Wanghai Temple

Wanghai Temple

Wanghai Temple, commonly known as Niangniang Temple, is located on West Street in Tianzhuangtai, now within the agricultural wholesale market of the North Community in Tianzhuangtai Town. It was established in April of the ninth year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1829). With the coordination of Hu Helu, the sixteenth-generation Taoist priest of the Longmen Sect of the Quanzhen School, and local gentry including Mou Huiyou, Ma Quanyi, Ma Quanxiao, and Li Shijie, three main halls were constructed, along with one Hall of Guanyin to the east, three Three Officials Halls in front, one Dragon King Hall in the southwest corner, one mountain gate in front of the courtyard, one gate on each of the east and west sides, bell and drum towers on the east and west, two stone steles in front of the halls erected during the Daoguang era, and five east-side wing rooms. In front of the temple stands a stone bridge called Wanghai Bridge.

The main hall enshrines: the Ten Holy Mothers of Mount Tai’s Nine Peaks — Tai Ren, Tai Si, Tai Jiang, Heavenly Immortal, Heavenly Queen, Mother Meng, Mother Yue, Mother Xu, Mother Liu, and Mother Ou. The east-side hall enshrines Guanyin; the front hall enshrines the Three Officials: Heaven Official, Earth Official, and Water Official. The Dragon King Hall enshrines the Dragon King, along with four standing statues of patrolling sea yakshas, one statue of Baxian (Eight Immortals), and one of Shi Buquan (The Imperfect One).

In the twenty-first year of the Guangxu reign (1895), during the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing army established a command post and stored ammunition here. On the fifteenth day of the second lunar month that year, after the Qing army retreated, the Japanese army destroyed the temple with landmines, leaving only one mountain gate, one bell tower, and five east-side wing rooms. At the time, the resident Taoist priests were Tan Yuangang and Xing Yuanshin.

The temple also owned five pieces of property, totaling 88 mu of farmland. By the time of the Hundred Days' Reform, all the land had been taken over by schools. Tan Yuangang, with no other choice, went to Daling Luhua on Mount Lvzhou in Beizhen, and later moved to the lower temple of Daling Luhua on Mount Pan. He passed away in the seventh year of the Republic of China. Xing Yuanshin went to Qingduizi’s Qingyun Temple under Pang Mingzhen in Yingkou County, and passed away in the tenth year of the Republic of China. After the departure of these two priests, the ruined temple was left unattended.

In the final years of the Guangxu reign (1908), a Taoist priest of the Huashan Sect named Jin Wanlu made a living by alms and took care of the temple. By the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917), Ma Yuxiang (courtesy name Xichen), whose son from the east side of the town, was devoted to Taoism and sponsored the renovation project. Three main halls were reconstructed. At that time, Tan Yuangang was still in Pan Mountain, so he sent his disciple Rong Minghai to guard the site. Jin Wanlu left for elsewhere and his whereabouts became unknown.

In the seventh year of the Republic of China (1918), the front hall was reconstructed with three rooms. The original Hall of Guanyin and Dragon King Hall had collapsed and were never repaired. By the seventh year of the puppet regime of Kangde (1940), on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month, Rong Minghai passed away. Chu Xiangchun assigned Tian Yongcheng to guard the temple until liberation.

Temple Fair: Annually on the 18th day of the fourth lunar month.

The temple was demolished in 1952.

In 2003, Zhu Liyuan (secular name Zhu Shouzhi), the twenty-second-generation disciple of the Longmen Sect of the Quanzhen School, personally invested and raised funds through devotee donations to establish the Preparatory Committee for the Reconstruction of Wanghai Temple. In 2004, construction began at the original site, and in that same year, a single-eave, flush-gable hall facing south with three rooms was completed. In 2005, a double-eave, flush-gable main hall facing west with three rooms and two floors was built, along with one wing room each on the north and south sides, a two-room Chenghuang (City God) Hall constructed behind the main hall, and three single rooms rebuilt on the site of the Qing army command post from the First Sino-Japanese War, plus eight north-side wing rooms. In 2007, a double-eave mountain gate was completed, along with one bell tower and one drum tower on the north and south, and six additional north-side wing rooms. The total area covers 4,533.5 square meters, with a building area of 812 square meters.

The second floor of the main hall enshrines: Mazu, Yunxiao, Bixiao, Qiongxiao, Child-Giving Goddess, Eye-Gazing Goddess, Disaster-Relieving and Longevity-Extending Goddess, Measles Goddess, and Smallpox Goddess. The first floor enshrines Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun. The south-side wing hall enshrines the Dragon King; the north-side wing hall enshrines Guanyin; the Chenghuang Hall enshrines the City God.

The main hall’s horizontal plaque reads: “Mazu Hall.” The couplet on the door pillars reads: “Displaying divine power to the four seas, immortal for a thousand years,” and “Receiving imperial titles through dynasties, fragrant reputation forever.” The couplet on the main pillars reads: “? (illegible)” and “? (illegible).” The hall enshrines Hu San Taiye, Hu San Tainai, and Black Grandma. The horizontal plaque reads: “Sincerity Works Wonders.” The couplet reads: “Who says mortals can’t perform divine feats? Make a wish and see,” and “Delighted by promotions and wealth, show off before others—no need to burn incense, just take a look.” Inside the mountain gate are murals of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. The horizontal plaque reads: “Wanghai Temple.” The couplet reads: “Taoism originates from fifty centuries of Chinese civilization,” and “The mysteries of the mystic gate are concealed in the three-cave scriptures, inscribed in dragon and phoenix scripts.” The inscriptions on the walls beside the mountain gate read: “Virtue Honors the Supreme Ultimate” and “The Tao Penetrates China.” Except for the mountain gate plaque “Wanghai Temple,” which was donated by devotee Yu Zonglan, all other plaques and couplets were written by Panjin calligrapher Wang Dajun.

The temple’s grand festival is held annually on the 18th day of the fourth lunar month. The abbot is Zhu Liyuan, supervisor of Wanghai Temple in Tianzhuangtai, Taizhuangtai County, Panjin City.

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