An Examination of the Interior Decoration of the Main Hall of Erxianmiao Templein Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, China

The article examines the interior decoration of the main hall of the Erxianmiao Temple located in Jincheng, Shanxi Province, China. It highlights the temple’s role within the broader temple complex and reveals the architectural characteristics of the main hall, constructed during the late Northern Song Dynasty between 1097 and 1107. This temple is part of a limited number of Song wooden monuments in China, making it particularly significant for scholarly study. In the center of the main hall, a carved wooden canopy structure is positioned on a separate pedestal, creating niches above the statues. This structure features elements resembling wooden towers and halls, embodying the “Chambers and Towers of the Heavenly Palace” motif known as tiangong-­louge. This motif is particularly evident in the form of the curved tianqiao sky bridge with its central pavilion, symbolizing the heavenly palace. The origins of the Heavenly Palace motif, foundational to the temple’s interior decoration, are explored, alongside the connection of the canopy’s decorative elements to the architecture of the Song era. The patterns within the studied section of the interior are outlined. Additionally, the relationship between the canopy’s decor and the construction treatise “Yingzao Fashi” is analyzed, identifying both similarities and differences between the actual decor and the treatise’s stipulations. Through a detailed investigation of the decorative elements, this study addresses gaps in the understanding of the decorative descriptions found in “Yingzao Fashi.” The modular nature of the decorative canopy’s construction is examined, leading to the conclusion that the craftsmen responsible for its creation were well-versed in the principles of architectural treatises. The positioning of this decorative group within a series of similar interior decoration elements from the 10th to 12th centuries is established.