Wenyuan Shrine in Jiangxin Temple

Wenyuan Shrine in Jiangxin Temple

Wenyuan Shrine in Jiangxin Temple is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Wenyuan Shrine in Jiangxin Temple (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Song Dynasty

Listed: March 11, 1963

Located on Jiangxin Islet. Wen Tianxiang (1236–1283), courtesy name Lüshan, art name Wenshan, was a renowned literary figure and statesman of the Southern Song Dynasty. In the second year of the Dehe era (1276) of the Southern Song, he served as Right Chancellor and concurrently as the Privy Council President. He was appointed to negotiate with the Yuan army but was captured. After escaping, he traveled to Wenzhou and stayed on Jiangxin Islet for a month, leaving behind the poem “Lodging at Zhongchuan Temple on My Way North.” In the 18th year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1482), a shrine was built in his memory. The current shrine was reconstructed during the Qing Dynasty. It is a courtyard-style wooden structure facing south, with three bays and two courtyards, flanked by corridor rooms. The front section is the entrance hall with a flush gable roof. The main hall in the rear courtyard features a hanging gable roof. At the center of the main hall stands a seated statue of Wen Tianxiang, with murals on both sides depicting episodes from his life. The corridors and the front eaves corridor of the main hall display 22 stone tablets inscribed with poems—four poems by Wen Tianxiang himself and 18 inscribed with later generations’ commemorative verses.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units