User:Zeus1234/Geyuan Temple

) of the Geyuan Temple.]] }} Geyuan Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Laiyuan, Hebei Province, China. The temple consists of three main buildings and other auxilary structures. The main hall of the temple, the Wenshu Hall, is the oldest extant wooden building from China's Liao dynasty, dating from 966 CE.
 * City                   = Laiyuan
 * Province               = Hebei
 * Construction           = 10th century
 * Period                 =
 * Religion               = Buddhist

History
Very little is known about the temple’s history. The only information about it can be gleaned from stele at the temple and a local history written in 1875 called the Laiyuanxian Zhi. Geyuan Temple was first founded in the Han Dynasty, and destroyed and rebuilt during the Tang Dynasty. According to an octagonal pillar at the temple, the oldest of the current structures, the Wenshu Hall, dates from 966 of the Liao Dynasty. The temple’s construction was funded by a patron called Li Yuanchao, who also helped found the Later Tang Dynasty. A further stela from 1568 also confirms the founding date as during the Liao dynasty. Repairs were undertaken at the temple from 1324-1327 and twice during the Ming Dynasty, in 1507 and during the Jiaqing period (1522-1567).

While many ancient temples were surveyed during the 1930s by people like Liang Sicheng, Geyuan Temple’s age and architectural significance were not recognized until 1960, when a study by two men identified the building as dating from the Liao Dynasty. This late discovery date is explained by Laiyuan’s extreme isolation in the mountains of Western Hebei province.

Layout
Geyuan Temple contains three main buildings, the Wenshu Hall, a multistory pavilion used to store sturas and a Tianwang Hall. Unlike the normal Chinese temple layout, in which structures are built along a central axis from south to north, Geyuan temples’ buildings are built facing west.

Wenshu Hall
Wenshu Hall was first built in 966 and is the oldest Liao building that is still extant, being built 59 years after the dynasty’s founding. It is a square structure that is three bays wide and measures 15 by 15.67 meters. Each bay on the front façade contains four door panels, and the hall is built upon a large yuetai. The hall has no ceiling, but has beams that span six rafters and two additional interior pillars for support. Like other buildings dating from the 10th century, all the beams in the hall are completely straight. 5 and 7 rank bracketing is used to support the roof.