Quyang Beiyue Temple | The largest existing Yuan Dynasty wooden structure

Beiyue Temple is located in Quyang County, Hebei, a county famous for its stone carvings. Before the Qing Dynasty, Beiyue was always the Da Mao Mountain within the territory of Quyang County, until the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, when it was changed to worship Mount Heng in Hunyuan County, Shanxi. Today's Beiyue Temple is famous for its ancient architecture and murals. The entire architectural complex includes, from south to north, the remains of the wooden archway, Chaoyue Gate, Yuxiang Pavilion, Lingxiao Gate, Sanshan Gate, the remains of the Feishi Hall, and the Denning Hall, among other structures. The main building of Beiyue Temple—the Denning Hall—is the largest existing Yuan Dynasty wooden structure in China. Approaching it, one can feel the grandeur of the hall. The hall is six bays deep, nine bays wide, and 25 meters high, with a double-eaved nine-ridged wudian-style roof, which is also the highest grade of ancient architecture. Among the ancient buildings we can see today, there are only about twenty places with double-eaved wudian-style roofs, including the three main halls of the Forbidden City, the Tai Temple, the Ling'en Hall of Changling, the Dacheng Hall of the Confucius Temple in Qufu, the main hall of Dongyue Temple, Tiankuang Hall, and the main hall of Zhongyue Temple, Junji Hall. Another marvel of Beiyue Temple is its murals. On the east and west walls of the main hall are painted 'Heavenly Palace' murals, with the east wall depicting 'Cloud Movement and Rain Dispensing' and the west wall 'Universal Peace'. Each is 8 meters high and 18 meters long, with numerous figures and an extraordinary momentum, depicting the gods lining up to travel before dispensing rain, and the scene of returning to court after the rain. Some say these are works by the Tang Dynasty artist Wu Daozi. But upon careful consideration, this is impossible. The hall was built during the Yuan Dynasty, so how could Wu Daozi have painted on it? It is most likely that these are copies of Wu Daozi's works, or based on sketches made by him. Among these divine images, the Quyang ghost is the most famous. This image is at the top of the mural on the left side of the main hall, and its stone carving replica is on the Sanshan Gate. Indeed, it is full of dynamism and very lifelike. In the courtyard, there are also inscriptions from the Tang to the Qing dynasties, recording sacrifices or repairs to Beiyue Temple, whose calligraphy is also a treasure left to us. ——Travel tips—— ☑️Opening hours: 9 am to 5 pm. ☑️Tour time: about 2 hours. ☑️Ticket price: 40 yuan, children free. ☑️Tourism and protection level: National 2, 4A scenic area. ☑️Surroundings: A 10-minute walk in front of Beiyue Temple, you can visit the Xiude Temple Pagoda, the most beautiful compound-style pagoda, not to be missed.