Discover Datong
Shanhua Temple
善化寺
A Liao and Jin temple complex in the south of the walled city, whose main hall keeps 24 Jin-dynasty guardian figures regarded as some of the finest surviving Chinese sculpture of the period. Quieter than Huayan and all the better for it.
The story
What makes this place special
Shanhua Temple, known locally as the South Temple, stands just inside the old city's Yongtai gate and is the most completely preserved Liao-Jin temple layout left in China: the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of Three Sages, the Mahavira Hall and the Puxian Pavilion are all original Liao or Jin structures rather than later rebuilds. The Mahavira Hall holds Jin-dynasty clay sculpture, including a celebrated set of twenty-four heavenly guardians, and the Qing wall paintings of Buddhist narratives are unusually well preserved.
What you’ll discover
A compact axial compound you walk straight through: gate hall, then the Hall of Three Sages, then up a terrace to the Mahavira Hall, with the two-storey Puxian Pavilion off to one side. The sculpture is the substance - the twenty-four guardian figures stand in two ranks down the sides of the main hall, each with a distinct face and posture, and they are close enough to read in detail. The whole visit is an hour, less if you rush it.
A little local insight
Good to know before you go
- Walk the ranks of the twenty-four guardians slowly and look at the faces individually. They are the best figurative sculpture in Datong and most visitors glance at them as decoration.
- This is the temple to visit if you only have time for one in the old city and care about architecture: the layout is what makes it unique, and you can read the Liao-Jin plan by walking the axis.
- It is quieter than Huayan Temple and a short walk from it. Do Shanhua late in the afternoon when Huayan has filled up.
- The Puxian Pavilion to the side is often skipped and is worth the detour - it is the only two-storey original in the compound.
- The Datong Drum Tower and old-city streets are five minutes north, so this sits naturally at one end of an evening walk.
When to come
Late afternoon, when the low sun comes through the hall doors onto the sculpture and the tour groups have moved on. Spring and autumn for comfort.
Getting around
Flat paved courtyards between halls make the movement easy, but the Mahavira Hall sits on a raised terrace reached by a broad flight of stone steps with no ramp, and every hall has an entrance threshold and steps. A wheelchair can see the compound and the lower halls with help but will need lifting to reach the main hall. A bad knee is fine - the steps are broad and shallow and distances are short. The Puxian Pavilion's upper floor is stairs only.
Worth knowing before you go
Pair it with the Nine Dragon Wall and the south city wall in a single morning - all three are within a few hundred metres of each other.
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