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The Grand Temple of Mount Heng, or Grand Temple of South Mountain () is located at the foot of Mount Heng, and on the north of ancient town of Mount Heng in Hengshan County of Hunan, China. It is the largest temple on Mount Heng. It is a major component of Mount Heng National Key Tourist Resort Zone. ==History== The Grand Temple was initially called Heaven Governor Huo King Temple (司天霍王庙), and later, the name changed to South Heaven Genuine Master Temple (南天真君祠). Its founding year is unknown. The earliest documented records show that it was built in 725 CE during the Tang dynasty. The temple lived through the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties despite suffering six fires and undergoing 16 large-scale renovations. At the end of the Ming dynasty, the temple was burnt down. In 1882 during the Qing dynasty, the temple was rebuilt following the layout of Forbidden City in Beijing, thus it was also called "Little Palace in South China". The majority of the buildings have been preserved till today. During the Cultural Revolution, the temple was regarded as engendering the values of the "Four Olds", and suffered extensive damage. The stone tablets, inscribed boards, Buddhist statues and scripts were all destroyed. Starting in 1980s, continuous renovation projects have rehabilitated destroyed buildings and statues. ==Architecture== The temple covers a land area of over 98,500 m2. Along its axis there are nine major buildings. From south to north, they are Lingxing Gate, Kuixing Pavilion, Zhengchuan Gate, Imperial Tablet Pavilion, Jiaying Gate, Imperial Liberary Tower, Grand Hall, Refreshing Palace and North Hind Gate. Its eastern and western sides accommodate Eight Temples of Taoism and Eight Temples of Buddhism. The name of Lingxing Gate means abundant talents emerge and serve the country. Usually, "Lingxing" wouldn't be used to name a temple gate. There are only two exceptions in China, and the other Lingxing Gate is in the Temple of Confucius. Kuixing Pavilion is also called "Panlong Pavilion" (literally, Circling Dragon Pavilion). It has double-eave two-curve roof and covers 139 m2. It serves as an opera stage. There is a tablet in Imperial Tablet Pavilion bestowed by the Kangxi Emperor, on which "Temple of Mount Heng Renovation Memorial" was inscribed, comprising 279 characters written by the emperor himself. The first sentence reads, "Mount Heng is the giant pillar in South. It corresponds to Star Yu Heng of Big Dipper, and is also called Mount Longevity." Mount Heng's another name, Mount Longevity, was thereafter determined by the authority. The original tablet was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Grand Temple of Mount Heng」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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