Nanchan temple (南禪寺)

Nanchan temple (南禪寺)

Buddhist tmple; china's oldest preserved timber building; important architectural site

As the oldest extant timber-frame building in China, The Great Buddha Hall is an important building in the understanding of Chinese architectural history. The humble building is a three bay square hall that is 10 meters deep and 11.75 meters across the front. The roof is supported by twelve pillars that are implanted directly into a brick foundation. The hip-gable roof is supported by five-puzuo brackets. The hall does not contain any interior columns or a ceiling, nor are there any struts supporting the roof in between the columns. All of these features indicate that this is a low-status structure. The hall contains several features of Tang Dynasty halls, including its longer central front bay, the use of camel-hump braces, and the presence of a yuetai.

Content of the photo is about the Nanchan temple.

Constructetd: 782 ad (tang dynasty)

Dimension: length: 6000cm; width: 5100cm; height: 800cm

Period: emperor dezong of tang dynasty, the ninth emperor in tang dynasty.