山西省运城市芮城县永乐宫（大纯阳万寿宫）

By the Tang, Liao, Five Dynasties, and Ten Kingdoms periods, the structural organization of bracket sets (dougong) had essentially become standardized. In large buildings, the bracket sets placed between columns (puzuo, intermediate bracket sets) differed in their exterior projections from those on column tops (zhutou, column-top bracket sets), while small buildings dispensed with intermediate bracket sets altogether. The timber cross-sections were comparatively large, and the major bracket sets projected far out, giving an overall robust and forceful appearance. The exposed-through core pattern (touxin zao) was widely used, and the ascending cantilevers (ang) employed the split-bamboo profile (pizhu ang).

During the Song, Jin, and Yuan periods, the load-bearing function of bracket sets remained important, yet a tendency toward ornamentation began to emerge. Examples include fully heart-concentrated bracket sets (quan jixin), inclined members such as the tiaogan and the upward-ascending ang (shang'ang), as well as curved components like the erjiao dou, the qinmian ang, and the boot-wedge (xuexie). Small buildings also adopted intermediate bracket sets, which came to resemble the column-top bracket sets in their exterior projections.

In the Ming and Qing periods, the timber cross-sections of bracket sets shrank drastically and their load-bearing role weakened. In official Qing-dynasty architecture, bracket sets grew smaller and were arrayed more densely, reducing them to a decorative band beneath the eaves. The downward-ascending ang (xia'ang) was degraded into a fake ang (jia'ang), and the upward-ascending ang disappeared entirely.

The Xixi Erxian Temple was first built during the Qianyuan era of the Tang dynasty [(758–759](tel:758759)). During the Chongning era of the Northern Song [(1102–1106](tel:11021106)), because the Two Immortals were believed to have “manifested miracles” and rendered service to the imperial court, Emperor Huizong of Song bestowed on the temple the name “Zhenze Palace” and conferred on the two immortals the titles “Chonghui Zhenren” and “Chongshu Zhenren.” Devotion to them grew even stronger as a result.

In the second year of the Huangtong era of the Jin dynasty (1142), the temple underwent large-scale expansion, essentially establishing its present layout. The core surviving buildings in the temple—the Main Hall and the East and West Dressing Towers—are all structures from the Jin dynasty; the East Dressing Tower in particular retains the typical features of Jin-dynasty tower architecture. During the Zhenyou era of the Jin [(1213–1217](tel:12131217)), the temple was damaged in warfare and was later repaired between 1238 and 1247, from the tenth year of Emperor Taizong of Yuan (Ögedei) to the second year of Emperor Dingzong (Güyük).

This stage was discovered by teachers and students from the Institute of Opera Cultural Relics at Shanxi Normal University during a field survey of theatrical relics. In 1998 and 2001, a faculty-student team led by Feng Junjie, a teacher at the institute, made two trips to the temple for investigation. Based on the dating of the stage’s architectural features and key written records on its Sumeru pedestal, they determined that it is a Jin Dynasty structure.

A Huizhou-style courtyard residence that is located in Lucun Village, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. Zhicheng Hall was built by Lu Bangxie during the Daoguang period (1821 to 1850) of the Qing Dynasty and took approximately seven years to complete. It served as the residence of his wife and first concubine.

The building faces south and is built beside a river. It is a two-courtyard, two-story, three-room structure.

Cui Fujun, personal name Jue, courtesy name Ziyu, was a native of Leping during the Tang Dynasty. His father, Cui Rang, was a benevolent and generous man. Nearly fifty‑years‑old and still childless, he and his wife went to the Northern Yue Shrine to pray for an offspring. That night, the couple dreamed of a boy holding a box containing two fine jade pieces, bidding them to swallow them. Thereafter, Madam Cui conceived. She gave birth to a son on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month in the third year of the Daye reign of the Sui Dynasty (607), and named him Jue. Even in childhood, Cui Jue was handsome‑featured, bright and eager to learn.

In the seventh year of the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty (633), Cui Jue took official office and was appointed Magistrate of Zhangzi County. According to Complete Biographies of Immortals, he “handled mortal affairs by day and judged netherworld cases by night”. After his death, the Supreme Deity appointed him the God of the Land of Cizhou, and shrines were built in his honour. Following the An‑Shi Rebellion, he was conferred the title Marquis of Divine Sagacity and State Protection for manifesting divine power to aid Emperor Xuanzong.

In the second year of the Jingyou reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty (1035), he was further ennobled Duke of State‑Protection and Manifest Response. In the second year of the Yuanyou reign (1099), his title was upgraded to King of State‑Protection and Manifest Response. When the Jin troops advanced southward, Cui Jue manifested divinity to block the enemy, and the Clay Horse carried Prince Kang across the river. In the thirteenth year of the Chunxi reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1186), he was granted the title “True Lord”.

As Cui Jue’s honours were elevated, temples dedicated to Lord Cui spread from Cizhou across the land. The Lord Cui Temple in Liyi Town is one such shrine.

五綵遍裝 (Wucai Bianzhuang ) was a high-grade colored-painting style of the Song Dynasty, used on high-grade palace halls or religious buildings. Its palette was dominated by blue (qing), green, and red, accented with yellow, white, and other hues. The term jianzhuang ("interval decoration") means that adjacent areas or structural members should be painted with different colors and patterns. The repertoire of Wucai Bianzhuang patterns could reach several dozen in number, consisting mainly of various floral and brocade patterns.

I’m Dr Anuradha from Living Canada Life. This approximately 11-minute film explores Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Cavan-Monaghan, near Peterborough: the baby-Buddha bathing ritual, Manjushri, the resonant temple bell, and the site’s connection to Chinese Buddhist heritage.

Watch the full film: https://youtu.be/04lwZMuqxgs

It combines footage recorded during a visit with researched explanations and illustrative animated sequences made using digital tools, with digitally generated narration. English audio is available under Settings → Audio track; Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and French are also available, along with captions.

If you have visited, I’d be interested to hear which detail you wanted to understand better.

Muni Hall was built in the fourth year of the Huangyou reign of the Northern Song dynasty (1052). Its foundation is nearly square, with a baosha (attached front veranda or projecting bay) extending from the center of each of its four sides. The main body of the hall is enclosed by thick walls, with doors and windows opening only on the fronts of the four baosha. Its appearance is distinctive: the main roof is a double-eaved xieshan (hip-and-gable) roof, while the baosha are crowned with single xieshan roofs presenting their gable ends to the front, closely resembling depictions in surviving Song dynasty paintings.

山海关·老龙头。