Gaomiao Temple at Zhongwei
» Zhongwei, Ning Xia

中卫高庙

New Temple,High Temple

The Gaomiao Temple is located within the town of Zhongwei, 170km southwest of Yinchuan, the capital city of Ningxia Province. First built in the Yongle Year of Ming Dynasty (1403 - 1424), the Gaomiao Temple (High Temple) was originally called "new temple." The temple was flattened by an earthquake in 1739 AD, was rebuilt and enlarged after this and then it became quite a big group of ancient architecture cluster in Qing dynasty. However, it was razed to the ground by fire in 1942. The present temple is a magnificent jumble of buildings and styles covering an area of about four thousand square meters.

During the period of the reign of Emperor Xianfeng of Qing Dynasty, it was renovated renamed "Pavilion of Jade Emperor." Now, there remains the Gaomiao Temple, famous for its height. The characteristic of the building of Gaomiao Temple is: centralized, compactness, twists surround, towering, in the occupation of land is only area of more than 4100 square meters, having built more than 260 buildings; the supreme building is higher than the street of Zhongwei by nearly 30 meters.

The Bao An Temple is its front part and the Great Hall is the major building of this temple. The Gaomiao is just located at the middle part of the whole temple. There are 24 brick steps to reach the Nantianmen, the South Heaven Gate and 3 storeys. It is over 20 meters in height. It is very interesting that the Taoist priests and Buddhist nuns are living and praying in this temple. The major buildings of Gaomiao are built on the north-south axial line, with auxiliary buildings located at the two sides, giving a balanced and symmetrical view. Between the major buildings and auxiliary buildings, there are "Flying bridges" to connect them.

The temple is a structure that caters mainly to the three religions of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism (although the temple even goes so far as to celebrate Christianity and other religions that have tried to find their home in China). Statues of the Gautama Buddha, the Jade Emperor and the Holy Mother can still be seen here.

The temple incorporates characteristic of ancient building of north and south of China into an organic whole, fully manifest ancient working people's clever intelligence and consummate skill. The present day temple is still mainly wooden in structure, and is beautifully interwoven, with tier upon tier, veranda under eave, presenting a most impressive aspect. The temple also has a gruesome face, however, in the caverns below the temple. These caverns, originally converted by the communists as a bomb shelter during the uncertainty of the Cultural Revolution Years (1966 - 1976), have now be turned into a peculiar kind of Chinese religious hell, where devils are depicted torturing those souls who strayed from a righteous path.

Attractions around » Zhongwei, Ning Xia

Historical Site

Historical Site

Designed to cater mainly to the three religions of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, Gaomiao Temple at Zhongwei incorporates characteristic of ancient building of north and south of China into an organic whole, fully manifest ancient working people's clever intelligence and consummate skill. The characteristic of Gaomiao Temple is: centralized, compactness, twists surround, towering.

Related Guides



Tour Searching
Tour Packages We Provide
Package Searching 101
Customized Tour Design
Tour Booking
Fill Your Cart
Travel Agreement
Order Confirmation
Deposit & Payment
Methods of Payment
Deposit
Final Payment
Cancellation
Alteration
Customer Service
Contact Us
Our Guarantees
Lodge a Complaint
Travel Tips
Sitemap
Popular China Travel Destinations & Tours
phone U.S.A. +1 (310) 997-0051 / +1 (310) 878-2934
Canada +1 (604) 998-6945
China +86 (10) 8409-8570 / +86 (10) 8409-8571
email info@yeschinatour.commsn: help@yeschinatour.com