Traveling to the past - Nanshan Temple, Wutai Mountain (National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit).

Nanshan Temple, Wutai Mountain, is a Zen temple located between the mountains 2 kilometers south of Taihuai Town, Wutai Mountain, Shanxi Province. It was built in the second year of Yuanzhen of Yuan Chengzong (1296) and was once one of the ten green temples of Wutai Mountain, a national temple, and a royal temple garden. Nanshan Temple was originally named Dazheng Shouguo Temple by Yuan Chengzong Tumu. Rebuilt in the 20th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1541). Expanded in the ninth year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1829), it was called Jile Temple. During the Republic of China, people such as Jiang Fuchen in the Northeast carried out reconstruction and collectively referred to it as Nanshan Temple. The existing buildings are relics from the Ming Dynasty to the Republic of China. In June 2009, it was listed as a World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape. On October 7, 2019, Nanshan Temple was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the eighth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. Nanshan Temple is built on the mountain, facing east and west. There are 18 courtyards, pavilions, halls and houses, covering a total area of 37,000 square meters. The entire temple is composed of seven layers and three parts. The lower three layers are Jile Temple. In the courtyard on the left side of the temple, the Daxiong Hall is located in the center. The middle layer is Shandetang. The upper three layers are Shouguo Temple. The layout form of the traditional Chinese architecture is adopted. The main building is arranged on the axis, and the auxiliary buildings are arranged on both sides. The main buildings and statues in Nanshan Temple were all made by Anigo, a famous architect and statue master of the Yuan Dynasty. Although they have been repaired and reinstalled many times in later generations, the content and style of the subject still maintain the basic features of the Yuan Dynasty. It is a rare physical relic for studying and understanding the royal colored statues and temple culture of the Yuan Dynasty. At the same time, the study of Nanshan Temple also has important significance for exploring the relationship between the ancient Chinese court, the emperor and Buddhism.