temple in Xiaonan Village, a small village in the southern part of Jincheng. This Erxian Temple is pitifully small, but it preserves a Song Dynasty main hall and a Northern Song Dynasty small wooden structure—Heavenly Palace Pavilion. Undoubtedly, the biggest highlight is this Heavenly Palace Pavilion, which is over 900 years old, exquisitely crafted, and towering. The corridor bridge connects the halls on both sides like a rainbow, magnificent and beautiful. The ancients perfectly showcased their imagination of the heavenly palace with such delicate small wooden structures. There are also many Song Dynasty colored sculptures inside the hall (some were stolen in earlier years), which are worth savoring. Tips: Northern Song Dynasty small wooden structure—Heavenly Palace Pavilion: The "Erxian Temple" from the Song, Jin, and Yuan periods is unique to the southeastern Shanxi region. Among them, the Erxian Temple in Xiaonan Village not only has the earliest preserved Erxian statues (Song Dynasty) in the southeastern Shanxi region but also the rare existing Song Dynasty small wooden structure "Heavenly Palace Pavilion" in China. The Heavenly Palace Pavilion in the main hall consists of four individual buildings and a single-arched corridor bridge, all with hipped roofs. The dougong (bracket sets), ridge tiles, and beast heads are all made of wood, with six projecting dougongs. This type of dougong is unique among existing Song Dynasty buildings in China, exquisitely beautiful. 📝Note tips: No admission fee. If you see the cultural relics protection officer, give him some hard-earned money.

Unlike Datong in northern Shanxi, which served as the Western Capital during the Liao and Jin dynasties and was a political center with the religious status of the Buddhist holy site of Mount Wutai, featuring grand architectural scale and high rank, with large temples and tall towers embodying the bold style of northern ethnic minorities, the ancient buildings in southern Shanxi are rich in regional characteristics, small and exquisite, finely crafted, with almost every village having a temple. Due to its remote location and dry climate, many stunning cultural treasures have been preserved. Additionally, the rich and complex folk beliefs here have provided numerous unique materials for ancient buildings, including not only Buddhist temples and Taoist temples but also various ancestral halls and shrines. The principle of 'believing in the divine' means that regardless of the deity, as long as it is believed to respond to prayers, the people will build temples to worship and pray for blessings. The Erxian Temple in Xiaonan Village, Zezhou County, Jincheng, is one such example. The Jincheng Museum has a table showing the local practice of Erxian worship, indicating its widespread presence. The Erxian Temple in Xiaonan Village was first built during the Song Dynasty, and the inscription of its construction still exists. Its value lies in the 16 Song Dynasty painted sculptures, of which only 5 have preserved their original heads. The most astonishing masterpiece in the temple is the small wooden structure of the Tian Gong pavilion, which is an original construction from the Northern Song Dynasty. It is connected by a high platform and an arched corridor bridge, with a hall at the top and wooden shrines of the two immortals and their attendants below. The mortise and tenon structure of the small wooden pieces is like building blocks, creating a floating Tian Gong in a very limited space, which is not at all rustic like a mountain village product, but rather elegant.

Sealed for 900 years! The Northern Song Dynasty wooden celestial palace attic.⛰️ Shanxi, undisputedly the province with the most national treasures; and Jin southeast is the pearl of ancient architecture in Shanxi. Rare Song Dynasty wooden structures are scattered here like pearls, dazzling to the eye. If you go to Datong Huayan Temple and don't see the Liao Dynasty's small wooden celestial palace attic in the Baoji Teaching Collection, it's okay--the Northern Song Dynasty's celestial palace attic at Er Xian Temple is equally splendid. 📍Xiao Nan Village Er Xian Temple, the fourth batch of national treasures, is located north of Dong Nan Village, Jin Village Town, Zezhou County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province. It was established in the fourth year of Song Shaosheng (1097) and is dedicated to the Two Immortal Ladies. The main hall of Er Xian Temple is a Song Dynasty relic, with a width of three bays and a depth of four beams, featuring a single-eave Xieshan roof. The hall's dougong brackets are majestic, with a five-bay single-tier single-lower ang structure, adorned with auspicious clouds and auspicious animal paintings, extremely exquisite. 🔴The biggest highlight of Er Xian Temple is the Northern Song Dynasty's small wooden celestial palace attic inside the hall--'Tian Yu Bi Cang', also known as 'Celestial Palace Attic Arch Bridge Bi Cang'. The main niche has three bays with a Xieshan style, with two entrances front and back, and double-eave Xieshan attics on the east and west connected to the main niche. The railings, dougong, outer eaves decorations, and patterns used in the decorations all have the style of the Song Dynasty, making it a typical model of Song Dynasty wooden architecture. In the center of the niche, there are two immortal statues sitting, 2.5 meters high, with 16 attendant statues on both sides, most of which are original works from the Song Dynasty. The rear eave wall still has 9 square meters of scroll landscape and flower bird murals. 🔴When 74-year-old cultural heritage guardian and village secretary--Grandpa Yang opened the door lock for us, everyone was impressed by this divine work of the Northern Song Dynasty. Grandpa enthusiastically recounted the history of the temple, knowing everything here like the back of his hand. I think this is probably the first and last time I will see Grandpa Yang. It is these cultural heritage guardians who have dedicated most of their lives that give the ancient buildings of Shanxi a complete appearance and a human touch. Therefore, during the visit, please also understand and treat these lovely and respectable guardians kindly, because they, like us, only have a passion for ancient buildings 🚗Transportation: No public transportation, only self-driving/hired car/rental car 🎫Ticket: As fate wills

It is said that the two immortals were people from the Jin Dynasty, they were sisters from the same mother. Their mother passed away early, and their stepmother was very harsh to the two sisters. They never disobeyed their stepmother and did their best to complete the tasks assigned by their stepmother. Their filial piety touched the gods, and the two sisters were transformed into immortals. After becoming immortals, they responded to the demands of the local people. In gratitude, the people built several temples to worship the two sisters, commonly known as the two immortals. During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a magical folk tale. It is said that during the war between the Song army and the Western Xia, the Song army was at the point of running out of food and supplies. At this time, two young women dressed in red and wearing embroidered shoes appeared and saved the Song army. It was later learned that the two women were transformed by the two immortals. This is the famous story of the two immortals rewarding the army, which has been recorded in history. After the Tang Dynasty, the incense of the Erxian Temple has been long-lasting. The Erxian Temple is almost everywhere in the Shangdang area. Until the end of the Qing Dynasty, most of the Erxian Temples in the Shangdang area were destroyed. There are still 6 Erxian Temples in Shanxi today, among which the Erxian Temple in Xiaonan Village is the only temple that worships the statues of the two immortals. It is also the earliest and unique Song Dynasty statue of the two immortals in the Shangdang area. The Erxian Temple has a total of 6 statues, two of the real statues of the two immortals, and four maid statues. They are works of the same period as the main hall of the temple. The statues are dignified, beautiful, and natural in expression. They are full of affinity between their eyebrows and can be said to be the best works of the Song Dynasty clay sculpture. On the wall behind the clay sculpture, there are also murals of swallows, magpies, and lotus flowers. There is also a heavenly palace in the hall, which is a rare original structure of the small woodwork of the Northern Song Dynasty. The heavenly palace is suspended in the air of the Erxian Temple. It is composed of two que-shaped high platforms, an arch bridge, and the palace on the bridge. The bottom is the wooden shrine of the two immortals and their attendants, and the top is the top of the shrine. The builder used an arch bridge suspended in the air, seemingly supporting the shrine in mid-air, truly creating the effect of the heavenly palace. It is a milestone in architectural history and the most unique example of using bucket arches in ancient Chinese architecture. There are also two cypress trees on the east and west sides of the music pavilion of the Erxian Temple. It is said that they were planted when the temple was built and have a history of a thousand years. There are also two stone steles in the temple, which were also left over from the Song Dynasty. There are very few small wooden buildings left in the southern part of Jin. In a remote village temple, someone actually built a heavenly palace. As history continues to pass, the later generations who come to visit are amazed. Unfortunately, due to the lack of protection, many buildings inside have been damaged. It's a pity. If you are interested, you might as well go and have a look. I believe there will be gains. Note that there is no admission fee, no parking fee, but the transportation is not very convenient, it is recommended to drive by yourself.