This
temple is located at the
fountainhead of the
Jinshui River twenty –
five kilometers
southwest of the city of
Taiyuan. The weather
here is warm in winter
and cool in summer, and
the land is beautiful.
Ancient buildings, blue
spring water, and superb
clay sculpture have been
attractions to tourists
for centuries.
Legend says that the
Memorial Temple of Jin
was first built in the
twelfth century B.C. The
first attraction here is
the “Immortal Spring,”
so named because the
spring water has flowed
steadily for centuries.
If you walk along the
spring and down the
stone steps, you will
find a big pool of
crystal – clear water
that gushes out from the
walls. Bypassing the
pool, you will come to
the uniquely constructed
“Flying Bridge over the
Fish Pond Spring” in
front of the Hall of
Holy Mother
(Shengmudian). This
double wooden bridge in
the shape of a cross is
supported by thirty -
four stone posts
embedded in the spring.
Crossing the bridge you
come to the Hall of Holy
Mother, the center of
the temple. The Holy
Mother was regarded as
the noble model of
motherhood in feudal
Chinese society.
Flanking the sculpture
of Holy Mother is an
array of forty-two young
maidens, each with
distinct expression and
posture. They are
perfect examples of the
skill of the sculptors
of the Song Dynasty. Not
far from the hall is a
grove of ancient cypress
trees, one of which is
said to have been
planted during the
Western Zhou Dynasty,
making it more than two
thousand years old. |