|
 This
temple, also called
Great Buddha Temple (Dafosi),
is situated inside the
western gate of Jixian
County. It was first
built in the Tang
Dynasty. Its main
building, the Goddess of
Mercy Pavilion (Guanyinge),
was rebuilt in A.D. 984
during the Liao Dynasty.
The two – storied wooden
pavilion is twenty-three
meters high, and so well
designed that it has
withstood the test of
several earthquakes and
remains intact to this
day. It is one of the
oldest and
best–preserved tall
wooden structures in
China. The pavilion
contains a standing
statue of the Guanyin
Bodhisattva with the
heads of ten small
Buddhas above it. The
sixteen–meter–high
statue is known as the
“Eleven–Face Guanyin,”
one of the largest
painted clay sculptures
in China. Flanking it
are two ferocious and
gigantic guardians,
which, together with the
heavenly guardians
inside the gate, are
masterpieces of Liao
Dynasty sculpture. |
