Tianfei Palace Guanyin Temple in Nanjing

Tianfei Palace Guanyin Temple in Nanjing

Tianfei Palace Guanyin Temple in Nanjing is a cultural tourism attraction.

There are mainly three Tianfei Palaces in Nanjing: one is located on the north bank of the Shangxin River outside Jiangdong Gate, another is at Dasheng Pass outside Ande Gate, and this refers to the “Palace of the Holy and Compassionate Heavenly Consort” at the foot of Lion Mountain outside Yifeng Gate in Xiaguan. It is also known as Longjiang Tianfei Temple, Xiaguan Tianfei Palace, or simply Tianfei Palace. According to the "Records of Jianling Xuanguan," the Tianfei Palace was built along the mountainside, extending to the foot of the mountain, with the Longjiang White Palace flowing in front. The palace complex includes a main hall, rear hall, covered corridors, the Hall of Three Pure Ones, and the Jade Emperor Pavilion, and banyan trees were planted behind the palace. Among them, the side corridors on the west side depict the maritime wonders encountered by Zheng He during his voyages. The Jade Emperor Pavilion and the bejeweled canopy towers of the palace are tall enough to be seen from the river, complementing the distant and nearby sails.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, as the court strengthened its ties with overseas regions and diplomatic missions became more frequent, activities to pray for safe sea voyages and to worship the sea goddess Tianfei grew increasingly popular. Records document how Zheng He repeatedly prayed for the Heavenly Consort’s aid during his missions to the Western Seas, miraculously turning peril into safety. For example, the "Imperial Record of Great Ming Politics" and the "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty" state: “In the ninth month of the fifth year of the Yongle reign (1407), the Longjiang Tianfei Temple was completed. The Minister of Rites Zhu Zhuo was ordered to conduct the consecration ceremony. The eunuch Zheng He returned from his mission to countries such as Calicut and Malacca, reporting that the deity had frequently responded to prayers, hence this order was issued.” After the temple’s completion, “on the fifteenth day of the first month and the twenty-third day of the third month each year, officials from the Nanjing Ministry of Rites were dispatched to conduct sacrifices.” Additionally, according to the "Veritable Records of the Yongle Emperor" and the "Brief Records of Meizhou Isle," in the first month of the seventh year of Yongle (1409), the emperor conferred the title “Protector of the Nation and People, Miraculous and Responsive, Holy and Compassionate, Broadly Benevolent and Protectively Aidful Tianfei” upon the goddess, and bestowed a plaque upon this temple. In the fourth month of the fourteenth year of Yongle (1416), Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di composed and erected the “Imperial Stele of the Holy and Compassionate Broadly Benevolent Tianfei Palace” within the temple.

Regarding the original construction date of Tianfei Palace, due to discrepancies in historical records, opinions vary. One view holds that it was built in the fifth year of Yongle, upon Zheng He’s return from his first voyage to the Western Seas; another suggests it was constructed in the fourteenth year of Yongle, when Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di personally inscribed the stele. According to the "Imperial Stele of the Holy and Compassionate Broadly Benevolent Tianfei Palace," after describing the temple as “built outside the capital, above the Longjiang River, to enshrine the deity and offer thanks,” it further states, “Since then, the deity has shown even more auspicious responses, surpassing previous blessings... Therefore, these events are recorded, and this stele is erected in the palace.” This indicates that the temple and the stele were not constructed at the same time; logically, the temple came first, followed by the stele. In the ninth month of the fifth year of Yongle, just as the Tianfei Palace was completed, Zheng He safely returned from his first long voyage to the Western Seas. After hearing how the fleet was protected by the Heavenly Consort and escaped disaster during the journey, Emperor Chengzu immediately sent officials to the newly completed Tianfei Palace to conduct sacrifices “to worship the deity and offer thanks.” Because numerous miraculous responses of the Heavenly Consort were reported after the palace's completion, and her divine merits were considered even greater than before, Emperor Chengzu personally composed the stele text in the fourteenth year of Yongle and erected it in the Tianfei Palace. Prior to that, in the seventh year of Yongle, the emperor had already bestowed an honorary plaque upon the palace, proving that the Tianfei Palace was completed well before the fourteenth year of Yongle. Therefore, the completion date of the Tianfei Palace should be the ninth month of the fifth year of Yongle.

The "Imperial Stele of the Holy and Compassionate Broadly Benevolent Tianfei Palace," also known as the "Tianfei Palace Stele," is the largest surviving stone engraving related to Zheng He’s voyages to the Western Seas in China. The stele stands 4.63 meters tall, 1.51 meters wide, and 0.53 meters thick. Its tortoise-shaped base is partially damaged, with the tortoise itself measuring 1.17 meters tall and the remaining length being 3.10 meters. The stele’s top is inscribed with eleven seal characters reading “Imperial Stele of the Holy and Compassionate Broadly Benevolent Tianfei Palace.” The top features relief carvings of two intertwined dragons, with their heads on either side of the stele, vividly crafted and exquisitely carved. The main body of the stele is inscribed in regular script, comprising 20 lines and a total of 708 characters. Though weathered over time and bearing cracks, most of the characters remain clearly legible, with only a few partly faded.