Huaguo Mountain Sanyuan Palace

Huaguo Mountain Sanyuan Palace

Huaguo Mountain Sanyuan Palace is a cultural relic protection unit of Lianyungang City.

Sanyuan Palace is located on Huaguo Mountain in Huaguo Mountain Township, Xinpu District, at an altitude of 580 meters.

According to the "Inscription on the Reconstruction of Sanyuan Palace on Yuntai Mountain," "Sanyuan Palace originated in the Tang Dynasty, was rebuilt in the Song Dynasty, and granted imperial recognition in the Ming Dynasty—its history spans a long time!" During the Tang and Song dynasties, Sanyuan Palace was relatively small in scale. It was not until the sixth year of the Chenghua era of Emperor Xianzong of Ming (1645) that Lu Fu’s grandson, who became a monk, raised funds to rebuild and expand the complex. Even then, its scale remained limited. In the fifteenth year of the Wanli era (1587), Xie Chun from Shanyang (present-day Huai’an) sold his family fortune to donate generously for large-scale construction. The project was finally completed in September of the twenty-fourth year of Wanli (1596). In the twenty-second year of Wanli (1594), Empress Dowager Cisheng bestowed upon Sanyuan Palace a set of Buddhist scriptures, three Buddhist paintings, one purple robe, two bolts of brocade, one scroll of sutras, and one silver ingot as a mark of imperial favor. In the thirtieth year of Wanli, Emperor Shenzong granted another set of scriptures and issued an imperial decree to the monks of Sanguan Temple. In the fourth year of the Tianqi era (1624), Kong Jian Gao Jinqing and others were commissioned to renovate Sanyuan Palace, and the emperor named it "Imperially Granted Protective Nation Sanyuan Palace." This marked the peak period of Sanyuan Palace, when its incense offerings attracted up to twenty thousand worshippers. Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty not only personally inscribed the plaque “Distantly Guardian of the Great Current” to be hung in the main hall of Sanyuan Palace but also sent his guard Wuge to offer incense on his behalf. At that time, there were hundreds of monks living in thirty-six separate dwellings. Around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month each year, devout men and women from nearby provinces would flock here, with fireworks and incense burning day and night without ceasing. In 1938, most of Sanyuan Palace’s buildings were destroyed in bombings by the Japanese imperialists.

Sanyuan Palace worships the Three Pure Ones. There are various accounts regarding the Three Pure Ones. Legend has it that the three sons of Chen Guangrui, the top scholar of the Tang Dynasty, attained enlightenment on Yuntai Mountain and respectively became the Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Water Official, revered as the Three Pure Ones, or Three Officials of the Three Realms.

In the courtyard of Sanyuan Palace stands a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, which spreads its branches like a giant umbrella, shading the entire complex. To the west is the Lingguan Hall, with steep steps and an imposing gate tower. To the south is a magnolia tree from the Qing Dynasty, shaped like a flower and resembling a bell.

The Zizaitian (Realm of Freedom) is located to the east, just across a path from the Lingguan Hall. Below it is a gatehouse-style courtyard wall with blue tiles and white walls, offering a simple and pleasant aesthetic. Inside the gate is a small courtyard, with the Guanyin Hall to the north, featuring red pillars and a vermilion gate, exuding a solemn atmosphere. The area around Zizaitian is extremely tranquil. Visitors often feel as though they have entered a "utopia beyond the mundane world," experiencing a sense of ease and leisure. An ancient poem reads, “Upon arriving here, one finds a secluded paradise; fallen petals cover the ground, yet one calls for a child.” This line aptly captures the ambiance of the place.

Standing between Zizaitian and the Lingguan Hall and looking up, you will see the "Fifty-Three Steps" (now seventy-four steps), steep as a heavenly ladder, leading to the reconstructed front gate of Sanyuan Palace at the mountain’s base. With golden tiles and red walls, the structure is majestic. In front of the gate stands a thousand-year-old cypress tree, standing alone with a hollow trunk and gnarled branches at its crown, lush and twisted.

Type: Historical Site / Taoist Temple

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Phone: 0518-85720207

Opening Hours:

Peak season (March 1 – November 30): 7:00–16:30; Off-peak season (December 1 – February 28 of the following year): 8:00–16:00

Ticket Information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the Huaguo Mountain ticket.