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Shanhua Temple

Shanhua Temple, also called the South Temple, is the best preserved of temples built in the Liao and Jin Dynasties.

The temple, originally built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), was demolished completely by a war in 1122 just before the fall of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125 AD), but was rebuilt from scratch immediately after the ensuing Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 AD) was founded. It underwent further expansion and renovation in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1911 AD).

Covering an area of nearly 14, 000 square meters, Shanhua Temple is a good manifestation of the traditional Chinese architectural philosophy. The temple has three main buildings: the Gate, the Hall of the Three Saints and the Grand Hall. The best of the buildings is probably the Grand Hall (Daxiong baodian).The Hall houses five gold-coated statues of Tathagata Buddha and 24 divine generals.

There is also an interesting Dragon Screen (Longbi) in the the temple, although it is no match for the larger Nine Dragon Screen in town. There also still remain a few relics from the temple's early dynasties, including around 30 Liao and Jin statues, and one hall still in strict Tang style.

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