Main Hall of Xuanyuan Palace

Main Hall of Xuanyuan Palace

The Main Hall of Xuanyuan Palace is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Main Hall of Xuanyuan Palace is located at the foot of Kujiashan Mountain in Yangwan, Dongshan Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province.

Xuanyuan Palace was first built in the Tang Dynasty. It originally included structures such as a mountain gate, the Temple of Bixia Yuanjun, the Temple of the City God, the Main Hall, and the Temple of the God of Fire. Today, only the majestic Main Hall of Xuanyuan Palace and the Temple of the City God remain. The Main Hall has undergone significant renovations, and inside it houses a granite statue of the Yellow Emperor. The adjacent Temple of the City God has been converted into a stele exhibition room, housing precious stone carvings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Among the exhibits is the Yin Pavilion, created during the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty. It was unearthed in the 1980s in Lucun, Dongshan, and is a wood-imitating stone structure standing 3.58 meters high and 2.5 meters in diameter, with a hexagonal shape. Each of the six sides features stone carvings, with the center serving as a repository for human remains. The first side of the Yin Pavilion is inscribed with “Tomb of Madam Zhou, Wife of Ye Shijing.” This represents a unique form of burial from the Ming Dynasty and is of great value.

The hall faces west toward Taihu Lake. It is three bays wide, nine rafters deep, and over 10 meters tall, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Its wing corners rise elegantly, and the eaves extend far out. The corner pillars are slightly elevated and set at an angle, while the nanmu beams and columns retain a natural form with minimal carving. The front bracket sets use genuine ang, while the rear uses two layers of diagonal braces, preserving the architectural styles of the Tang and Song dynasties. The central bay features the main hall door, flanked by lattice windows styled like huanmen. The side bays have straight lattice windows shaped like pot doors, while the rear eaves have windows only in the central bay. The outer column capitals feature obvious entasis and upward tilt. The columns are connected by pupei lintels and lan’e beams, with their ends decorated in an arc-shaped “Overlord Fist” motif. Except for the central bay, the column bases resemble the towering ?-shaped bases of the Jinniu Tianning Temple Hall, with stone Sumeru pedestals between them. The brackets beneath the eaves are similar to those of the Jinhua Tianning Temple Hall. The hall’s interior design reflects the “Moon Beam Eight-Rafters House with Double Breast Summer Beams” style described in the Yingzao Fashi.

The existing Main Hall was rebuilt in the fourth year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1344). The hall faces west, is three bays wide, eight rafters deep, and features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with gray tubular tiles. Its upturned eaves extend far out, and the ridge ends are adorned with chiwei ornaments. The gable boards are broad, and the hanging fish ornaments are small. The front platform has four stepped ramps, the central bay has four-panel lattice doors, the side bays have straight lattice windows shaped like pot doors, and the rear eaves have windows only in the central bay. The outer column capitals show clear signs of entasis and upward tilt. The columns are linked by pufei lintels and lan’e beams, with their ends decorated in an arc-shaped “Overlord Fist” motif. Except for the central bay, the column bases resemble the towering ?-shaped bases of the Jinhua Tianning Temple Hall, with stone Sumeru pedestals between them. The eaves brackets include a 5-degree ang, whose tail intersects with the inner brackets of the side bays, reaching the lower purlin joint. The rear of the old corner beam extends beyond the middle purlin.

The interior structure follows the classic “Moon Beam Eight-Rafters House with Double Breast Summer Beams” model described in the Yingzao Fashi. The secondary beams are arranged in a symmetrical fashion. The beam structures are visible, with mortise-and-tenon joints clearly displayed. The interior features intricate bracketing systems, with various components such as through-tenons, ang, and bracket arms intricately connected. The caisson ceiling is decorated with paintings of coiled dragons, and ink inscriptions can be found on the underside of the nanmu beams.

The Main Hall of Xuanyuan Palace is one of the oldest wooden structures in Suzhou, boasting immense cultural and historical significance. In 2006, as a Yuan Dynasty structure, it was listed in the sixth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Groups of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units