Huayan Temple, Sutra Hall, southeast elevation

Sutra Hall is one of the few buildings from the Liao Dynasty that has survived to this day and is one of the so-called eight great structures of the Liao. It stands on a three-meter-high, convex stone platform. The coffered ceiling, the wall crypts, and the 29 statues on the altar inside are all originals from that period. The walls of the hall are lined with 38 small wooden sutra cabinets on two floors, with the lower floor used to store the sutras. Of outstanding historical significance is a magnificent carved wooden model of a heavenly palace pavilion – the only one still in existence from the Liao Dynasty.

Architecture: Huayan Temple