Foguang Temple. [Photo/Yellow River News]

The painted Buddha sculptures in the temple. ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY

Foguang Temple was originally built during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 471-499) and was rebuilt in the 11th year of Dazhong Period of the Tang Dynasty (AD 857), with its East Hall as the third oldest wooden structure in China. Foguang Temple comprises over 120 buildings, including halls, pagodas, towers and pavilions. Among them, the East Hall with seven bays and two octagonal stone pillars are from the Tang Dynasty, while Wenshu Hall also with seven bays, is from the Jin Dynasty. Other structures date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Foguang Temple’s wooden structures, statues, murals, and inscriptions of the Tang Dynasty are praised as “Four Wonders” by renowned architecture researchers Liang Sicheng.