A humble village temple transforms into a national heritage building | Guangren Wang Temple

🏆 One of the only three remaining Tang Dynasty earthen buildings in the country; 🏆 The oldest existing Taoist building; 🏆 A unique example of Tang Dynasty Taoist architecture; ⛩️ The discovery of Guangren Wang Temple was quite accidental. When the architecture and murals of Yongle Palace amazed the world, cultural heritage experts from all over the country gathered in Ruicheng, and everyone was excited about the murals that were another major discovery following those of Dunhuang. 🔍 After a busy day, an expert staying in a nearby village accidentally discovered a grand hall called the Five Dragon Kings Temple, which was simple and robust, with a distinct Tang Dynasty architectural style. ➡️ Later, experts identified it as a Tang Dynasty building, ranking it as the second oldest earthen building in the country, only after the Nanchan Temple main hall and 26 years older than the Foguang Temple main hall. 🏯 The main hall of Guangren Wang Temple was built in the fifth year of the Tang Taihe period, with a single-eave hipped-gable roof, four bays wide, and five trusses deep. It is a folk religious building of relatively small scale, dedicated to the deity of Longquan, Guangren Wang. Historically, there were five clear springs in front of the temple, hence it was also called the Five Dragons Temple. 🕋 After a major renovation in 2013, the surrounding environment was integrated to create a museum of ancient architecture centered around the main hall of Guangren Wang Temple. 📍 Address: North of the ancient Ruiguo Wei City ruins, 4 kilometers north of the city, Ruicheng County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province 🈺️ Opening hours: 8:30-17:00 🎫 Admission: Free