Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao—A Museum of Polychrome Sculpture Art Spanning a Thousand Years

Shuanglin Temple faces south with its main gate on the south wall, featuring an arched doorway known as the Shanmen. Beyond the Shanmen, along the central axis, are ten halls arranged vertically: the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Shakyamuni Hall, the Mahavira Hall, the Buddha Mother Hall, and several side halls, forming three consecutive courtyards. Each hall is filled with polychrome sculptures, ranging in size from over three meters to about one foot, totaling 2,052 statues, of which 1,566 are well preserved. The sculptures of the Heavenly Kings, Arhats, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, and donors are the most exquisite, representing outstanding works of Ming Dynasty polychrome sculpture art. The first hall is the Hall of Heavenly Kings. Under the eaves of the corridor are four Vajra Warriors, each about 3 meters tall. The Vajra Warriors sit majestically, bare-chested with shawls or waist skirts, crowned with topknots, their faces square or round with thick eyebrows and round eyes, broad chests, and straight waists. Some glare with open mouths, others gaze downward with closed mouths; some hold clubs with bent arms. Their grand and imposing forms exude the majestic aura of guardian deities. Inside the Hall of Heavenly Kings, Maitreya Bodhisattva sits in the center wearing a heavenly crown, flanked by Indra and Brahma on either side. On the south wall, to the east and west, are statues of the Four Heavenly Kings; the north wall houses eight great Bodhisattvas. Passing through the Hall of Heavenly Kings, to the north lies the Shakyamuni Hall. Inside, Shakyamuni Buddha sits centrally, flanked by Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas. Shakyamuni Buddha is 5 meters tall, while Manjushri and Samantabhadra each stand 2.05 meters tall. The Buddha has a fleshy ushnisha, wears a right-shoulder-exposed kasaya, and sits cross-legged on a Mount Sumeru pedestal. Behind the main statue in the Shakyamuni Hall is a 3.4-meter-tall One-Leaf Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara manifests thirty-three different forms to save sentient beings; the thirteenth form is the One-Leaf Avalokiteshvara. This statue is carved in high relief, sitting on one leg with flowing robes, riding a single red lotus leaf on the waves. The serene expression contrasts sharply with the turbulent sea waves, creating a striking dynamic between stillness and motion. Surrounding it are Arhats seated on beast or lotus pedestals, protecting the Bodhisattva, responding to cries for help, and universally delivering beings from suffering; there is also the heavenly general Skanda arriving on clouds. The second courtyard along the central axis includes the large Mahavira Hall to the north and the Thousand Buddhas Hall and Bodhisattva Hall on the east and west wings, arranged more spaciously. The Mahavira Hall, rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty, is the tallest building in the temple. It features a xieshan roof, five bays wide and three bays deep with six purlins, typical Ming Dynasty beam-frame structure, dougong brackets, door and window decorations, and roof ridge beasts. The Mahavira Hall is the main hall, housing statues of the Reward Body Buddha, Dharma Body Buddha, and Emanation Body Buddha. The Thousand Buddhas Hall has wall sculptures of 500 Bodhisattvas around its perimeter, each 0.69 to 0.82 meters tall. They are arranged in five to six tiers, some riding auspicious clouds, others mounted on mythical beasts, all harmoniously connected with the main statue, realistic and vivid in form. The Bodhisattva Hall is on the west side of the middle courtyard, opposite the Thousand Buddhas Hall. It is seven bays wide (25.28 meters) and four purlins deep (10.01 meters). The main statue is a twenty-six-armed Avalokiteshvara, sitting cross-legged in the center, 3.45 meters tall. Indra and Brahma statues are each 1.78 meters tall. The twenty-six-armed Avalokiteshvara is likely the Cundi Avalokiteshvara, with a full and dignified appearance, gentle and elegant expression, and richly varied hand gestures. In the Arhat Hall, the central Avalokiteshvara statue is 1.95 meters tall, seated among sixteen Arhats. The Avalokiteshvara’s calm and solemn demeanor contrasts sharply with the varied postures of the sixteen Arhats. The seated Arhats are 1.55 meters tall, and the standing ones are 1.83 meters tall. On the north side, there is a servant figure in secular clothing stepping out from a door, 1.75 meters tall, and on the south side, a child figure 2 meters tall. Their postures and expressions clearly indicate they are not Arhats.