Shenyang Taiping Temple (Xibo Ethnic Family Temple)

Shenyang Taiping Temple (Xibo Ethnic Family Temple)

Shenyang Taiping Temple (Xibo Ethnic Family Temple) is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Taiping Temple is located on Huangsi Road in Heping District, Shenyang City, about a hundred meters south of Shisheng Temple. Built in the 46th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1707), it was originally the Xibo ethnic family temple and is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Xibo people (English: Sibe people) are an ancient ethnic group with a long history among China’s ethnic minorities. Originally inhabiting the northeastern region of China, some Xibo people were relocated westward to Xinjiang during the Qianlong era by the Qing court to strengthen the local population. Today, most Xibo people reside in Liaoning Province (70.2%) as well as in the Xibo Autonomous County of Qapqal and counties such as Huocheng and Gongliu in Xinjiang. Scattered communities can also be found in Shenyang, Donggang, Kaiyuan, Yixian, Beizhen, Xinmin, Fengcheng, and Fuyu in the northeast, as well as in the Nenjiang River basin of Heilongjiang Province and eastern Inner Mongolia.

The Xibo language belongs to the Manchu-Tungusic branch of the Altaic language family, specifically the Manchu subgroup [2]. It is a language developed from Manchu and is very close to it. The Xibo script was created in 1947 with slight modifications to the Manchu script. Xibo people in Xinjiang maintain their native language and script while also using Chinese, Uyghur, and Kazakh. Xibo people in the northeast share similar language, food, and housing customs with the Han Chinese.

Constructed in the 46th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1707 AD) with funding from the Xibo people living in Shengjing, the temple initially had only five main hall rooms. Through generations of maintenance and expansion, it gradually grew into a sizable temple complex. Taiping Temple faces south and consists of two courtyards. The temple mainly enshrines statues of Sakyamuni, the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, and the Four Heavenly Kings. In the center of the main hall hangs a gilded plaque inscribed with the four large characters “Xibo Family Temple,” which was donated in the Xianfeng era by the Xibo ethnic assistant commander Sepukange, who was stationed in Shengjing. Originally, there were stone steles in both Xibo and Chinese scripts erected in front of the main hall, but now only the Xibo script stele remains. The stele details the historical facts of the Xibo people’s migration and incorporation into the Eight Banners, as well as the founding process of Taiping Temple.

After the liberation, the Shenyang Municipal People’s Government funded the restoration of Taiping Temple and designated it as a Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1985. At the same time, the stone steles recording the history of Taiping Temple and the Xibo people were listed as Class One National Cultural Relics and are now housed in the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum.

On May 25, 2006, the Xibo Ethnic Family Temple was approved by the State Council for inclusion in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Protected area: Within 10 meters east and north, 3 meters south, and 20 meters west of the outer wall foundation of the central hall.

Construction control zone: The area extending from the protected boundaries to the currently restored family temple walls is classified as a Category III construction control zone.

Attraction address: No. 2, Lane 178, Huangsi Road, Heping District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province

Transportation: In Shenyang City, you can take bus routes 329, 114, 399, 159, etc., to reach the site.