Study On The Architecture Of Huixian Daoist Temple In Wuxiang Of Shannxi

The Chinese Taoist architecture is the main part of Chinese ancient architecture. It used to be the major place for Taoist to worship, sacrifice and to study, rest and hold religious ceremony. It resembles the culture and thought of Taoist and formed with religious spirit. It originated from the places which hold Chinese traditional activity of ancestor worship. Directed by the thought of Chinese immortal legend and magic arts of Qin Dynasty, as a kind of communication tool between human and the God, the common building was developed as the special place of worship and to be consummate step by step with the standardization and institutionalization of Taoist etiquette. During the long period of development, the Taoist architecture not only adopted idea from the folk building but also contributed a lot to the folk architecture. It gave reference to the latter site choosing, total layout, space and its composing, and so on.The architecture of Huixian Daoist temple is located in south piedmont region of Jianzhang Mountain which belongs to Wuxiang county, Changzhi City, Shannxi Province. This Taoist architecture was entitled the "National Culture Heritage Sites" in the fifth list in 2001. It includes 19 historical buildings, 14 of which are culture relics. The main buildings shaped a three-courtyard, covering 2013 square meters. The architecture of Huixian Daoist Temple was first built in Jin Dynasty and it was added new buildings or repaired several times the following days. According to the documentary files and the analysis of the character of the structure and form of the relics, the Sanqing Temple was built in Jin Dynasty, the Yuhuang Temple was Yuan Dynasty, the Temple of Guan Yu and the opera tower were Qing Dynasty. These relics have important scientific value in the sense of construction technique and art. The study on the architecture of Huixian Daoist Temple will both enrich the treasure of Chinese Taoist architecture and provide material in detail for the study of local Taoist architecture.While its function of religion activity for local people fades away its still has high value of history, social culture, art and science with abundant historical information. Based on its Taoist background this thesis aims at the study of its historical development, site and environment choosing, total layout, sole building arrangement, detail character and overall architecture feature. The conservation and utilization of the Huixian Taoist Temple is another essential aspect.