Shout Mountain Sheng'an Palace

Shout Mountain Sheng'an Palace

Sheng'an Palace is situated at the top of Shout Mountain in Wuxi. During the reign of Emperor Yuan of Han, three Taoist brothers from Shaanxi—surnamed Mao—collected herbs on Shout Mountain to cure illnesses for the local people, earning widespread admiration from nearby residents. They later built the Hall of the Three Sovereign Maos on the mountain, followed by other structures such as the Hall of Zhenwu, the Hall of Lingxiao, the Hall of Guanyin, the Hall of Dizang, and the Hall of Guan Yu. This gave rise to an enduring tradition of holding a temple fair on the 18th day of the third lunar month, which remains unchanged to this day.

At the mountaintop lies the Hall of Zhenwu. In the past, there were three halls stretching from the foot to the peak of the mountain. Local people would come to offer incense and hold celebrations on the 18th day of the third lunar month. This tradition originates from the legend of the Three Sovereign Maos of Taoism from the Western Han Dynasty arriving at Shout Mountain. The three Mao brothers were originally from Xianyang, Shaanxi. The eldest, Mao Ying, was born in the early Western Han period. Intelligent and studious, he cultivated himself spiritually and once secluded himself in Mount Heng of the Northern Sacred Mountain for 30 years to practice Taoism. His two younger brothers, Mao Gu (the second) and Mao Zhong (the third), also resigned from their official positions, sought out their elder brother in the mountains, and together sailed through Jiyang (Jiangyin), ascended Lishan (Huishan), and reached the mountaintop to practice Taoism.

In those days, there was a plague, and the three Mao brothers gathered herbs on Shout Mountain to treat the sick, earning great respect from the local people. As a result, a folk tale spread in Wuxi about the three Mao brothers from Jiangyin who practiced Taoism on Huishan and healed the people on Shout Mountain. Later, the three brothers moved to Juru (present-day Maoshan in Jurong). The people of Wuxi revered the three Mao brothers as the Three Sovereign Maos and established temples to worship them. On Shout Mountain, the Seven Clouds Monastery was built (named after Shout Mountain’s former name, Seven Clouds Mountain, hence the Seven Clouds Taoist Temple).

The current Hall of Zhenwu in Sheng'an Palace enshrines the Three Lords of Maoshan. Its couplet reads: “The Mao Lords of the Han Dynasty attained enlightenment and cultivated truth on Juru; The Nine Heavens’ Life Controller manifested in various forms on Hou Peak. Of the hundred thousand pilgrims, only the virtuous may discern right from wrong—those who defy filial piety shall not see me. Even half-hearted worshippers may gain merit, but only the filial children are truly blessed by you.”