Jinzhou, Liaoning | Fengguo Temple: A Thousand-Year-Old Temple and Ancient Architectural Treasure

|Fengguo Temple: A Thousand-Year-Old Temple and Ancient Architectural Treasure. Fengguo Temple: A Thousand-Year-Old Temple and Ancient Architectural Treasure of the Liao Dynasty In Yixian County, Jinzhou, Liaoning, there is a thousand-year-old temple called Fengguo Temple. This temple has stood the test of time through the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, showcasing the unique charm of Liao Dynasty architecture. Fengguo Temple was first built in the 9th year of the Kaitai period of the Liao Dynasty (1020 AD), covering an area of 60,000 square meters. Its main building, the Mahavira Hall, is over 20 meters high, standing on a 3-meter-high platform with a hipped roof, the most prestigious type of roof in ancient palaces and temples. With its massive size of over 1,800 square meters and 48 "main pillars," the Mahavira Hall is the largest single-eave wooden structure in ancient Chinese architecture. ✍🏻️The existing buildings of Fengguo Temple include: 🔸Outer Mountain Gate - modern reconstruction, 🔸Inner Mountain Gate, Paifang, Bell Pavilion, Stele Pavilion, and Hall of Heavenly Kings - all rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty, 🔸Mahavira Hall from the Liao Dynasty, still preserved today, ... ⚠️⚠️⚠️Other tips ❶Ticket🎫: 50 (10 during the temple fair from the first to the fifth day of the lunar new year) ❷Opening hours⏰: 8:30–16:00, ticket sales stop at 15:30 ❸Fortune sticks: 100 for 8 sticks (7 Buddhas + 1 Guanyin), a good omen for the new year ❹With a ticket + 1, you can have vegetarian noodles ❺The staff will provide free explanations for the 100 fortune sticks. They are all locals from Yixian County and have a strong sense of mission in passing on this history, which touched me deeply ❻The entire temple is not very large, with an estimated visit time of 2 hours ❼The nearby Maolou Restaurant is good, with many local specialties ❽The Wanfo Cave and Antai Gate are poorly preserved, not on the same level as Fengguo Temple