Shanxi Changzi Tianwang Temple

Tianwang Temple covers an area of 1,140.8 square meters and was originally built during the Tang Dynasty Yonghui period (650–655 AD). The main deity statue of Tianwang Temple was originally Bishamonten, the northern warrior god from the Tang and Song dynasties. The temple complex is composed of three groups of buildings arranged along east-west axes: the temple, the meditation courtyard, and the theater courtyard. The temple is the main part, with the existing main hall and rear hall being wooden structures from the Jin Dynasty. The main hall is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a single-eave Xieshan roof. The column capitals feature five layers of dougong brackets with single miao and single xiang components. The brackets include gua, man, and ling types arranged obliquely. The inter-bay brackets are carved in relief. The materials are large in scale, with the beam frame consisting of six purlins spanning across, Shu-style columns supporting the beams with dou and tuo joints, and camel hump-shaped supports on the mountain face holding the head beams. The rear hall is five bays wide and three bays deep, with a single-eave hanging gable roof. The beam frame has four purlins with rear dou and tuo joints, and the rear eaves have four layers of single xiang brackets. Tianwang Temple is the only surviving example of this type of temple in the region. Bishamonten, originally a Buddhist guardian deity, evolved into a military god during the Tang and Song dynasties, and later into an agricultural deity in the Ming and Qing dynasties, reflecting the localization and secularization of Buddhism. At the same time, the entire Tianwang Temple complex holds high scientific, artistic, and cultural value and is a typical example of surviving Jin Dynasty architecture. It is a nationally protected key cultural relic.