Wutai Mountain is located in the northeastern corner of Wutai County, Xinzhou City, in northeastern Shanxi Province. In Han Chinese Buddhist tradition, it is regarded as the bodhimanda of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Known as “Golden Wutai,” it ranks first among China’s Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains. It was among the first batch of National Key Scenic Areas and National Forest Parks announced by the State Council, tops the list of China’s Ten Famous Mountains, and was designated as one of the first national 4A-level tourist areas; it is now a 5A-level scenic area.
Wutai Mountain is not a single peak but a cluster of mountains situated atop the “Roof of North China.” The scenic area covers 2,837 square kilometers, with the highest point reaching an elevation of 3,058 meters. Five peaks (East Terrace Wanghai Peak, South Terrace Jinxiu Peak, Central Terrace Cuiyan Peak, West Terrace Guayue Peak, and North Terrace Yedou Peak) encircle the entire region. Their summits are flat, broad, and devoid of trees, resembling terraces formed by piled earth—hence the name.
The Wutai Mountain Scenic Area, essentially Taihuai Town, lies nestled among these five peaks. Since none of the five peaks themselves fall within the scenic area boundaries, many visitors undertake pilgrimages to the five terrace summits via a free hiking route. Departing from Yanmen Pass before entering the Wutai Mountain Scenic Area, we first visited Foguang Temple, accessed via a somewhat difficult-to-drive narrow road. There is a parking lot at the temple entrance, which is reasonably convenient.
Foguang Temple is located in Foguang Village, Doucun Town, Wutai County, backed by Foguang Mountain. Its main hall (the East Main Hall) was built in the 11th year of the Dazhong era of the Tang Dynasty (857 AD). It is the third-oldest extant wooden structure in China, surpassed only by the Main Hall of Nanchan Temple in Wutai County (782 AD) and the Guangren Wang Temple in Ruicheng County (832 AD). The Main Hall of Foguang Temple was the earliest Tang Dynasty wooden structure discovered in modern China. Inside, there are also Tang Dynasty sculptures, murals, and ink inscriptions. Embodying four categories of Tang Dynasty relics, it was dubbed “China’s No. 1 National Treasure” by architect Liang Sicheng.
Foguang Temple is also among the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.
Foguang Temple is situated on a west-facing slope with an east-west axis, oriented facing west. Adapting to the terrain from west to east, the monastery is arranged across three terraces. The first terrace is relatively spacious; on its northern side stands the Manjushri Hall, built in the 15th year of the Tianhui era of the Jin Dynasty (1137 AD), while on the southern side is the Qielan Hall, rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty. In the center stands a stone sutra pillar erected in the 4th year of the Qianfu era of the Tang Dynasty (877 AD). The second terrace courtyard features two side courtyards to the north and south. Utilizing the mountain’s topography, the third terrace is formed by a towering retaining wall creating a platform with a height difference of 13 meters. Steep steps lead up the center, and atop this high platform stands the renowned Tang Dynasty Main Hall (East Main Hall).
Located on the northern side and facing south, the Manjushri Hall was built in the 15th year of the Tianhui era of the Jin Dynasty (1137 AD) and renovated in the 11th year of the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1351 AD). It is not only a rare example of a large-bay gable-roofed building from the Song and Jin periods but also the largest extant side hall in China.
The Manjushri Hall is seven bays wide, measuring 33 meters. It is six rafters deep with a single-eave gable roof. The column-top bracket sets feature five-puzuo with one cantilever and one downward cantilever, while the intercolumnar bracket sets feature five-puzuo with double cantilevers. The central three bays have paneled doors, while the two end bays feature straight-lattice windows. The interior employs a reduced-column construction method: of the original 18 inner columns, only 4 were actually used (reducing the count by 14). At the center of the hall is enshrined a group of Jin Dynasty Manjushri Bodhisattva statues.
The beam framework of the Manjushri Hall utilizes a large-span inverted-V truss system, the earliest known example in ancient Chinese architecture. This design transfers the load from the primary architrave to both ends of the secondary architrave, and then down to the inner columns and gable wall columns.
On the east, west, and north gable walls of the Manjushri Hall are murals painted during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, depicting 259 arhats with varied postures and rich expressions, including rare scenes of arhats playing musical instruments. A brick altar is built at the center of the hall, measuring 5 meters long, 4 meters wide, and nearly 1 meter high, with 10 brick-carved floral panels embedded on both sides. On the altar stand seven statues: a Jin Dynasty statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva riding a lion, accompanied by attendant figures.
The Main Hall of Foguang Temple (East Main Hall) is the largest extant Tang Dynasty wooden structure in China. It is also the earliest extant hip-roofed building in China and boasts the furthest projecting dougong brackets among all surviving Tang and Song ancient architectures. Built in the 11th year of the Dazhong era of the Tang Dynasty (857 AD), it was funded by Ning Gongyu, a female Buddhist disciple from Chang’an. Beneath the exposed beam on the north side, an ink inscription remains reading: “Benefactor, the late Right Army Commander Wang; Patroness of the Buddha Hall, female disciple Ning Gongyu who sent offerings from the Upper Capital.” This inscription corroborates the stone sutra pillar in front of the hall, serving as evidence for dating the construction of the East Main Hall to the Tang Dynasty.
At the eastern end of the temple, a platform over ten meters high was constructed following the terrain, beneath which lies a row of cave dwellings. Steep steps in the center lead up to the East Main Hall, built upon a striped-stone foundation. The plaque reading “Foguang Zhenrong Chan Temple” dates back to the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.
The East Main Hall features a single-eave hip roof and faces west. The hall is seven bays wide, measuring 34 meters, and four bays (or eight-rafter) deep, measuring 17.66 meters. Inside, there is a ring of inner columns, and a “fan-shaped wall” is set at the rear.
The eaves column-top bracket sets feature seven-puzuo with double cantilevers and double downward cantilevers, while the intercolumnar bracket sets feature five-puzuo with double cantilevers. The batter and rise of the eaves columns are pronounced, and the column tops feature entasis. The dougong brackets are massive in scale, reaching half the height of the eaves columns, with an archaic style. The outer eaves column-top bracket sets project outward by 3.69 meters (the furthest projection among all extant ancient buildings in China), demonstrating the structural role of dougong in supporting the eaves. No dwarf posts are used beneath the ridge purlin; instead, only forked struts are employed—a unique structural feature found nowhere else among discovered ancient wooden buildings.
Enshrined on the altar inside the main hall are 33 exquisite Tang Dynasty statues. The core trio consists of Amitabha, Shakyamuni, and Maitreya, flanked by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva on the left and Manjushri Bodhisattva on the right. Along the east and west corridors stand 296 arhat statues sculpted during the Ming Dynasty. Remnants of Tang and Song Dynasty murals and inscriptions survive inside the hall, and ink traces left by Tang Dynasty visitors remain on the inner side of the hall doors. The hall preserves eight inscriptions on its beam framework, the most significant being the Tang Dynasty ink inscription on the inner four-rafter exposed beam.
To the south of the East Main Hall stands a hexagonal brick pagoda known as the Patriarch Pagoda, a tomb pagoda from the Northern Wei period. The exterior walls originally featured painted patterns of ochre-colored architraves and herringbone brackets. Over time, these surface decorations gradually peeled off, and during modern renovations, the entire exterior was coated with white lime plaster. The pagoda base tapers upward over six tiers, topped by a Sumeru pedestal. The pagoda body consists of two stories. The lower story is a hexagonal niche chamber with a door on the west side adorned with a flame-shaped arch; the other five sides are plain walls. The niche chamber is hollow inside, containing a small hexagonal space intended for placing statues. The upper story is solid, featuring a faux arched doorway on the west side. Faux windows are built into the two adjacent sides, while the remaining three sides are plain walls. The corners of the upper story are decorated with bound-lotus engaged columns. The eaves of both the upper and lower stories use three layers of corbeled bricks shaped like upward-facing lotuses to support the overhang. The finial rests on a base of double-layered upward-facing lotuses, topped by another layer of upward-facing lotuses, followed by a six-petal inverted bowl, lotus petals, and a precious vase, crowned at the very top with a precious pearl.
After touring Foguang Temple, we headed straight for the Wutai Mountain Scenic Area. Coming from Foguang Temple, it is more convenient to enter through the West Gate; if taking the expressway directly to the scenic area, visitors typically enter through the South Gate. The scenic area is vast and allows self-driving vehicles, though vehicle reservations must be made in advance via a mini-program. Reservations and tickets are verified at the scenic area entrance. Previously, exiting and re-entering required registering for a “second entry,” but now tickets appear to allow unlimited entries and exits within two days, and the second-entry registration has been discontinued.
The only international five-star chain hotel within the scenic area is the Wutai Mountain Marriott Hotel. Located just inside the South Gate, the hotel’s location is inconvenient for those without private transport, as it is quite far from major attractions. Whether heading to the South Gate Visitor Center or the shuttle bus stops for attractions, guests must rely on the hotel’s electric carts, which may involve long waits during peak hours.
Opened in 2016, the hotel is now about 10 years old—neither brand new nor particularly dated. It offers 360 guest rooms with generous floor space starting at 47 square meters, with accommodations available in both the main building and villas. Adjacent to the hotel is the Fanjingli Cultural Tourism Town, offering performances and dining services. However, this town operates only during the peak season; during the off-season, it is typically under renovation. Consequently, visitors staying at this hotel during the off-season will find virtually no dining options nearby, making it highly inconvenient without a car.
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