001 Architecture Xiuding Temple A Tang-dynasty biography records how Zhang Sengmeng gave up hunting after wounding a deer, and how he hid a tiger to save its life during a hunt by Emperor Xiaowen of the Wei—from which Tiancheng Temple arose. The temple bore in turn the names Chengshan Temple, Heshui Temple, and Xiuding Temple; at the Northern Zhou persecution of Buddhism it left the record that “this pagoda alone survived”; the Sui and Tang restored the temple, and Song and Yuan inscriptions still show the pagoda standing and the temple flourishing. These materials trace the name, ruin and revival, and repairs of Xiuding Temple in Anyang, Henan, and provide documentary clues for studying the extant Tang-dynasty square relief-brick pagoda. Northern Wei Dynasty Anyang County, Henan Province Xiuding Temple Pagoda · Xiuding Temple · Tiancheng Temple →
002 Architecture Qinglian Temple Qinglian Temple stands on Xiashi Mountain in Zezhou, Jincheng, Shanxi; formerly called Xiashi Temple, the mountain already held a Buddhist sanctuary in the Northern Qi. During the Taihe era of the Tang, the monk Huaigong built a monastic compound on the mountain with the support of local officials and people; later the old temple below the mountain received the bestowed plaque “Qinglian,” and the compound above received the plaque “Fuyan.” Today the lower cloister preserves six Tang painted sculptures, and the upper cloister retains the Northern Song Shakyamuni Hall and a sutra repository pavilion repaired through the ages; the temple's steles record the construction and restoration of both compounds. Northern Qi Dynasty Zezhou County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province Qinglian Temple · Xiashi Temple · Fuyan Chan Monastery →