Tiefo Temple, Gaoping
铁佛寺
A small courtyard temple housing Ming-dynasty painted sculptures of the Twenty-Four Devas. Their exaggerated, expressive forms earn them the title “a peerless masterpiece of Chinese painted sculpture.”
Tiefo Temple is located in Mixi Village, Mishan Town, Gaoping City. The temple is quite small and takes its name from an iron Buddha statue once enshrined here, which has since been destroyed. The treasure of the temple is the Ming-dynasty painted sculptures of the Twenty-Four Devas in the main hall. Each deva statue is about 2 meters tall, wears a jeweled crown and draped necklaces, and stands on various mythical beasts. Their expressions range from fierce to smiling, and their poses are dynamic and vivid. The intricate sculpting techniques make them a representative work of Ming-dynasty painted sculpture. After becoming famous as a filming location for Black Myth: Wukong, the temple introduced reservations, group entry and timed visits because the hall is cramped. Photography and flash are prohibited inside (check on-site rules). Admission is inexpensive, and about 40 minutes is enough. The temple is about 10 km from Gaoping city center and about 40 km from Jincheng, and you can combine it with Kaihua Temple and Yangtou Mountain, both historic architecture sites.
Opening hours
08:30–17:30 (timed entry, capacity limited)