Nanjixiang Temple

CHINA, Shanxi, Jincheng

Nanjixiang means Southern Auspicious. It was built by imperial decree during the rule of Emperor Taizong (reigned 626–649) of the Tang dynasty. It was originally situated at Songjiachuan but was relocated and rebuilt in its current location in 1030 during the Northern Song dynasty. A number of renovations and expansions have been carried out during subsequent dynasties. The temple was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1996.
The temple faces south and is divided into two courtyards, one in front of the other. The structures include the main temple gate, middle hall, rear hall or Yuanming Hall, bell and drum towers, side halls, and covered corridors located on either side. The middle hall is the oldest extant building, dating back to the Song dynasty (960–1279). It has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof and a three-bay by six-rafter structure. The eaves are supported by bracket sets featured on the capitals, as well as intercolumnar bracket sets. They are all two-tier bracket sets and have a single projecting bracket arm with downward-pointing cantilevers at a 45 degree angle.