Kaihua Temple, Gaoping
开化寺
Nearly 100 square meters of Northern Song murals survive inside the main hall. They are rare original temple paintings from the Song dynasty.
Kaihua Temple sits on the slope of Shili Mountain in Wangcun Village, Chenqu Town, Gaoping City. It was first founded in the Northern Qi period, and the Main Hall that stands today is a Northern Song structure. The hall's four walls preserve colored murals from the Shaosheng era of the Northern Song. They depict scenes from the life of the Buddha, the Guanyin sutra transformation, and the Avatamsaka sutra transformation. The paintings show palaces, pavilions, clothing, looms, and scenes of daily life in fine detail. Scholars call them a 'visual archive' for studying Song architecture and society. Together with the Yongle Palace murals from the Yuan dynasty, they represent the finest temple murals in Shanxi. To protect the murals, the hall is dimly lit and visitor numbers are limited. Flash photography is not allowed. The temple is small, and a visit takes about 1 hour. Check the official source for ticket prices. The temple is about 17 km from downtown Gaoping. A car or chartered vehicle is recommended, and it can be combined with Tieefo Temple in a single day trip.
Opening hours
08:30–17:30 (check official information)