Jinci Temple, Temple complex in Taiyuan, China

Jinci Temple is a temple complex in Taiyuan at the foot of Xuanweng Mountain, containing roughly 98 buildings, over 110 statues, and 300 inscription tablets. The site spreads across multiple levels and combines different architectural styles arranged around courtyards, halls, and water features.

The temple was founded roughly 1,400 years ago to honor Tang Shuyu, the first ruler of the ancient Jin State. Over centuries, the site has been rebuilt and expanded many times, with the oldest structures visible today dating to the medieval period.

The name Jinci comes from the Jin River spring at its source; the temple was first called Tang Shuyu Shrine. The Nanao Spring, whose name is taken from a line in the Book of Songs, keeps a constant 17°C and was praised by Li Bai. The temple fair and river gatherings still use the Water Mirror Stage, a Ming-dynasty theater with eight water vats under the stage to amplify sound.

The temple is open year-round and best explored in about three hours to see all areas thoroughly. The grounds start fairly level but become hillier in places, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

The cross-shaped Flying Bridge over the Fish Pond rests on 34 octagonal stone columns with lotus-petal bases in a Northern Dynasties style; wooden brackets link them to the stone deck. Liang Sicheng noted in 1934 that no other surviving example of this bridge form exists.