Beizhen Wanghaitang

Beizhen Wanghaitang

The Wanghaitang building is situated atop the summit of Lüshan Mountain. Originally, it had a base platform about five meters high, with a two-story main hall, east and west wing rooms — namely ten book storage rooms, three living quarters, three study and painting rooms, and over ten guard rooms. Watchtowers were built on the surrounding peaks to protect Wanghaitang. This was the place where Yelü Bei and his beloved consort Gao Meiren came to live in seclusion from Dongjing (present-day Liaoyang City) in the second year of the Tianyan era (927), during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Liao. Below the summit, there used to be a large courtyard with a three-story hall and dozens of rooms. The main hall featured a grand wooden structure with a hip-and-gable roof covered in green glazed tiles, resplendent and magnificent, specifically designed for storing books. In winter, Yelü Bei and Gao Meiren moved here to live, which is why later generations called this place the “Glazed Temple.” This Wanghaitang was the largest private library of the Liao Dynasty and also the place with the most books in the northern minority regions of China at that time. Many of the books were rare first editions and fine copies that were already scarce even then. Even Han Chinese scholars from the Later Tang Dynasty greatly admired and praised it, making Lüshan Mountain a major cultural center of the Liao Dynasty.

The original Wanghaitang building was burned down when the Jin Dynasty conquered the Liao Dynasty, but its ruins remain. Judging from the remaining column bases and brick and tile components, the original construction was massive in scale and imposing in presence. Building at such a perilous location — the very top of steep cliffs and high peaks, and transporting materials along narrow mountain paths — shows how arduous the project was, how much thought went into it, and how much labor the workers endured. It can be considered a miracle in the architectural history of the Liao Dynasty. The Glazed Temple below the peak no longer exists either, but its ruins remain. A well in front of the temple is the same one used for drinking water back then. Its water is cool and sweet, and it does not dry up even during droughts. There is also a large stone trough, a relic from the Liao Dynasty, which experts have identified as a ritual vessel used in front of Xianling Mausoleum. The nearby Gao Meiren’s temporary palace, located not far northeast of Wanghaitang, now also exists only as ruins.

Standing on the ruins of the Dawanghai Temple, you are at the highest point, looking down upon the surrounding mountains. Thousands of peaks and valleys stretch out beneath your feet. The verdant pines and cypresses spread out like a lawn, instantly broadening your horizons. “When I stand atop the highest peak, all other mountains appear small” — you truly feel as if you are in the heavens. On rainy or cloudy days, white clouds drift around the mountains, and mist rises from beneath your feet. As the wind blows the clouds, the undulating sea of fog resembles surging waves; the peaks, scattered and jutting out, look like islands emerging and disappearing amid the mist, creating a hazy, mysterious scene like an exquisite painting. In winter, when the mountains are covered in a silver blanket, climbing to the peak offers a view of a world blanketed in white — truly “adorned in silver, extraordinarily enchanting.” Appreciating this northern landscape brings a unique kind of joy.

Ancient poets wrote about Wanghaitang, such as: “Yellow clouds and white sun, both vast and vague; Yelü hid his books here in secret store; If I could read ten thousand volumes through, I’d lie and watch the East Sea age and endure.” The Qing Dynasty poet Yang Qi also wrote: “The foremost peak of Beizhen’s Wulu Mountain, only woodcutters and herders speak of Liao palaces; Back then Yelü was steeped in literature and history, rivaling Prince Zhaoming’s famed library.” There are also poems praising Yelü Bei’s “relinquishing of the throne”: “Skilled in both strategy and letters, why hold court’s reins tight? Swept through Fuyu’s lands with armies in might, Ten thousand treasured scrolls in Wanghaitang alight. Relinquished rule like Wu Taibo’s noble flight, Floated home with classics, like Jiagu’s light. Let younger brother take the throne’s bright grace, Filial piety and sorrow long show their face.”