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

The Nanyang Fawang Temple in Nanyang Village, Jishan, Shanxi, boasts a remarkable opera stage 🎭. Facing west, the square stage is encircled by a covered walkway. Its cross-gabled roof, adorned with glazed colored tiles, retains its grandeur despite the passage of time. The layered dougong brackets exude an aura of ancient simplicity and magnificence. Inside, the stage is free of exposed pillars, with the corner columns concealed within the walls, creating a spacious interior. Looking up, one sees the intricate beam structure, where corner beams, upward-sloping beams, and dougong brackets interconnect to form a Bagua coffered ceiling. This ingenious ceiling structure is said to have amplified the actors' voices in the past 👍. Murals adorn the back wall of the stage. The centerpiece is the timeless image of a blue dragon emerging from the clouds, flanked by the Eight Immortals. Though the colors have faded with time, the figures remain vividly depicted. The stage was renovated in the seventh year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, yet its design retains characteristics of the Yuan Dynasty. This ancient treasure stands as a testament to the vibrant theatrical performances of bygone eras 🎉.

This is an ancient building that you can drive up to, park, and enter without a ticket. Next to it are tall and imposing residential buildings. On one side is modern life, and on the other is history. They coexist without disturbing each other. The temple should be guarded, as there is a barking yellow dog in a cage in the corner of the courtyard. At night, the guard and the dog are the protectors of this ancient building. Fawang Temple consists of a mountain gate, a dance building, a main hall, and other buildings. The mountain gate has two pillars and three glazed roofs. A plaque hangs on the lintel with the words "Xuantian Shangdi Fawang Temple." After entering the mountain gate, you will see the dance building, which has a double-eave roof and outer columns. There are many colorful murals on the walls. Walk around the dance hall to take photos, then enter and look up at the dougong, trusses, and columns. Although the paintings are mottled, they are still beautiful. Times have changed, and now this place is preserved as a cultural relic. However, it was not considered a treasure back then, and may have been used as a production room in the village. Therefore, there are three graffiti on the walls, including opera lists, slogans, and production records.

|Nanyang Dharma King Temple!! A low-key national security guard that is full of relaxation. Shanxi|Nanyang Fawang Temple!! The low-key national security that is full of relaxation In Nanyang Village, Jishan County, Yuncheng, there is such a low-key national security unit: Fawang Temple. How low-key is it? It is hidden among the surrounding houses. Villagers even often play cards and chat at the entrance of the temple. If you come to Jishan to see the Macun Brick Tomb and Qinglong Temple, you might as well come here to see them. The distance is less than 3 kilometers and it will definitely be a worthwhile trip. 【Opening status】 The Dharma King's Temple was not open to the public before, which resulted in many people being turned away. Now it is completely open, and there is no need to call the cultural protection staff to open the door. But because it is so low-key, I only see two or three people even on holidays. 【About Dharma King】 The Dharma King here refers to the Xuantian God in Taoism, also known as Emperor Zhenwu, the God of the North in Han myths and legends, and he is also enshrined in Wudang Mountain. 【Building layout】 The year when the Fawang Temple was first built is unknown, but according to the inscriptions on the beams and inscriptions in the temple, there were records of repairs or additions at least during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The temple is not big. It faces west and faces east, with a two-entry courtyard layout. On the central axis are the mountain gate, music tower, Fawang Hall and some auxiliary halls on both sides. The overall building is well preserved and has important reference value for the study of Taoist architectural forms in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. . Uncle Wenbao lives in one of the side halls, and he also has a big black dog next to him, so he feels very safe. 【Key points】 Mountain Gate: The plaque reads "Xuantian God, Temple of the Dharma King". On one side of the mountain gate is a white tiger painted in plain ink, and on the other side is a blue dragon? The cultural security man said that the other side has collapsed, so now there is only an empty wall. Lelou: After the mountain gate is the Lelou stage, which can be said to be the "treasure of the temple" of Fawang Temple. It was built in the Ming Dynasty, but it retains the ancient system of the Yuan Dynasty. The double-eaves cross-shaped mountain top is paved with yellow-green glazed tiles and ridge decorations, which is very beautiful. There are three Qing Dynasty murals on the back of the stage, the Blue Dragon Izumo and the Eight Immortals. There are no inner pillars in the stage, and the design is very exquisite. Looking up, there are exquisite brackets and caissons. On the walls are written the names of theater troupes, opera directories, and some graffiti that I don’t know when they were painted... Dharma King's Hall: There is a wooden shrine in the hall, dedicated to Emperor Xuanwu. There are carvings and paintings on the wooden boards of the shrine, which are very sophisticated. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures while admiring it. The two dragon pillars at the entrance of the Dharma King's Hall are very interesting. The dragon claws are actually the heads of monsters. Some sisters say that the nearest auxiliary hall on the north side of the King's Palace is a Yuan Dynasty building, but I haven't seen any relevant evidence. The faint writing on the beams seems to be records from the Ming Dynasty. Time: It’s hard to say the opening hours. Tickets: Free Parking: Parking is available on the roadside in the village.

📍 Location: Fawang Temple is located in Nanyang Village, 4 kilometers southwest of Jishan County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. It is an ancient site that combines the architectural features of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. 🏛️ Introduction to the Scenic Spot: Fawang Hall: Xieshan-style building, with a front eave gallery, five purlin brackets, and a diagonal arch in the middle, with a simple structure. Dance Court: Three square rooms, surrounded by corridors on three sides, covered with a cross-hipped roof, is a place for performing plays to worship gods. Houtu Hall: Confronting Fawang Hall, it is divided into Xieshan and Xieshan styles, with different positions and structures. 🚗 Transportation: Train: Yuncheng City has trains to Beijing, Xi'an, Tianjin, Chengdu, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Datong, Linfen, and other places. Car: National Highway 209 passes through Yuncheng City, which can reach Sanmenxia City, Henan Province, and Huayin City, Shaanxi Province. Airplane: There are direct flights to Taiyuan from major cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Xi'an, and then you can take a bus to get there. 🎢 Must-play Projects: Ancient Architecture Appreciation: Feel the architectural beauty of Fawang Temple. Cultural Exploration: Learn about the history and cultural background of Fawang Temple. Photography: Record the classical beauty of Fawang Temple with a camera. 🕳️ Pit Avoidance Guide: Opening Hours: It is only open for worship on the first day of each month and is not open at other times. 📸 Photo Check-in Points: In front of Fawang Hall: You can take a photo of the grandeur of the entire building. Dance Court: You can take a photo of the unique roof structure. 🍲 Food Recommendations: Jishan Pancake with Meat: A local snack that you can't miss. 📌 Tips: Wear comfortable shoes because you need to walk around. Respect local culture and customs and keep quiet.

In Nanyang Village, not far from Jishan County in Yuncheng City, walking about 500 meters along the main alley, an ancient temple comes into view. The door of the ancient temple is an old wooden door. The plaque on the mountain gate reads 'Temple of the Law King of Xuantian Emperor,' and the inscription on the ridge reads 'Built in the ninth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, the year of Gengwu.' On both sides of the mountain gate, there are couplets on the pillars, 'With a sword leaning on the long sky, the universe is bright and clear; Xuan Ying blesses the earth, the country is prosperous,' which is very imposing. It is said that the earliest statues of war gods were enshrined between the left and right walls. There are murals on the walls, and now only the south side has a plain ink painting of a tiger descending the mountain, coming with a roaring majesty. Pushing open the mountain gate, an ancient stage with flying eaves and upturned corners comes into view, which is shocking. Compared with the ancient buildings seen before, Nanyang Fawang Temple has a kind of 'natural beauty without adornment.' The ancient stage here, as a carrier of traditional Chinese opera culture, has witnessed the vicissitudes of history. Every wear and tear, every crack seems to tell an ancient story. In the middle of the back wall of the stage, there is a painting of 'Azure Dragon Emerging from the Clouds,' with paintings of the Eight Immortals on the left and right. These paintings were originally colored, but after being covered in dust for a long time, the colors inevitably became slightly dim, but the postures of the characters are varied, their clothes fluttering, extremely lively. The stage of Nanyang Fawang Temple is also called Wuting or Lelou. The horizontal plaque in the middle reads 'Harmony in Spring,' and the couplet reads 'Praying for a bountiful year with sacrificial vessels; singing of peace with flutes and strings.' The construction date of this stage is unknown. According to the stone tablet in the temple, it was rebuilt in the seventh year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty and has undergone several repairs since then. However, from its form, it has obvious characteristics of the Yuan Dynasty, making it a precious Ming Dynasty building with Yuan Dynasty features. Walking onto the stage, there are no exposed pillars inside, and the load-bearing pillars at the four corners are all built into the walls, making the space more spacious. The upper part of the stage, with interconnected beams, corner beams, upward beams, and dougong structures layer by layer, forms a delicate eight-trigram caisson. The caisson structure is very spectacular and rare, looking complex and ingenious, yet retaining an ancient and exquisite beauty. The large scale of this caisson allows one to intuitively feel the beauty of the wooden structure. Nanyang Fawang Temple has important value for studying the situation of opera activities in the northern region during the early Ming Dynasty. Ancient stages like this, where pictures, texts, and objects coexist, are rare and can be considered treasures of opera relics. Nanyang Fawang Temple has a kind of restrained and grand beauty. It avoids the disturbances of the world, standing quietly in the countryside, telling thousand-year-old stories, showcasing its unique charm, making it unforgettable at first sight. Fawang Temple

Jishan County's Fawang Temple wasn't originally on our plan, but after visiting the brick carvings and tombs, we made a detour. Driving into Nanyang Village, construction was everywhere, with dust filling the air. At the end of the road was Fawang Temple, easy to find but with its gates firmly shut. 😭😭😭 An elderly lady came over, speaking to us enthusiastically, though we couldn't understand a word. She shuffled to the gate, pointed at a tattered sticker, and then sat down beside it, watching us intently. We moved closer and saw three names with phone numbers on the paper, so we called them one by one. The first didn't answer, the second was out playing, and the third was at a funeral but said they'd come with the keys to open the gate soon. It wasn't until the person arrived on a motorcycle from afar, keys in hand, that the temple's gates were opened, and the old lady's face lit up with a smile, revealing her concern about us being unable to enter. 😁😁😁 Who is the Fawang? The temple's gate provided the answer, inscribed with 'Temple of the Fawang of the Xuantian Shangdi,' indicating that the Fawang is the Northern Black Tortoise Emperor, also known as the God of the Northern Peak. (📌Photo 8) The mountain gate is exquisite, three bays wide and four rafters deep, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered in green glazed tiles. An inscription on the plaque dates its construction to the Qing Dynasty's Tongzhi era. Pushing open the heavy doors, you enter a stage, a typical cross-shaped double-eave Xieshan-style structure with yellow-green glazed tiles, surrounded by galleries on the left, right, and back sides (📌Photo 4). The interior caisson ceiling looks like a star when viewed from below, and the beam frame structure uses corner-bracing to reduce the number of columns. Although it's a Ming Dynasty stage, after removing the surrounding structures, it closely resembles those from the Yuan Dynasty (📌Photos 2, 6, 7). Further inside is the main hall, stunningly beautiful, with a single-eave hanging mountain roof, and intricate and exquisite ridge beasts and chiwen. (📌Photos 1, 3) A five-bay gallery has been added to the front, and the interior's upper and lower sections connect with the golden columns on the inside, forming the structure of the central hall. However, the statues inside are quite frightening, probably newly made. (📌Photo 9) The temple's cultural heritage officer hurried us to look quickly and leave soon; we only stayed for about ten minutes, while a black dog barked angrily the whole time. The officer, who had rushed from a funeral, was not pleased, but we were still grateful, hoping that such ancient buildings will still be there in many years, still cherished by people like us, who come with persistence for a visit.