Hall of the Holy Mother, Jinci

The Hall of the Holy Mother (Shengmu Dian) is the most important building in the Jinci Temple complex and one of the finest surviving examples of Song-dynasty timber-frame architecture in China. Built around 1023 CE, the hall is dedicated to Yi Jiang, mother of the founder of the Zhou dynasty state of Jin. Its exterior features eight front pillars wrapped in carved wooden dragons — the earliest known example of this decorative form in Chinese architecture — and a deep front porch that creates a dramatic transition between the garden exterior and the interior shrine.

Inside, 42 painted clay figures of female attendants ring the main shrine. These figures, made at the same time as the hall, show the range of women who served in a royal household: maids of honour, musicians, court ladies, older attendants with specific duties. The quality and individuality of the carving is striking by any standard of medieval religious art. The central shrine figure of Yi Jiang is later and less interesting; the attendants are the artistic achievement.

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A story
The 42 clay attendant figures inside the Hall of the Holy Mother were made around 1023 CE and are among the finest surviving examples of Song clay sculpture. What makes them unusual is their expressive individuality — the figures include young women, older attendants, eunuchs, and officials, each with distinct facial expressions and body postures that suggest they were modelled from life. One figure, traditionally pointed out by guides, appears to be yawning. Court sculpture of this period rarely allows itself such informality.