Mingjiao Temple

Mingjiao Temple

Mingjiao Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Mingjiao Temple is located in Huangdian Village, Huankou Town. Built during the Tang Dynasty, it sits to the east of the village. The temple complex is grand and spacious, featuring over ten various rooms and housing nine practicing monks, with Master Wuxian as the abbot. To the north of the village are Yule Nunnery and Qiyun Taoist Temple (with existing inscriptions documenting their history), both supported by the Li family (at that time, the village was called Lizhuang). During the Five Dynasties period, Li Guangyi and Li Liangbi, father and son, both achieved the rank of imperial scholar. Li Guangyi served as Court Gentleman for Consultation in the Later Han Dynasty, while Li Liangbi rose to the position of Observation Commissioner and Military Governor in the Northern Song Dynasty. Li Liangbi’s son, Li Ruogu, governed Kaifeng Prefecture, was appointed as Vice Grand Councilor, and was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Tutor with the posthumous name “Kangjing.” Li Liangbi’s grandson, Li Shu, governed Hezhong Prefecture and was posthumously honored as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. Li Shu’s eldest son, Li Shoupeng, served as Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner of the Ministry of Revenue, while his second son, Li Fugui, governed Jingnan after serving as a reviser at the Hall of Collective Wisdom. As the Li family’s prominence grew, so did Mingjiao Temple, reaching its zenith. During the Liao Dynasty’s Chongxi era (1032–1055), the Li family declined in numbers while the Pan family flourished, leading to the village being renamed Panjiazhuang. By the late Yuan Dynasty, due to the area’s low-lying terrain and repeated severe flooding that submerged many fields, the population gradually dwindled. Consequently, the Pan family also dispersed, leaving behind what locals later referred to as the “Pan Family Mound.” In the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1398), migrants from Shanxi settled here. At the time, the location served as a crossroads: east to Pei County, west to Jinxiang County, south to Feng County and Dangshan County, and north to Yutai County and Jining Prefecture. Taking advantage of this strategic transport hub, settlers established homes and formed a nearly two-li-long north-south street. The village hosted guildhalls from various regions, with the Shanxi Guildhall being the largest. It included a pawnshop, a brewery, and more. Together with locally operated distilleries, oil mills, shops, and restaurants, there were as many as 72 businesses (72 wells remain as evidence; according to historical records, only larger businesses had their own private wells at the time). Among the migrants, the Huang family was the most numerous. Aside from trade, they mainly ran guesthouses. Over time, “Huang’s Guesthouse” became widely known and eventually gave the village its name, commonly shortened to Huangdian. Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty traveled to the south, he passed through this place and, seeing its fertile land and prosperous economy, spent the night at a particularly clean guesthouse. Pleased with the attentive service of the host, the emperor asked for the owner’s surname upon departure and was told it was Huang. Delighted, Emperor Qianlong remarked, “Your Huang’s Guesthouse is excellent!” When the villagers learned that the emperor had visited, they flocked to the guesthouse to offer congratulations.

From then on, Huangdian gained widespread fame. Mingjiao Temple and Qiyun Taoist Temple also became well-known for being located in the village, with records found in various editions of the Feng County Annals from the Ming and Qing dynasties. By the early years of the Republic of China, social unrest and rampant banditry made life difficult for residents. Coupled with changes in transportation routes, Huangdian declined, and Mingjiao Temple fell into disuse.

Huangdian Village: Located 9 kilometers northwest of Huankou Town.

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