Zhangye Buddhist Temple, an ancient temple, is closely related to the royal family of Xixia and Yuan Dynasty. The historical and artistic value it carries is a vivid history book to study Zhangye's historical culture, religious culture and multi-ethnic integration.
The ancient Chinese coins and Persian silver coins found in this temple, especially the rare and exquisite Persian silver coins, have become strong evidence of the prosperity of foreign trade on the Silk Road.
Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple is a Buddhist art museum integrating architecture, sculpture, murals, sculptures, classics and cultural relics. It contains the largest Xixia Buddhist Temple in China, the largest indoor wooden-embryo clay sculpture reclining Buddha and the most complete first edition of Yongle Beizang.
The architectural structure of Zhangye Buddha Temple;
Zhangye Buddhist Temple has the arched mountain gate, the Four Heavenly Kings Hall, the Guan Hall, the Guo Hall, the Accompaniment Hall, the wing room and the Sleeping Buddha Hall. In the south of the main hall is the Induction Hall, in the north is the Golden Pagoda Hall, followed by the Tibetan Golden Pavilion and the Earth Pagoda.
As a royal temple in past dynasties, Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple has a close relationship with the royal families of Xixia, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and has a typical court architectural style. Temple buildings run through the east-west axis, and the left and right attached halls are symmetrically arranged. The whole group of buildings has unique modeling, rigorous layout, prominent theme and distinct tone.
The main building, the Great Buddha Hall, is an outstanding representative of Xixia architectural art. The hall is composed of two-story pavilions, with neat and standardized plane structure and diverse spatial combinations, which gives people a unique, natural, solemn and vivid feeling and embodies the spirit of the Royal Ninth Five-Year Plan.