Jinci Temple

Jinci grew around springs at the foot of Xuanweng Mountain and has been a shrine for well over a thousand years, with buildings spanning many dynasties. Its centrepiece is the Hall of the Holy Mother, built in 1023 to 1032, one of the oldest surviving Song timber halls, fronted by columns wound with carved wooden dragons and containing forty-three painted clay figures of palace attendants from the same period, each individual in posture and expression, regarded as among the finest surviving Song sculpture. In front stands the Flying Bridge Across the Fish Pond, a cross-shaped Song bridge unique in China, and cypresses in the grounds are said to be around three thousand years old.

What you actually see

• The Hall of the Holy Mother - a Song timber hall of the 1020s with dragon columns.
• The forty-three attendant figures - painted Song clay sculptures inside the hall.
• The cross-shaped bridge - the Flying Bridge over the fish pond, unique in form.
• The ancient cypresses - trees in the grounds said to be three millennia old.

When to go

April to October for the best weather; Taiyuan is cold in winter. Weekends bring domestic visitors. The complex is large and takes two to three hours to walk properly.

Honest expectations

The famous sculptures are behind railings in a dim hall and photography is restricted. Taiyuan itself is a heavily industrial city with poor air on many days. English interpretation is limited.

Nearby

Taiyuan lies northeast; Pingyao is south along the rail line.