Changchun Cave, Daoist temple in Weishan Yi and Hui Autonomous County, China
Changchun Cave is a Daoist temple on Weibao Shan in Weishan County, Yunnan, first built in 1715 by the Guizhou Daoists Li Faji and Yang Fayin. Its plan follows a bagua pattern, with only the main and middle halls on the central axis. The main hall, Tongtian Tiangong, stands on a stone base about 1.85 m high, measures 14.8 m wide, 11.6 m deep and 11 m tall, and is a two-storey pavilion with a hip-and-gable roof, carved and painted beams, an octagonal coffered ceiling and murals on its partition boards.
The Daoist temple was founded in 1715, during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, by the Guizhou monks Li Faji and Yang Fayin. The monk Yang Yanghui later converted the main hall into a two-storey structure, and during the Guangxu era Yang Laoqi and Zhang Chaoyong rebuilt the side rooms and garden. It has been a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level since 2006.
The name Changchun dong, "Cave of Eternal Spring", is a Daoist term rather than a reference to a grotto: the temple is a built complex on Weibao Shan. Its main hall, Tongtian Tiangong, holds an octagonal coffered ceiling in the central bay and a ceiling painting of immortals paying homage to the Jade Emperor, with murals on the partition boards.
The temple stands on Weibao Shan above Weishan, reached on foot along the mountain paths; allow time for the climb and wear shoes suited to stone steps. The plan follows a bagua layout, with only the main and middle halls on the central axis, so the side halls are found by circling the courtyards. The main hall sits on a stone base about 1.85 m high.
The main hall, Tongtian Tiangong, stands on a stone Sumeru pedestal about 1.85 m high and holds an octagonal coffered ceiling in its central bay, with a ceiling painting of immortals paying homage to the Jade Emperor. Painted murals cover the hall's partition boards and survive intact.
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