Xiezhou Guandi Temple A Daoist temple from the Qing dynasty. It was built in the Sui dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing dynasty in Xiezhou Town, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. It is magnificent in scale and complete in layout, and is the grandest martial arts temple in China. The temple is divided into three parts: east, middle and west. The main temple part on the central axis alone covers about 100 acres. The main temple is divided into two courtyards, the front and the back. The front courtyard is centered on the Duanmen, Zhi Gate, Wumen, Shanhaifang, Yushulou, Chongning Hall, etc., with the Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Wenjing Gate, Wuwai Gate, Wood Square, Stone Square, Bell Pavilion, and Stele Pavilion on either side. The back courtyard is centered on the Qisu Qianqiu Square and the Spring and Autumn Building, with the Daolou and Yinjing Building on either side. The outer sides of the front and back courtyards are surrounded by galleries, with an east and west wing courtyard to the east and west respectively. To the south of the temple is the Peach Blossom Spring, surrounded by a palace wall, with a colorful glazed dragon wall at the front. The entire temple is clearly divided into primary and secondary structures, with strict symmetry. The main buildings follow the system of “front hall, back room” and “front hall, back bedroom” as recorded in the Book of Rites. Yellow, blue and green glazed ridge ornaments and roof tiles cover all the buildings in the temple. There are seven stone and wood memorial arches of different shapes, with powerful stone carvings and exquisite wood carvings. Among them, Chongning Hall and Chunqiu Building are the most exquisite. Chongning Hall is the main hall, built in the 57th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1710). The hall has a double eave roof with nine ridges, glazed ridge ornaments and tiles, and is covered with a roof with layers of dougong brackets. The eaves are carved with exquisite patterns; the hall base has a spacious terrace; and there are 26 stone dragon pillars surrounding the outside of the hall. Inside the hall is a seated statue of Guan Yu. Under the eaves are three handwritten plaques by Kangxi, Qianlong and Xianfeng. The Chunqiu Tower, also known as the Linjing Pavilion, is the bedroom. It was built in the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign (1870) and is a two-story, three-waterfall, hipped-roof structure. The roof is covered with colorful glazed tiles, and there are cloisters on both the upper and lower floors. The downstairs houses a golden seated statue of Guan Yu, while the upstairs has a statue of Guan Yu reading the Spring and Autumn Annals sideways. Both are masterpieces of Qing dynasty statuary. The building structure is unique: the pillars of the upper-level cloister stand under the lower-level hanging lotus columns, which are suspended in mid-air and supported by a system of cross-beams. From the outside, the building complex looks as if it is floating in the air. This architectural structure is unique in the history of Chinese architecture. It is the largest existing palace-style Taoist complex in China.

  解州关帝庙 清代道教宫观建筑。在山西省运城市解州镇，始建于隋，清代重修，规模宏大，布局完整，为我国武庙之冠。该庙东、中、西三部分，仅中轴线上的主庙部分占地约百亩。主庙分前后两院，前院以端门、雉门、午门、山海坊、御书楼、崇宁殿等为中轴，两侧有钟楼、鼓楼、文经门、武纬门、木坊、石坊、钟亭、碑亭；后院以“气肃千秋”坊和春秋楼为中轴，两侧是刀楼、印楼。前后两院外侧有围廊，东有东跨院，西有西跨院，庙南有结义桃园，外面有宫墙围绕，最前面有彩色琉璃四龙壁。全庙主次分明，对称严格，主体建筑遵循《仪礼》中所记的“前堂后室”、“前殿后寝”的制度。黄、蓝、绿琉璃脊饰和瓦件覆盖店内全部建筑，七座石木牌坊，形制各异，石雕道劲，木刻玲珑，其中以崇宁殿和春秋楼建筑最精美。崇宁殿为主殿，建于清康熙五十七年 (1710)。该殿为重檐九脊顶，琉璃脊饰瓦件盖顶，重檐下斗拱层层密布，额枋雕造精；殿基月台宽敞；殿外有二十六根石雕龙柱围绕。殿内奉祀关帝坐像。檐下有康熙、乾隆、咸丰手书匾额各一。春秋楼，又名麟经阁，为寝殿，建于同治九年(1870)，为二层三滴水歇山式建筑，楼顶有彩色琉璃瓦覆盖，上下两层均有回廊，楼下奉关帝金身坐像，楼上有关帝侧身读《春秋》像一尊，均为清代造像佳作。楼身建造结构别致，上层回廊的廊柱轰立在下层垂莲柱下，垂柱悬空，内设搭牵挑承，从外面望去，楼阁似悬在空中。这种建筑结构，是我国建筑史上独一无二的。是我国现存规模最大的宫殿式道教建筑群。