Dule Temple

The Dule Temple (traditional Chinese: 獨樂寺; simplified Chinese: 独乐寺; pinyin: Dúlè Sì; lit. 'Temple of Solitary Joy') is a Buddhist temple located in Jizhou District of suburban Tianjin, China. The temple is of historical as well as architectural significance. Its oldest surviving buildings are two timber-frame structures, the front gate and the central hall (pavilion) that houses a colossal clay statue of the Eleven-Headed manifestation of the Bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara). Both structures date back to the Liao dynasty and are among the oldest surviving wooden buildings in China.