Baoqing Dongyue Temple

Baoqing Dongyue Temple

Baoqing Dongyue Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Dongyue Temple

Also known as Tianqi Temple, it is located east of Taiqing Palace and is an independent temple. It is the only one among Taoist religious sites referred to as a “temple,” and the only ancient building that has survived within the expansive architectural complex of Taiqing Palace. This temple is dedicated to the worship of the God of Mount Tai—Dongyue Dadi. The temple faces south with its back to the north, featuring a three-bay mountain gate, seven side rooms on each of the east and west sides, and a main hall consisting of five bays. It is built with brick and wood, featuring gray walls and round windows. The main hall, which has five bays, is a structure from the Song Dynasty that was renovated during the Yuan Dynasty and further restored in the 18th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is a rare example of a Song Dynasty brick-and-wood structure hall in Anhui Province. The temple has now been restored and reinforced to its original appearance. Inside the hall, over 20 stone tablets from the Yuan to the Ming and Qing dynasties are displayed, commemorating the construction and renovation of Taiqing Palace. Among them are the notable “Stone Tablet for the Imperial Construction of Tianjing Palace” by Yuan Dynasty Hanlin academician Zhang Qiyang, the restoration tablet and the “Ancient Meteor Garden” stone plaque by Ming Dynasty’s Fang Zhenru, fragments inscribed with “Imperial Construction” and “Birth of the Primordial Chaos,” a dragon-coiled tablet finial, large stone bridge arch rings, a large number of Han Dynasty bricks, and more. It is a Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit of Anhui Province.