Shuanglin Temple

The Shuanglin Temple (Chinese: 双林寺; Chinese: 雙林寺; pinyin: Shuānglín Sì) is a large Buddhist temple in the Shanxi Province of China. It is situated in the countryside of Qiaotou village about 6–7 kilometres (3.7–4.3 mi) southwest of the ancient city of Pingyao. Together with Zhenguo Temple and the ancient walled city, Shuanglin Temple is one of the three components of the 'Ancient City of Pingyao' UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1997. Founded in the 6th century, the temple is notable for its collection of more than 2,000 decorated clay statues that are dated to the 12th–19th centuries. Its original name was Zongdu but it was renamed during the Northern Song dynasty period as Shuanglin. It is nicknamed the museum of coloured sculptures. Most of them are dated to the period of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.