Zhaoren Temple in Changwu, Shaanxi

Zhaoren Temple is located on the East Street of Changwu County, Shaanxi Province. It was established by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty (627-649 AD) to commemorate the soldiers who died in battle with the warlords Xue Ju and Xue Renbiao. The main hall of Zhaoren Temple is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Zhaoren Temple faces north and south, and is built by connected small quadrangles, covering an area of 4869 square meters. There are currently a mountain gate, a stele pavilion, a main hall, and three rooms each in the east and west side halls. The gate of the temple is inscribed with the three characters 'Zhaoren Temple'. Inside the temple, there is a Tang Dynasty stele named 'Yuzhou Zhaoren Temple Stele', with the text written by Zhu Shishe, believed to be written by Yu Shinan in calligraphy, which is beautiful and vigorous. The entire stele has more than 3,000 characters and is basically intact. The main existing building in Zhaoren Temple is a three-room Daxiong Treasure Hall with nine beams and eighteen carriers. There are no columns inside, and it is all built up by the large beams around it, which is the commonly known Bagua hanging top method. The structure is quite special and rare in ancient Chinese architecture.