The Jinci or Jin Temple (晉祠) is the most prominent temple complex in

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-leve ...

, China. It is located 16 miles (25 km) southwest of

Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...

at the foot of Xuanweng Mountain at the Jin Springs. It was founded about 1,400 years ago and expanded during the following centuries, resulting in a diverse collection of more than 100 sculptures, buildings, terraces, and bridges. The best known structure at Jinci is the Hall of the Holy Mother (圣母殿, Shèngmǔdiàn), which was constructed from 1023 to during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

. It has carved wooden dragons coiled around the eight pillars that support its upward-curving double-eave roof. The complex includes a classical garden with a 3,000-year-old cypress dating from the Zhou Dynasty. To the west of Hall of the Holy Mother is a temple dedicated to the deity

Shuimu Shuimu (), or Shuimu Niangniang (), is a water demon, spirit or witch of Buddhist and Taoist origin in Chinese mythology. She is also identified with the youngest sister of the transcendent White Elephant (Buddha’s gate-warder). According to Chi ...

. Next to Jinci is the Wang Family Hall, a private villa built in for Wang Qiong, a high-ranking official during the Ming Dynasty.

References

External links

Jin Shrines, Architectura Sinica Site Archive
{{Shanxi topics, state=expanded Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shanxi Taiyuan Song dynasty architecture Jin (Chinese state)