Shanxi Tourism Day 2 - Foguang Temple, Nanchan Temple, Hongfu Temple, etc

Today's route started from Dingxiang in Xinzhou, setting out around ten in the morning, and successively visited Hongfu Temple, Nanchan Temple, Yanqing Temple, Guangji Temple, Zunsheng Temple, and Foguang Temple. By the time we reached Foguang Temple, the sunset was bathing the mountains, a sight too beautiful for words. Lunch was simply dry food in the car, and for dinner, we enjoyed Daixian braised fish, which was quite tasty. Hongfu Temple: The location is really magical, with only a small door visible on a distant mountain wall. Only after climbing the stairs can you see the grand hall, which is quite a shocking contrast. (p2-3) Free of charge Nanchan Temple: Only one main hall remains, which was significantly repaired after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and is slightly different from its original form. The ticket inspector and the uncle working inside seemed to be cultured people; the uncle chatted with us for a long time and introduced a lot of information earnestly. Inside the temple, there are three square columns from the time the temple was built. Through a telescope, we saw the characters for 'the third year of Tang Jianzhong' on the beam, very clear (p4-6) Ticket price: 20 yuan Yanqing Temple: Very close to Nanchan Temple. Gaode Maps showed it as under renovation, but it was actually open. What remains is a Jin Dynasty main hall, but many new buildings have been constructed around it, and it's expected to develop into a major tourist attraction. The inside of the main hall is empty, which gave us the opportunity to fully appreciate the architecture of this temple. The pillars in the main hall were added later; the original construction used a method that required fewer pillars. (p7-9) Guangji Temple: Located on the central street of Wutai County, the door was closed when we arrived, and after knocking for a long time, an auntie came to open it. It's also a Yuan Dynasty temple, rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty (p10-12) Zunsheng Temple: The road to Zunsheng Temple was a narrow snowy path. There was no one in the temple, which belongs to the Esoteric Buddhism. The empty scene, combined with the temple's atmosphere, was actually a bit scary (p13-14) Foguang Temple: We arrived at Foguang Temple at four o'clock, just as the slanting sun was setting. There were only a few of us. The administrator was very nice and told us we could ask him anything. The entire East Great Hall is truly magnificent, an unaltered Tang Dynasty structure, with every piece of wood remaining as it was originally. We walked around Foguang Temple several times, carefully observing every detail of the walls and pillars, truly beautiful. (p15-18)