Wuzhen Taoist Temple

Wuzhen Taoist Temple

Wuzhen Taoist Temple is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Wuzhen Taoist Temple is located southeast of the Holidome Commercial District in Xiangcheng District, Suzhou, to the east of Renmin Road’s northern extension, west of Dongyuyao Road, and north of Yangchenghu West Road. It is a tranquil place of spiritual practice nestled within a prime urban location. Built in the third year of the Chunxi era during the Song Dynasty, it has a history of over 800 years. The temple primarily enshrines Gu Kaizhi, a painter from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and was also the retreat of He Zhongli, a Song Dynasty scholar (Taoist name: Suoyi Zhenren), and is a protected cultural relics site.

According to historical accounts, Wuzhen Taoist Temple was first built in the third year of the Chunxi era of the Song Dynasty (1176), and has a history of over 830 years. It primarily enshrines Gu Kaizhi, a painter from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Legend has it that during the Yixi era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Wu region suffered a once-in-a-century severe drought. Gu Kaizhi, a military officer passing through the area, took pity on the people and used military rations to provide relief to the starving population, but was later framed by malicious officials. Upon hearing the news, local residents built a “General’s Temple” out of thatch to commemorate Gu Kaizhi. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the monk Huikong from Jiankang “exhausted all funds raised through alms” to renovate the “General’s Temple.” When Emperor Qianlong visited southern China and toured famous temples and ancient monasteries, he stopped at Yuyao and inscribed a plaque reading “Heroic Spirit Through the Ages.” In the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty, the “General’s Temple” was renamed “Wuzhen Taoist Temple.” In 1986, it was designated as a county-level cultural relics protection unit.