Yangzhou Qionghua Temple

Yangzhou Qionghua Temple

Yangzhou Qionghua Temple is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a Yangzhou municipal cultural heritage protection unit.

Yangzhou Qionghua Temple

As a millennia-old Taoist temple that has experienced prosperity and decline, Qionghua Temple has finally reappeared in a fresh new form. Though there are no resident Taoist priests now, and no statues are enshrined in the main hall, it remains a well-known Taoist temple and a celebrated historical-cultural relic, holding a revered place in people's minds. The legendary thousand-year-old Qionghua flower, praised as "the one flower of Yangzhou, without equal anywhere in the world," welcomes guests from all over with its matchless beauty.

During the Ming Dynasty, Yangzhou Prefect Wu Xiu built the Jade Emperor Pavilion within the temple. This three-story structure was grand and magnificent, offering a panoramic view of the entire city from its upper levels. By the Qing Dynasty, Qionghua Temple had gradually fallen into decline. By the Republican era, most buildings within Fanli Temple (another name for the site) had been destroyed in a great fire. The current Fanli Temple was reconstructed starting in 1993 with funding from the Yangzhou municipal government. The three-year project cost 18 million yuan. The rebuilt temple still faces south. The stone memorial archway in front of the temple was built during the Ming Dynasty, made of coarse rice-colored stone, with two round-based, square-topped stone pillars on either side resembling ornamental columns. They are carved with the shapes of the sun and moon—the left carved as the red crow, symbolizing the sun, and the right as the jade rabbit, symbolizing the moon. The gatehouse consists of three bays, with a stone plaque embedded above inscribed with the characters “Fanli Temple,” written by Liu Daguan of the Qing Dynasty. Behind it lies a three-bay single-eave mountain gate hall with traditional ethnic architectural style. The main hall inside the temple is a five-bay, double-eave structure built atop a high stone platform, known as the “Three Pure Ones Hall.” The platform is surrounded by white stone railings, and in front of the hall stand two ginkgo trees. On both sides of the stone stairway leading to the platform are one dragon claw locust tree and two Qionghua flowers each. A central pathway runs from the temple gate to the main hall, featuring an old elm tree in the middle and four Qionghua flowers planted on each side. Along both the east and west sides of the pathway are two-story antique-style corridor buildings. Behind the main hall, in the back garden beyond the enclosing wall, you’ll find charming bridges over flowing water, winding stele corridors, uniquely shaped Qionghua platforms, and the peerless Wushuang Pavilion—all exquisitely crafted and embodying the essence of classic Jiangnan garden design, making it a truly enchanting place that captivates all who visit.

Historical records indicate that during the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns of the Qing Dynasty, two generations of Zhang Tianshi (Celestial Masters of the Orthodox Unity sect) passed away at Fanli Temple, which is why the site is regarded as a sacred place by the Orthodox Unity school of Taoism. In many ancient novels, Qionghua Temple is depicted as a dwelling place of immortals or a retreat for reclusive sages. In Ming-era novels such as The Romance of Emperor Yang of Sui and The Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the magical tales of Emperor Yang and the Qionghua flower are vividly described. Qing Dynasty writings often recount how reclusive martial artists or mysterious hermits lived in seclusion at Qionghua Temple. Wu Jingzi, author of The Scholars, often lingered near the Qionghua platform in his later, destitute years, mourning his own difficult life as he likened it to the fate of the Qionghua flower. His nephew, Jin Zhaoyan, wrote a poem describing this scene: “Lofty Qionghua platform, lush holly branches. With you I pluck the cold twigs, tears falling like threads.”

Address: No. 360, Wenchang Middle Road, Guangling District, Yangzhou

Type: Taoist Temple

Recommended Visiting Time: About 1 hour

Opening Hours: 8:00–17:00

Ticket Information: Door Price: Starting from 5.0 RMB

Peak Season (March–May, September–December): 8 RMB; Off-Peak Season (January–February, June–August): 5 RMB.

Further Reading:

· First to Third Batches of Yangzhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Units