Zhongzhang Fuxi Temple, Changzi, Shanxi

Located in Zhongzhang Village, Nanzhang Town, Changzi County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, Zhongzhang Fuxi Temple covers an area of about 1,600 square meters and is an ancient architectural relic from the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The exact founding date of Zhongzhang Fuxi Temple is unknown. According to inscriptions inside the temple, it was renovated during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the Qianlong and Tongzhi periods of the Qing Dynasty. The temple faces south and currently has one courtyard, covering approximately 1,600 square meters. Inside the temple are the Offering Hall and the Main Hall; the Main Hall dates back to the Yuan Dynasty, while the Offering Hall is from the Ming Dynasty. The Main Hall of Zhongzhang Fuxi Temple is three bays wide and four purlins deep, with a single-eave xieshan roof and a barrel tile roof surface. The bracket sets under the front eaves are sparsely arranged, with the column head brackets featuring four-layer single tips, and the inter-bracket sets are subtly carved; there are no brackets under the rear eaves. The beam structure consists of four purlin roofs with three columns supporting the three purlins. The Offering Hall is adjacent to the Main Hall, three bays wide and three purlins deep, with a xieshan and juanpeng roof and a barrel tile roof surface. Zhongzhang Fuxi Temple preserves steles from the 13th year of Chongzhen (1643), the 37th year of Qianlong (1772), and the 24th year of Jiaqing (1819), as well as a renovation stele from the 7th year of Tongzhi (1868). The main buildings of Zhongzhang Fuxi Temple are basically intact, with original large wooden components such as the bracket sets and beam structures in the Main Hall, exhibiting typical features of Yuan Dynasty architecture in southeastern Shanxi. It provides an example for the study of local Yuan Dynasty architecture and is a nationally protected key cultural relic.