Lingshi Houtou Temple

Lingshi Houtou Temple stands in farmland west of Jingsheng Village, Jingsheng Town, Lingshi County, Shanxi. It faces south on a 1,088-square-metre site with a single courtyard. The surviving Yuan-dynasty Offering Hall is square with a single-eave hip roof and a dougong cluster of six puzuo and three downward ang, while the Main Hall has three bays, a suspended gable roof and a front porch.

The temple was founded in 1266, the third year of the Yuan Zhiyuan era, and rebuilt in 1304 after the 1303 Hedong earthquake. It was repaired in 1510 and 1781. After 1949 it served as a town office.

The temple is dedicated to Nüwa, honoured here as the earth deity Houtu. Its founding in 1266 and rebuilding in 1304 tie it to the 1303 Hedong earthquake, after which the shrine was raised again. The village setting in farmland west of Jingsheng village keeps the temple tied to the fields it serves.

The grounds are simple but well-maintained with stone pathways connecting the buildings that are easy to walk on. The site is usually quiet and less crowded, allowing for a relaxed walk through a peaceful setting.

The temple stands in farmland west of Jingsheng village and was long used as the town's administrative office after 1949, so its halls served desks rather than altars for decades. The gate and side buildings are modern imitations, raised after cement bungalows were demolished; only the offering hall and main hall are Yuan work.