Zhiguo Temple

CHINA, Shaanxi, Hanzhong

Zhiguo means Fruit of Wisdom. It was built between 676 and 679 during the Tang dynasty. During the rule of Emperor Wanli (reigned 1573–1620) of the Ming dynasty, the empress dowager donated gold for the construction of the sutra repository, as well some additions to the rest of the temple. It is listed as a Provincial Cultural Heritage Site.
Facing south, the temple occupies 5,000 sq m. The Great Hero Hall and the sutra repository are from the Yuan (1271–1368) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties. Most of the subsidiary buildings were built during the 20th century. The sutra repository was constructed in 1586 during the Ming dynasty. It is a two-story pavilion with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof that is covered with yellow-green glazed cylindrical tiles. The lower story is three bays wide and surrounded by a veranda. On the second story there is a balcony with a small extension in the center. Initially, the repository housed more than 6,000 fascicles of the Ming Tripitaka donated by the imperial court but only 4,139 fascicles remain. They are now kept at the Yangxian County Museum.
The five-bay wide Great Hero Hall was originally the Hall of the Enlightened Emperor from an adjoining Guliangma Temple. In recent years the building has become part of Zhiguo Temple. It has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with gray cylindrical tiles. The hall houses a gilt bronze statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, which is a recent addition. The surrounding walls feature Yuan dynasty murals.