Shuanglin Temple 双林寺

About Shuanglin Temple

Its halls contain painted clay figures whose postures, clothing and expressions reward slow looking. The forceful guardian Weituo in the Thousand Buddha Hall offers a striking contrast to the many-armed Guanyin in the Bodhisattva Hall. Other rooms, including the Arhat Hall, make clear that the ensemble is spread across several buildings rather than concentrated in a single shrine.

Shuanglin Temple was founded in 571 AD, during the second year of the Wuping period of the Northern Qi dynasty. The buildings standing today date from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Many of its clay statues were stolen or damaged during the Cultural Revolution, and the temple complex has undergone several renovations as part of the city's protected cultural-relics area.

The sculptures are displayed across ten halls arranged within three courtyards, in a fortress-like compound enclosed by a high wall with a gate. The complex holds more than two thousand painted clay statues dating from the twelfth to nineteenth centuries.

The temple stands in the countryside of Qiaotou village, six to seven kilometres southwest of the ancient city of Pingyao. Together with Zhenguo Temple and the walled old city, it forms one of the three components of the 'Ancient City of Pingyao' UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1997; in Pingyao's tortoise-shaped city plan, known for its coloured sculptural art, the temple is rated as the city's third treasure.

What to look for

• Weituo in the Thousand Buddha Hall, with a notably dynamic stance and elaborate armour.
• The many-armed Guanyin and the individual faces and poses of the Arhat Hall figures.

Location & getting there

Getting to Shuanglin Temple

Travel to Qiaotou Village southwest of Pingyao's walled centre; Shuanglin is a separate village visit, so arrange the return connection rather than treating it as an old-city street stop.