Shuanglin Temple

Shuanglin Temple is located in the Qiaotou Village, which is only about 6 km. (3.7 miles) southwest of the County of Pingyao. The construction of the temple started in the early years of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) most buildings were rebuilt. The temple is most famous for its thousands of colored sculptures and is described as the 'Oriental Treasure House for the Colored Sculptures'.

The present colored sculptures of the temple are mainly clay sculptures made with wood moulds from the Ming Dynasty , which have kept the traditions of the former dynasties of Tang  (618-907), Song  (960-1279), Jin  (1115-1234) and Yuan  (1271-1368). There are a total of more than 2,000 pieces in the temple, on the subject of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, and other deities as well as more common figures. The most famous sculptures include statues of Guan Yu, Kwan-yin with thousand hands, Veda Bodhisattva, the Eighteen Arhats, and Sakyamuni.

The temple enjoys a high reputation in China's history of art. So in 1997, along with the City Wall  and Zhenguo Temple , it was listed in the World Heritage Directory and praised as 'a real and unique treasure' by UNESCO. 

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