Suzhou Xiaomaoshan Taoist Temple

Suzhou Xiaomaoshan Taoist Temple

Xiaomaoshan Taoist Temple is located on Xiaomaoshan (a very low hill resembling a mere mound) in Maoshan Village, Dongzhu Town, High-Tech District, Suzhou. It is another heritage site of the Maoshan Sect of Taoism in Suzhou. The area is now within the High-Tech Science City zone, and according to urban planning, the temple will be preserved with surrounding environmental improvements. But according to the abbot, the small temple will be rebuilt in the future to make it even more solemn.

The temple originally had five halls dedicated to the Jade Emperor, three halls for the True Lord, as well as a mountain gate. A local saying goes: “Xiaomaoshan (Taoist Temple) came before Qionglong Shangzhen Guan (Upper True Temple).” It was once hugely popular, and during the birthdays of Taoist deities or temple fairs, devotees flocked here, with incense boats crowding the riverbanks for miles, resembling a fire dragon when viewed from above at night. The nearby village is called Huolongbang (Fire Dragon Pond), named after this spectacle. According to *Records of Visiting Antiquities in the Western Hills of Wujun*, “The lower temple had a True Lord Hall (dedicated to the Three True Lords, Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong), including an incense burner made by Zhu Henghai in the 26th year of Kangxi (1687), another by Yu Junyu, and a bell crafted by Zhu Yunzhong in the Jiawu year of Kangxi (1714).” It was burned down in the 35th year of the Republic of China (1946). Qing Dynasty poet Pan Zunqi wrote in his poem *Xiaomaoshan*: “Hillside flowers bloom, azaleas all around, / The path leads straight to Zhongmao, a trail to be found. / For half a day I sit by Pearl Spring’s light, / Brewing tea with pine winds, a tranquil delight.”

During the Republican era, the temple was managed by Taoist priest Xu Qinsong. After the liberation, only the mountain gate remained until it was destroyed in the early 1970s during the first copper mine prospecting and excavation. At the end of 2000, Xu Zhennian, son of the former Taoist priest Xu Qinsong from Maoshan Village, initiated the reconstruction of the Taoist temple at the original site on the southeastern foot of Xiaomaoshan. It was opened as a subordinate temple to Shangzhen Guan on Qionglong Mountain. Currently, the main hall enshrines the Jade Emperor and is called the Jade Emperor Hall. Other halls include the Guanyin Hall, Sanmao Hall, and Chunyang Hall. Inside the mountain gate are enshrined deities such as the Spirit Officials.

The Three Maos of Taoism refer to Mao Ying (145 BC–?), from Xianyang (now part of Shaanxi), styled Shushen. *Records of Maoshan* and *Biography of the Supreme True Lord Dongyue Shangqing Zhenjun* state that in his youth, he practiced Taoism on Mount Heng, exhibiting extraordinary conduct, later retreating to Mount Gouqu (now known as Maoshan, located in Jurong, Zhenjiang, southern Jiangsu). He mastered the arts of Qi ingestion and bigu (grain avoidance), and used medical skills to heal people. His younger brothers Mao Gu and Mao Zhong also followed him in Taoist practice, and they were referred to as the Greater, Middle, and Lesser Mao Lords. Prominent immortal registries list the three Mao brothers as the ancestral deities of Maoshan—“the Three True Lords.” Even today, Wudang still has a *Three True Lords Hall*. Mao Ying was recognized as the Zhenjun (True Lord) of the Department of Destiny and the Supreme Official of Dongyue, and revered as the patriarch of the Shangqing Sect of Maoshan. The Maoshan Sect of Taoism primarily studies the *Shangqing Scriptures*, along with the *Three Sovereigns Texts* and *Lingbao Scriptures*. They use talismans and spells to summon spirits, transmit teachings through precepts to disciples, practice dietary restrictions and bigu, and engage in alchemy. The sect flourished in the southern regions during the Sui and Tang dynasties, becoming one of the three major talismanic sects of Taoism.

Transportation Guide

Address: Jinfeng Road, Dongzhu Town, Huqiu District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province

Transit: Take bus No. 310 within Suzhou City and get off at Maoshanqiao South Station.