Temple of Duke Ji

Temple of Duke Ji

The Temple of Duke Ji is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Temple of Duke Ji is a memorial shrine dedicated to Ji Zha, the prince of the Wu Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period. With a long history, it boasts magnificent architecture and splendid statues, making it one of the most renowned temples in southern China.

After declining the throne three times, Ji Zha secluded himself in Yanling and was sent on two diplomatic missions across the Central Plains kingdoms, leaving behind many touching stories such as “hearing music in Lu,” “rescuing Qi Ying,” “hanging his sword at the tomb of Xu,” “burying his son with ritual propriety,” and the division of the Jin state. He avoided farming life in Yanling but contributed greatly to the local community. His noble character, broad knowledge, and wisdom in discerning right from wrong earned him high praise.

He is regarded as the founding ancestor of the Wu clan in China. After his passing, he was buried in Jiuli. To commemorate him, a temple was built on his grave site. As he was enfeoffed in Yanling, he is referred to as “Yanling’s Duke Ji,” and the temple is known as the “Temple of Duke Ji.”

Upon learning of Duke Ji’s virtues, Confucius held him in high esteem and personally composed an epitaph for him: “Alas, here lies the noble man of Yanling from the Wu Kingdom,” inscribed in ten seal script characters on the tombstone—now known as the Duke Ji Stele.

Historical records indicate that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Temple of Duke Ji was already a famous shrine in the south, where local officials would come to offer prayers upon taking office. By the Eastern Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties periods, the temple had grown significantly in scale. Being located just a short distance from Yanling County, it received much attention from local officials. Yin Zhongkan, the governor of Lanling, and Wang Sengshu, the magistrate of Yanling, would come to pay their respects every year and wrote inscriptions highly praising Duke Ji’s character and scholarship. During the Tang Dynasty, both officials and commoners held Duke Ji in great reverence. In the time of Empress Wu Zetian, Prime Minister Di Renjie ordered the destruction of all disorderly temples in the south, yet the Temple of Duke Ji was spared. Thus, the south came to have four renowned temples: those of Tai Bo, Wu Yun, Yu the Great, and Duke Ji. In the Song Dynasty, the temple was further developed with the addition of structures such as a theater stage, corridors, the Confucian Pavilion, the Hall of Yielding, the Tower of the Yielding King, the Chongfu Temple, and upper and lower mountain gates. The temple flourished increasingly. Locals would come here to pray for rain, ward off disasters, seek blessings, or divine the future. During the Northern Song Dynasty, when a severe drought struck the region—rivers and ponds dried up, the land cracked, and crops withered—the governor of Runzhou, Yang Jie, learned of the efficacy of the deity in the Temple of Duke Ji. He composed a prayer for rain and sent officials to conduct a ritual. Within ten days, heavy rains poured down, filling rivers and ponds, reviving the crops, and bringing joy to the people. Yang Jie reported this to the emperor, and Emperor Zhezong, upon hearing the news, was overjoyed and immediately issued an imperial decree posthumously honoring Duke Ji as the “Great Emperor of Noble Virtue,” and the temple as the “Temple of Noble Virtue.”

During the Southern Song Dynasty, due to the widespread reverence for Duke Ji’s virtues, Emperor Ningzong believed that Duke Ji had not been granted a title during his lifetime and thus posthumously conferred upon him the title of “Marquis of Radiant Virtue.” Historical records show that the Temple of Duke Ji was destroyed and rebuilt more than ten times. Thanks to the continuous attention of local officials, the temple grew to an impressive scale, which was quite rare in the south.

During the Ming Dynasty, local officials would gather the people on the 13th day of the fourth lunar month at the Temple of Duke Ji to hold ceremonies before the deity’s statue (this date being Duke Ji’s birthday). As a result, this day became an annual temple fair to honor Duke Ji. During the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, another ceremony was added on the 18th day of the eighth lunar month. With such imperial recognition, the reputation of the Temple of Duke Ji grew even greater. People came to pray for rain, ward off disasters, seek blessings, or divine the future. During the peak pilgrimage seasons in spring and autumn, visitors flocked to the temple, and incense offerings were abundant. Inscriptions in historical records describe scenes of “carriages clashing, shoulders brushing, boats crisscrossing like woven silk.” The saying “Visit Maoshan, circle Jiuli” became a well-known phrase across the Jiangnan region, and the Temple of Duke Ji became even more widely celebrated.

During the Taiping Rebellion, when Taiping troops reached Jiuli, they initially planned to burn down the Temple of Duke Ji. However, after learning of Duke Ji’s virtues, they removed the piled firewood, and the temple was spared.

During the Republican era, amid warlord conflicts and bandit disturbances, life was chaotic, and several corridors of the temple were damaged. With local authorities neglecting the issue, villages had to organize fundraising efforts for repairs, allowing the temple to survive. However, during the Anti-Japanese War in 1939, the temple was completely destroyed in the flames of war. This thousand-year-old heritage site was lost, numerous ancient relics were ruined, and many stone tablets were obliterated—a tragedy for Chinese culture and a tremendous loss to the historical and cultural legacy of Jiuli.

After the liberation, in 1952, the statues in the Temple of Duke Ji were destroyed. During the Cultural Revolution, the cross-shaped stele pavilion and the incense burner were also demolished. The Duke Ji Stele was spared only through the strenuous efforts of the people of Jiuli. In 1982, it was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit.

To promote historical and national culture and revive this thousand-year-old temple, in 1999, the people of Jiuli, with support from higher-level government authorities and funding from all sectors of society, worked together to complete the main hall of the Temple of Duke Ji. On October 23, 2000, the statue of Duke Ji was consecrated, allowing this ancient temple to once again stand proudly before the public. It will welcome more worshippers and descendants of the Wu clan from home and abroad to offer incense, pay homage, and trace their roots. The Temple of Duke Ji will greet you all with a brand-new look.