Colette's Grand Detour

Shuanglin Temple was a complete surprise to me. I hadn’t done any research into why we were visiting this particular temple or what made it special. All I knew was that it was on the itinerary to visit as part of my guided tour of Pingyao and that it had UNESCO World Heritage Status. But I was completely blown away.

The temple was originally founded in the 6th century but most of what exists today is from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It lies about a 10 minute drive away from Pingyao ancient city. What makes this temple exceptional is the 2000+ painted sculptures that date from the 12th to the 19th century. The statues cover the walls and ceilings of all 10 halls. They are made of painted clay and there are still strong remnants of the original paint even after centuries of aging, wear and tear and damage. There are many stand alone statues, of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Heavenly Kings and Warrior Guards. But the stunning part is the story scenes that surround the bigger statues, with hundreds of small figures and amazing background scenery like swirling clouds, mountains and waves. The temples look alive. One particular temple shows the life of Buddha in carved relief all around the hall and must have over 60 different carefully-crafted scenes.

One interesting aspect of the statues is the animated facial expressions the craftsman have given them. The sculptors of Shuanglin were said to be masters of realistic modelling, and chose to design faces with a more human look and feel to them. What is incredible is that every single figure in the temple complex has a distinct facial expression – even the smaller statues are all unique in the way that they are standing, their clothing and their faces.

The temple is still undergoing preservation work and to maximise the protection given to the statues, there is very little lighting in each hall and there are long floor-to-ceiling bars blocking anyone from reaching in and touching the delicate relics. You can still easily see how detailed and elaborate the statues and the background carved relief is though. Apparently during the summer, its get extremely busy and you have to queue to enter each hall. So I felt lucky today that it was pretty quiet and we could wander in and out of the different halls without waiting.

Shuanglin Temple is a must-see sight on any itinerary to Pingyao and can easily be visited on the same day as exploring Pingyao itself. It is recommended to get there in the morning to avoid the crowds.