平遥古城文化瑰宝——双林寺

双林寺原名中都司，地处于山西省平遥县西南六公里桥头村 ，其地本为中都故城所在，因之得名。双林寺占地面积约为一万五千平方米，内分东西两大部分。双林寺中现存最古之碑为北宋大中祥符四年(1011年)"姑姑之碑"。年代久远，字迹模糊，第二十行"重修寺于武平二年"尚可辨认。"武平二年"(571年)乃北齐年号，既是重修，其创建年代必早于此。即使从北齐算起，中都寺也已历经一千四百多个春秋了。

双林寺坐北朝南，寺的外围是一圈高大的夯土包砖墙。寺内分东西两大部分。西部为庙院，有十座殿堂、三进院落。释迦殿、罗汉殿、武圣殿、土地殿、阎罗殿、天王殿组成前院;大雄宝殿和两厢的千佛殿、菩萨殿组成中院;娘娘殿、贞义祠组成后院。东部主要是禅院和经房。

双林寺是汉族地区佛教全国重点寺院之一。1988年1月13日，被国务院列为第三批全国重点文物保护单位。

The ancient city of Pingyao cultural treasure —— Shuanglin Temple

Shuanglin Temple, formerly known as Zhongdu Si, is located in Qiaotou Village, six kilometers southwest of Pingyao County, Shanxi Province. It is originally the former city of Zhongdu, hence its name. Shuanglin Temple covers an area of about 15,000 square meters, divided into east and west. The oldest monument in Shuanglin Temple is the "monument of my aunt" in the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1011). Old, blurred handwriting, the twentieth line "rebuilt temple in the second year of Wuping" can be identified."The second year of Wuping" (571) is the name of the Northern Qi Dynasty, which is rebuilt, its creation time must be earlier than this. Even from the Northern Qi Dynasty, Zhongdu Temple has gone through more than 1,400 spring and autumn.

Shuanglin Temple sits south, the temple is a circle of tall rammed earth brick wall. The temple is divided into two major east and west parts. The west is the temple courtyard, there are ten halls, three courtyards. The hall of Sakya, Arhat hall, the hall of Martial arts, the hall of Earth, Yama hall, the hall form the front yard, and the hall of Thousand Buddha and Bodhisattva hall form the backyard. The east is dominated by zen houses and sutras.

Shuanglin Temple is one of the national key Buddhist temples in the Han region. On January 13,1988, it was listed as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council.