Five Religions Moral Institute

Five Religions Moral Institute

The Five Religions Moral Institute is a cultural relic protection unit of Heilongjiang Province.

The Five Religions Moral Institute is located in Qiqihar City, dating from the Republican era, and is categorized as an important modern historical site and representative building.

The Five Religions Moral Institute is located on the west side of East Fourth Road in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province. Established in the ninth year of the Republic of China (1920), Chen Fuling and others, who were the head of the Charity Association at the provincial capital center, advocated the unification of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam — the "Five Religions as One" — on the grounds that "recently people's hearts have not remained as virtuous as before, and morals have declined." With the mission of "dedicating to disaster relief and moral teachings, and guiding the populace toward harmony," they initiated the establishment of the Five Religions Moral Institute of the provincial capital.

During the preparatory phase, Chen Fuling and eight others raised funds themselves and published books such as "Juku Divination Guide" and "Golden Needle for Saving the World’s Morals." The Five Religions Moral Institute was built in Tianshen Hutong, with Chen Fuling serving as the director, Huang Hailou and Yu Sihua as deputy directors, and Leng Maosheng as the general manager.

That year, Leng Maosheng and Wu Zuochen, among others, transported dozens of trainloads of grain raised by the institute to disaster areas in Shandong to aid victims. In recognition, the Shandong Disaster Relief Commissioner awarded the Bukui Taoist Institute a plaque inscribed with “Benefiting the Masses.”

In 1930, after the death of Yu Sihua, the succeeding director, Huang Hailou took over as director and published the book "Juku Divination Guide," later releasing another book titled "Saving the World’s Morals."

In the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), a new institute building was constructed at No. 19, Yonghe Hutong, Xinglong Street. This new building was a three-courtyard structure made of blue brick, tile, and wood, divided into eleven sections: the Main Courtyard, Proclamation Courtyard, Altar Courtyard, Scripture Courtyard, Battle Courtyard, Painting Courtyard, Lingxu Pavilion (divided for men and women), Scripture Storage Tower, and the main gate. The mountain gate featured intricate brick carvings of dragons and phoenixes, elaborately carved and painted beams and eaves, upturned roof ridge ornaments in various lively forms, and above the inner archway hung a plaque inscribed with “Source of All Religions.” The second gate had four large pillars, with bells hanging under the flying eaves, and blue brick flower walls on both sides. The main hall was a two-story building with a sign reading “Free Porridge from the Institute” at the entrance, and inside there was a porridge shelter providing charity and relief to the people. The Five Religions Moral Institute embodied the concept of unifying Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam, becoming a charitable institution in the provincial capital that guided people toward virtue. In 1935, the institute raised over 190,000 yuan, laying the foundation for the construction of the Mahayana Temple.

After the liberation of Qiqihar City, the Five Religions Moral Institute was disbanded. The site was later used as a junior normal school and a municipal administrative cadre school. It later became residential housing, and due to the high number of Korean residents, it was commonly known as the Korean Compound. The buildings were converted into homes, consisting of six structures — two main houses and four wing rooms — with a total floor area of 1,067.92 square meters, including a two-story main house.

In 2002, during the demolition and renovation of the area, the municipal government decided to protect the site and prepared to restore the original historic buildings. The institute is now listed by the Qiqihar Municipal Government as a municipal-level key cultural relic protection unit.

In 2012, renewed investment was made to restore this iconic historic building of Qiqihar — the Five Religions Moral Institute.

On January 31, 2005, the Five Religions Moral Institute was announced as part of the fifth batch of cultural relic protection units of Heilongjiang Province.