Which Province Boasts the Most Ancient Architecture in China?

(The architectural complex including the Great White Pagoda and Wuye Temple on Mount Wutai, Shanxi, photographer: Zhai Hongyu)

Among 28,027 ancient architectural relics

Wooden structures from before the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties account for approximately

Yuan dynasty wooden structures account for approximately

(The above data comes from the Third National Cultural Relics Census. The image below is a schematic map of the distribution of ancient Chinese architecture, designed by Zhang Wei/Planet Research Institute)

So many and rare ancient buildings?

Shanxi possesses abundant and widely distributed

Standing 10-15 meters tall without collapsing

(Loess hills in Lingqiu, Shanxi, photographer: Cui Yongjiang)

Creating one of China's earliest artificial homesteads

The earliest surviving cave dwelling site in China

Was born in Shanxi during the Yangshao period 5,000-7,000 years ago

(On June 7, 2008, a family expanding their cave dwelling in Shunnancun, Ruicheng, Shanxi. For illustration only, image source: Visual China Group)

Through long-term practice, people gradually explored

Greatly enhancing the safety of cave dwellings

(Please view horizontally. Schematic diagram of the force analysis of sunken cave dwellings, designed by Yang Ning/Planet Research Institute)

Covering over 80% of Shanxi's area

(Cave dwellings in Lijiashan Village, Qikou Town, Shanxi, photographer: Zhu Jinhua)

Also made possible the mass production of bricks and tiles

As people continuously pursued sturdier homesteads

Durable bricks and tiles became widespread in households

The earliest surviving brick-and-wood residential architecture in China

(Lower cave dwellings and upper houses in Lijia Mountain Village, Qikou Town, Shanxi, image source @ Visual China)

People also built parapets resembling railings on the platform above the cave dwellings

Constructing parapets similar to handrails

(Parapets in Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi, image source @ Visual China)

To demonstrate the status of the household head

(Schematic diagram of a narrow courtyard in Jinzhong, Shanxi; narrow courtyards are a type of courtyard house, illustration by @ Yang Ning/Planet Research Institute)

Abundant building materials adapt to different terrains

Some have protruding main rooms and recessed secondary rooms

(Schematic diagram of some Shanxi residential buildings, illustration by @ Yang Ning/Planet Research Institute)

While firewalls serve as fire barriers

(Firewalls in the Li Family Compound, Wanrong County, Shanxi, photographer @ Li Ping'an)

(Curved walls in the Li Family Compound, Wanrong County, Shanxi, photographer @ Li Ping'an)

(Western-style gatehouse in the Li Family Compound, Wanrong County, Shanxi, photographer @ Li Ping'an)

The residence was laid out as an inner city and outer city

125 hidden soldier caves and 16 courtyards of varying sizes

This is the Chen Family architectural complex from the Ming and Qing dynasties in Jincheng, Shanxi

(Please view horizontally, Huangcheng Xiangfu in Jincheng, Shanxi, photographer @ Shi Yaochen)

Transformed into academies, government offices, ancestral halls, theaters, etc.

(Jinxi Academy in Taiyuan, Shanxi, photographer: Tian Zhuoran)

The surviving pre-Yuan Dynasty stages in China

(Please view horizontally, Shuijing Stage at Jin Temple in Taiyuan, Shanxi, photographer: Tian Zhuoran)

(Please view horizontally, Xuankong Village in Ningwu, Shanxi, photographer: Wu Hongbo)

The city features a road network of "four main streets, eight small streets

and seventy-two winding alleys"

Exquisitely crafted memorial archways dot the area

while towering walls encircle the perimeter

(Panoramic view of Pingyao Ancient City, photographer: Shi Yaochen)

(Please view horizontally, panoramic view of Datong Ancient City, photographer: Fu Ding)

Scattered throughout the city are one-dragon, three-dragon, and five-dragon screens

as well as the only nine-dragon screen outside Beijing

(Please swipe to view the complete Datong Nine-Dragon Screen, photographer: Zhao Bin)

Over 600 ancient cities and villages

destined the people here to strive for stable lives

while giving rise to more ancient structures with corresponding functions

Among the ancient settlements, large and small

they competed for territory and survival resources

(Shanxi lies in the farming-pastoral ecotone, map by Zhang Wei & Long Yanling/Planet Research Institute)

The complex terrain of Shanxi, "a land of mountains and rivers"

Providing a habitat for numerous Fang states

Fang states that only appear in oracle bone inscriptions

Including the Yuanqu Shang City and Dongxiafeng Shang City in Shanxi

Greatly enhancing the defensive role of the city

(The term "Fang states" in the above text refers to the tribal states and vassal states during the Xia and Shang periods in China. In the oracle bone inscriptions unearthed at the Yinxu site, tribal states were referred to in the form of "X Fang," hence the name "Fang states." Below is the site of the Yuanqu Shang City, which has been submerged by the Xiaolangdi Reservoir of the Yellow River. The village in the picture is Jinguduo Village, photographer @ Li Ping'an, annotation @ Long Yanling/Planet Research Institute)

(The term "calcareous nodules" in the above text refers to calcium carbonate concretions in loess layers or weathered red soil layers. The image below illustrates the process of wall construction, illustration by @ Yang Ning & Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

The six families of Zhao, Wei, Han, Zhi, Fan, and Zhonghang

Then the drama "The Orphan of Zhao" unfolded

(The chariot and horse burial pit of the Zhao Qing Tomb in Taiyuan, image source @ Visual China)

The final victors were the three families of Zhao, Wei, and Han

The three families were wary of each other and built high walls

(The Han Zhuang Great Wall in Xinzhou, Shanxi, built by the Zhao state during the Warring States period and rebuilt during the Sui Dynasty, photographer @ Cui Yongjiang)

One of the regions with the highest density of wars in China

The Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Qiang, and Di

Engaged in endless conflicts here

(Please view horizontally, unidentified war ruins near Bailangou Village in Pinglu, Shanxi, photographer @ Wusu)

The one with the most profound impact on the war situation

Was Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin ceding to the Khitan Liao Dynasty

Among them, Yunzhou (now Datong)

Was established as the Western Capital of the Khitan Liao Dynasty

The greatest dream and aspiration of the Central Plains dynasties

Shanxi also became a place where countless people threw themselves into without hesitation

(The former Western Capital of the Liao Dynasty, today's Datong, Shanxi, photographer @ Wang Yan)

(Yanmen Pass, located about 20 kilometers north of Daixian County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, in the Yanmen Mountains, photographer @ Yang Dong)

Ming Dynasty general Xu Da and Yuan Dynasty general Wang Baobao

Shahukou, Shahuguan, Shahubao

Today's "Shahukou" originates from this

There are also various unknown war relics

(Remnants of war relics in Wangmangling, Lingchuan County, Jincheng City, Shanxi, photographer @ Yang Guoqi)

(The remains of Pianguan Great Wall at Laoniuwan, one of the outer three passes built during the Ming Dynasty. On the riverbank highland at the bottom of the image, a section of Great Wall remains follows the contour line, photographer @ Cui Yongjiang, annotation @ Long Yanling/Planet Research Institute)

(Please view horizontally. Yun Gang Fort above the Yungang Grottoes is one of the fort ruins in the Ming Dynasty Great Wall system of Datong, photographer @ Toby who climbs the Great Wall)

How many thrilling past events are hidden within

(Shanxi Tianzhen Huamen Fort, one of the forts of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall's Datong Garrison, photographer @ Lu Chunlei)

To rapidly and massively transport troops

(Partial wall illustration, mapping @ Yang Ning & Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

Equipped with gun holes, battlements, and stone-throwing holes

To attack enemies with firearms and stones

(Illustration of wall defense, mapping @ Yang Ning & Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

To station troops and store weapons, provisions, and fodder

(Illustration of hollow watchtowers, mapping @ Yang Ning & Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

With the support of these architectural forms

arranged according to military hierarchy as

Zhencheng - Lucheng - Weicheng - Suocheng - Baocheng

with 10 Weicheng, 7 Suocheng, and 583 Baocheng under its jurisdiction

(Please view horizontally, schematic of the Ming Dynasty frontier defense system, mapped by Yang Ning & Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

Shanxi, this land of warfare, possessed

the Great Wall, fortresses, strategic towns, and passes

as layers of facilities for confrontation and contention

As one of the birthplaces of Chinese culture

the Dragon King Temple, Water God Temple, and Houtu Temple

(Water God Temple in Guangling, Shanxi, photographed by Huang Xuefeng)

the stories of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Fuxi, and Nüwa

among which the Huozhou Nüwa Temple dedicated to Nüwa

houses the largest extant mural of Nüwa in China

The ancestors in the Yangtou Mountain area of Gaoping, Shanxi

with the Yan Emperor's Palace, Yan Emperor Temple, Yan Emperor Mausoleum, etc.

formed a rare cluster of Yan Emperor worship

(Yan Emperor Mausoleum in Shanxi, photographed by Shi Yaochen)

Confucius, Bian Que, Li Bing, Hua Tuo

Wu Zetian, Sima Guang, and other legendary figures

People hold heroes in particularly high esteem

After being "officially recognized" as the Martial Saint

It is located in Xiezhou Town, Yuncheng City, Shanxi

(Xiezhou Guandi Temple, photographer: Zhai Hongyu)

As the nationwide pantheon of deities gradually took shape

Shanxi locals even began creating new gods

To ensure the "practicality" of these deities

Such as Scholar Jia, Prefect Cui, and Lady Water Mother

Dou Doctor Temple, Fox Doctor Temple, Xun Doctor Temple, etc.

(Dou Doctor Temple in Shanglan Village, Taiyuan, Shanxi, photographer: Yao Tengfei)

Incorporating mystical arts and Lao-Zhuang philosophy

Along a 500-meter central architectural axis

Wuji Gate, Sanqing Hall, Chunyang Hall, Chongyang Hall

Stand majestically in layered arrangement

(Yongle Palace in Ruicheng, photographer: Li Ruguo)

Covering a total area of over 1,000 square meters

Among which the mural "Court of the Celestial Kings" in Sanqing Hall

Features the Green Dragon and White Tiger Star Lords as guides

With eight main figures including the South Pole, East Pole, and Purple Pole

Followed by the Twenty-Eight Mansions and Twelve Constellations in sequence

Even over 280 celestial beings surround the main statue

(Please swipe to view, mural of Yongle Palace in Ruicheng, image from @Wikimedia Commons)

Taoist relics in Shanxi are extremely abundant

It is the earliest surviving Taoist architecture in China

From the Song Dynasty, there are the Yuhuang Temple in Jincheng and the main hall of Erxian Temple

From the Jin Dynasty, there is the Haotian Jade Emperor Hall of Taifu Temple in Fenyang

It is the largest Taoist cave complex in China

(Chunyang Palace in Taiyuan, image from @Visual China)

(Gusao Cliff on Mount Hengshan in Datong, Shanxi, photographer @健忘的行摄世界)

As a standout among foreign religions

It was introduced during the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties

The Hu people who settled in the Central Plains during this period

Initially implied a rivalry with Confucianism and Taoism

Its architecture directly imitated the birthplace of Buddhism

The first cave temples were built with imperial support

Five major caves feature five giant Buddhas as the main focus

Carved into the cliffs of Wuzhou Mountain

Monk Tan Yao oversaw their construction

(One of the Tan Yao Five Caves, a Buddha with deep-set eyes and a prominent nose, especially the high nasal bridge, showing exotic features, photographer @王宁)

Along a cliff face stretching over 1,000 meters

Approximately 59,000 statues gradually took shape

(Please view horizontally, Yungang Grottoes, photographer @Zhang Wei)

(Interior statues of Cave 19 at Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, for illustration only, unrelated to the text, photographer @Xiong Ke)

After Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains on a large scale

Buddhism and traditional Chinese wooden architecture

Gradually replaced the status of grottoes and pagodas

Becoming the center of missionary work and extensively constructed

Nanchan Temple, built over 1,200 years ago

Is the oldest surviving wooden structure in China

It has endured at least eight earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher

(Nanchan Temple in Xinzhou, Shanxi, photographer @Shi Yaochen)

The East Main Hall of Foguang Temple, built over 1,100 years ago

With the patronage of the noblewoman Ning Gongyu from Chang'an

The hall consists of a column grid layer, bracket set layer, and roof truss layer

Its massive bracket sets extend outward by 2.02 meters

The farthest projection among existing ancient structures

Showcasing the grandeur and boldness of Tang Dynasty architecture

(Structural diagram of the East Main Hall of Foguang Temple on Mount Wutai, Shanxi, designed by @Yang Ning & Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)

The Yingxian Fogong Temple, built over 900 years ago

Its Sakyamuni Pagoda (Yingxian Wooden Pagoda) is hailed as a pinnacle of divine craftsmanship

There are 54 types and 480 clusters of bracket sets alone

The wooden pagoda also features innovatively designed structural hidden layers

Hidden layers are to the pagoda what bamboo nodes are to bamboo

Helping the pagoda withstand over 40 earthquakes

(Structural diagram of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, designed by Yang Ning & Li Jiangfei/Planet Research Institute)

The Manjusri Hall of Foguang Temple, built over 800 years ago

Displays an understated elegance distinct from its "predecessors"

It employs the "column reduction method," compared to the 12 golden columns of the East Main Hall

The 550㎡ space of the Manjusri Hall contains only 4 golden columns

Pingyao Zhenguo Temple, Pingshun Longmen Temple

The Huayan Temple's Sutra Depository Hall from the Liao Dynasty

The Mahavira Hall of Datong Shanhua Temple from the Jin Dynasty, and others

These structures are of such ancient origins and rich interiors

That they are but a drop in the ocean of Shanxi's heritage

(Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi, photographed by Xiong Ke)

As the earliest established indigenous Buddhist sect

Monks discovered that the Cool Mountain in Buddhist scriptures

Bore a striking resemblance to Shanxi's Mount Wutai

They flocked to Mount Wutai to establish schools and sects

India, Nepal, Sri Lanka

Myanmar, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea

"Ten thousand saints pilgrimage to Wutai, the patriarch founded the sect... 360 grand temples, countless small monasteries"

(Please view horizontally, Mount Wutai, photographer @ Forgetful Travel Photography World)

The religious radiation zone has basically taken shape

From a temple worshiping the ancestors of the Jin State during the Spring and Autumn Period

Gradually evolved into a gathering place for immortals

(Indoor statues at Jin Temple in Taiyuan, Shanxi, photographer @ Shi Yaochen)

Enriched the spiritual world of Shanxi people

And also inspired endless imagination and creativity

The earliest surviving coiled dragon pillars in China

(Coiled Dragon Golden Pillars, photographer @ Lu Weiping)

("Flying Bridge over Fish Pond", photographer @ Li Ruguo, annotation @ Long Yanling/Planet Research Institute)

Simultaneously enshrining Laozi, Confucius, and Buddha

A unique temple integrating Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism

The load-bearing beams extend deep into the rock

Each beam can support several tons of weight

Halls and pavilions are all built on the beams

Visually appearing as if "suspended in mid-air"

(Hanging Temple in Datong, Shanxi, photographer @ Shi Yaochen)

Also from Nepal, India, and other places

(The Great White Pagoda of Mount Wutai, Shanxi, photographer @Xiaolan Dongyu)

Heaven and earth have treated Shanxi with such magnificent creation

Leaving behind deep and shallow "scars"

(Cracked wooden pillar in the East Main Hall of Foguang Temple, Mount Wutai, photographer @Shi Yaochen, annotation @Long Yanling/Planet Research Institute)

(During continuous rainfall in Jinzhong, Shanxi, severe waterlogging and wall collapses in Pingyao Ancient City, image source @VCG)

Roofs overgrown with vegetation are a common sight

(The Three Dragons Screen in Datong with grass growing on its roof, photographer @Huang Xuefeng)

Nearly 80% face the risk of wall collapse

A series of issues such as rammed earth sinking and beam frames twisting

(The main building of the Three Sworn Brothers Temple in Dongyangcheng Village, Fenyang, is on the verge of collapse, photographer @Yang Hu)

Heritage conservation workers witnessing all this

Carry out emergency heritage conservation efforts

Shanxi's first generation of architectural experts and scholars

Established professional architectural conservation institutions

Over 40 conservation projects including the Nine Dragons Screen in Datong

Such as crack grouting reinforcement of the Yungang Grottoes

Restoration of the Pilu Hall and West Side Hall of Guang Sheng Temple in Hongtong

(April 19, 2017, Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, under repair, image for illustrative purposes only, photographer @Lu Weiping)

Relocated due to the Sanmenxia Hydropower Project

(Severely damaged murals of the Yongle Palace, photographer @Li Wenbo)

making it extremely fragile and prone to breaking

The construction workers must proceed with utmost caution

They developed methods for uncovering, packaging, and transporting

Each step was repeatedly tested and verified

They drifted on the Yellow River for three days and nights

To relocate the murals intact

They remained fully focused and tirelessly dedicated

This truly stands as a monumental feat in China's ancient architecture relocation

(On June 21, 2021, staff were restoring murals in the Dragon and Tiger Hall of Yongle Palace; image for illustrative purposes only, credit @ Visual China Group)

Originally, like other cities in China

It was planned to construct four modern avenues

Li Youhua, then director of the Pingyao County Cultural Relics Management Office

Lay in the soon-to-be-demolished gate passage

(On November 27, 2021, at the Pingyao Ancient City wall restoration site, workers were removing the original rammed earth from the damaged sections; image for illustrative purposes only, credit @ Visual China Group)

Zhang Chouliang, Chai Zejun, and others from the Ancient Architecture Research Institute

Ruan Yisan from Tongji University received the news

With the principle of preserving the old city while building a new one

Bore fruit at the World Heritage Conference

Pingyao was inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List

The story of "saving Pingyao from demolition at the last moment"

It also sparked a trend of protecting ancient cities and structures in China

Along with the gradual improvement of the protection system

Jiexiu's Xianshen Tower, Dai County's Bianjing Tower

Over 500 ancient structures restored and completed

(2016 Hanging Temple dangerous rock reinforcement project, scaffolding stretching from the foot to the summit, photographer @ Wuyuchuan)

The Great Buddha Hall of Upper Huayan Temple in Datong, among others

Ancient structure restoration projects adhering to "repairing the old as the old"

Launching the Shanxi Early Architecture Protection Project

For ancient structure-dense areas like Yuncheng and Jincheng

Conducting comprehensive specialized protection for 105 wooden structures

Deploying 8 survey lines and 72 monitoring points

Establishing a scientific monitoring and protection system

(Wooden Pagoda monitoring, photographer @ Su Lihuan)

Damaging approximately 1,700 immovable cultural relics

Revealing issues such as a shortage of professionals and limited financial resources

Among other problems exposed to the public

(After the 2021 heavy rain, the outer brick layer of a courtyard wall in Xizhonghuang Village's Jinshi Compound, Xiangfen County, Shanxi, collapsed, photographer @ Ma Yimin)

Enabling the illicit trade of ancient architectural components

(Theft of ancient architectural components remains rampant, illustration by @ Yang Ning/Planet Research Institute)

Those ancient structures standing tall for centuries

(After the 2021 Shanxi rainstorm, workers were repairing the collapsed slope protection of Qianyuan Mountain Yuanyang Temple in Hongtong County, Shanxi. Photographer: Ma Yimin)

Created such numerous and rare ancient architectures in Shanxi

Protect the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation spanning thousands of years

Preserve the inexhaustible creativity of millennia

(A complete map of Shanxi's ancient architectures before the Yuan Dynasty. The buildings in the diagram are simplified representations, not to scale. Cartography: Yang Ning & Long Yanling/Planet Research Institute)

Reviewers: Chen Jingyi, Zhang Jing, Ding Jiaxin

Wu Rui, Research Fellow, Shanxi Ancient Architecture and Colored Sculpture & Mural Protection Research Institute

Wang Jinping, Professor, Taiyuan University of Technology

Cui Yuanhe, Professor, Taiyuan University of Technology

[1] Wang Jinping, Li Huizhi, Xu Qiang. Shanxi Ancient Architecture[M]. Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press, 2015.11

[2] Shanxi Provincial History and Records Research Institute (Ed.). General History of Shanxi[M]. Taiyuan: Shanxi People's Publishing House, 2001.6

[3] Shanxi Ancient Architecture Protection Research Institute (Ed.). Research and Protection Collection of Shanxi Cultural Heritage Buildings[M]. Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press, 2011.9

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