Erxian Temple in Xilimen  西李門二仙廟

Site Information

Erxian Temple, also called Zhenze Erxian gong, is located approximately 600 meters south of Xilimen Village in Hexi Zhen, Shanxi Province. The temple was originally constructed in the Tang dynasty, and was then renovated in the second year of the Jin dynasty Zhenglong reign period (金正隆二年 1157), the second year of the Dading reign period (金大定二年 1162) as well as in both Ming and Qing dynasties. In the temple site, there remains a stone tablet (shijie 石碣) from 1162, a stele from the sixth year of the Qing Guangxu reign period (1880 清光緒六年), and a stele from the sixteenth year of the Guangxu reign period (1890 光緒十六年) prohibiting the construction of kilns.

Xilimen Erxian Temple sits in the north and faces the south, occupying an area of 2,784 square meters in total. The temple has a two-courtyard-style plan whose central axis passes sequentially through the Mountain Gate, the middle hall, and the back hall. On the two sides of the central axis, there are side galleries and subsidiary halls.

The Mountain Gate is a Qing-dynasty building that is three bays across the front façade and three in depth with a single-eaves overhanging-gable roof. A wood-panel door opens underneath both front and back eaves. The back hall is at the farthest back of the temple site. It is three bays wide both across and in depth, with a single-eaves overhanging-gable roof. After several times of reconstructions in the Ming and Qing dynasties, its main body has been changed from the original version while parts of the structural platform, stone door pivots, and bracket sets are preserved in their original shapes.

External Links

Wikipedia (in Chinese)

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