Outside the main hall of Zixiao Palace

On the tall and imposing Danchi Chong Platform stands the main building of the Zixiao Palace - the Zixiao Grand Hall. The Zixiao Hall has a graceful and elegant shape. Its wings and corners are high and upturned like flying, and its dougong brackets are grand and magnificent. The decoration style is simple and ancient. The entire architectural structure and layout are scientifically reasonable, the artistic style is harmonious and unified, and it blends in with the natural environment, presenting a unique style among the ancient architectural complexes of Wudang Mountain. Meanwhile, over the long course of history, the main hall has accumulated the techniques and wisdom of generations of artisans, and it centrally embodies the glorious achievements of Ming and Qing architecture in southern China, possessing extremely high ornamental and scientific research value. The main hall of Zixiao Palace is 18.27 meters high, with five bays each in width and depth. The roof is covered with peacock blue glazed tiles. The main ridge is decorated with a coiled dragon's snout. The upper eave wing corners are decorated with colorful glazed flying dragons, and the lower eave wing corners are decorated with glazed phoenixes. The upper and lower eaves are equipped with seven-step golden dougong brackets. All the beams and lintels are painted with colorful decorations. It is worth mentioning that the main ridge of the hall is composed of six three-color glazed flying dragons, with a vase placed in the middle. Because the Aquarius was heavy and tall, it was held in place by four iron chains, the other end of which was tied to the hands of four children. Legend has it that these four children were the sons of Jiang Ziya. When Jiang Ziya was deified, they were also to be deified and become deities above deities. Jiang Ziya asked them to go up to the roof to protect the treasure bottle. Because their position is higher than that of the main deity enshrined in the hall, they are called "gods above gods". And the common people are kind-hearted. Seeing them exposed to wind and sun for years on end, they call them poor children. Since its reconstruction during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the Zixiao Hall has undergone more than ten major and minor repairs throughout the ages, which has enabled it to maintain its former glory. From 1992 to 1995, the Maintenance Leading Group and its working team of the Zixiao Hall carried out a comprehensive maintenance of the Zixiao Hall. During the maintenance, the components and technical remains from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties were well preserved. In 1994, when UN World Heritage experts visited Wudang Mountain, they were deeply moved and said, "Here, I saw examples of ancient buildings being restored in the traditional way."