Changchun Temple in Changchun City

Changchun Temple in Changchun City

Changchun Temple is located at No. 68, Songjiayushu South Street, Kuancheng District. The temple enshrines statues of various deities including the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Worthy, the Moral Heavenly Worthy, the Jade Emperor, the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond (also known as the Queen Mother of the West), the Three Officials, the God of Wealth, the Yellow Emperor (Xuanyuan), Lü Dongbin, Guanyin Bodhisattva (also known as Yuantong Zizai Tianzun), Mazu, and the Door Goddess.

Historical Background

Historically, there were more than 170 Taoist temples in the Changchun region, spread across every corner of the city and its surrounding counties, towns, and villages. Taoist followers chanted scriptures and prayed daily, wishing for peace and prosperity in the nation, favorable weather, abundant harvests, the elimination of disasters, and the well-being and longevity of the people. Notably, there were three temples named Changchun Temple. One of them was established in Shaoguo Tun, Shuangyang District, during the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang era by Zheng Jiaoting, the 17th-generation disciple of the Longmen Sect. This temple had five main halls, seven corridor rooms, and enshrined over ten Taoist deities, along with six hectares of temple land. In Meihua Tun, Erdao District, Feng Yongzhi, the 18th-generation disciple of the Longmen Sect, built another Changchun Temple, covering two hectares with four main halls and three resident Taoists. Other notable Taoist temples included: Changchun Filial Piety Tomb, originally located south of the city stadium; Guan Di Temple, situated on Sanpu Street in Old Kuanchengzi, presided over by Taoist priest Liu Ronghong; in Xinli Chengzhen, there were two temples—one being the City God Temple, managed by Taoist Gao Jiaolun, and the other being the Qingyun Temple, managed by Quanzhen Taoist Du Fangfu. In the former suburban area of Leshan Town, there was once a large temple complex consisting of the Goddess Temple, the God of Wealth Temple, the Lüzu Temple, the Jade Emperor Pavilion, and several others, which enjoyed great popularity and attracted numerous worshippers. The large bell in the bell tower was not destroyed until 1984, when local residents smashed and sold it. Additionally, there were the Bao'an Palace and Jianshan Palace in Nong'an County, the Dragon King Temple and Baiyun Temple in Yushu City, the Longquan Palace and Xinglong Temple in Dehui City, and the Qingyun Temple and Taiqing Palace in Jiutai City. However, due to unique historical reasons and various influencing factors, the majority of these temples were demolished, and the few that remained were repurposed, losing their original appearance. Today, none of them exist anymore.