Wutaishan Shuxiang Temple

CHINA, Shanxi, Xinzhou

Shuxiang means Special Image. It is one of the Five Major Temples of Chan Buddhism on Wutaishan. According to a stele, it was built during the Later Zhao dynasty (319–352). It has been damaged and rebuilt a few times in its history. It was listed as a key Buddhist temple in the Han region of China in 1983.
The temple occupies 6,400 sq m and faces south. According to a drawing in the Atlas of Paintings of Wutaishan in the Qing Dynasty, two flagpoles were in front of the main temple gate. The Manjusri Hall stood in the center of the temple, and the rear hall stood on a platform made from rocks. The present layout is basically the same as in the drawing, except for some changes to the side courtyards, side halls, and the rear hall.
The Manjusri Hall was built in 1489 during the Ming dynasty. Although it has been repaired a number of times, the wooden structure and the statue enshrined inside are still the original ones. A platform with steles is located in front of the building. A 9.87 m high statue of Manjusri is enshrined in the hall. On the back and side walls there hang reliefs of the Five Hundred Arhats crossing a river.