Tongze Grand Temple

Tongze Grand Temple

Tongze Grand Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Tongze Grand Temple is located at the foot of Lion Mountain on the southern slopes of Siming Mountain in Chenxi Township, our city. The clear, jade-like waters of Daxi Stream flow around the temple, while across the stream stand the towering Twin Stone Bamboo Shoots and Elephant Trunk Cave, set against perilous cliffs and steep terrain. The area features continuous mountain ranges, towering trees, bamboo forests that block out the sun, and the cries of egrets and eagles. This site was chosen for the temple because it is considered a geomantically auspicious location.

The temple enshrines a deity known as the “Tongze Grand Temple Bodhisattva.” Historical records indicate that this so-called “bodhisattva” was actually a renowned and brave general from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods named Ling Gufu, who served under King Goujian of Yue. He was later posthumously honored with the title “General Tongze.” According to historical accounts, in 496 BC during the fierce battle at Aili (present-day Jiaxing, Zhejiang) between Wu and Yue, Ling Gufu charged ahead on horseback and severed King Helü of Wu’s toes with his broadsword, also taking the king’s boots. King Helü, severely wounded and consumed by shame and rage, soon died afterward.

In 494 BC, King Fuchai of Wu launched a military campaign against Yue, leading to a major battle at Fuchiu (Jiao Mountain in Taihu Lake). Yue was defeated and besieged by Wu forces in Kuaiji Mountain. At this critical juncture for Yue’s survival, Ling Gufu was entrusted with an urgent mission. Enduring humiliation and shouldering great responsibility, he relied on his loyalty and strategy to preserve the strength needed to revive Yue and destroy Wu. He resolutely led a group of soldiers, disguised as civilians, to hide in the remote and secluded Chenxi area. There, they cleared land for farming, raised livestock, and secretly trained troops. From then on, Chenxi became the rear base for Yue’s “ten years of population growth and resource accumulation, and ten years of education and training.”

In 482 BC, King Goujian of Yue mobilized the nation’s forces to attack Wu. Ling Gufu led his ten valiant sons and well-trained soldiers in a grand march to the battlefield. They set fire to Sugu City and killed the crown prince of Wu. In 478 BC, Goujian again mustered the nation’s strength to assault Wu, leading to intense fighting at Lize (present-day south of Suzhou), with the two sides confronting each other across the river. In 475 BC, the Yue army advanced to the walls of Gusu City, but the fortified city could not be taken, resulting in a prolonged siege. In 473 BC, Goujian launched another campaign against Wu. By then, the besieged Wu capital of Gusu had been weakened over nearly three years. In November of that year, the Yue army launched a fierce attack and captured the Wu capital. Cornered and filled with remorse, King Fuchai of Wu drew his sword, covered his face, and committed suicide. After 24 years of war, full of twists and turns, Yue finally avenged its national humiliation, returned in triumph, celebrated its victory, and rewarded its heroes. Ling Gufu was posthumously honored as “General Tongze,” becoming the foremost hero in Yue’s revival.

After Yue destroyed Wu, Ling Gufu retired from service and returned to his hometown of Chenxi to spend his twilight years in peace, enjoying family life. Out of gratitude, the people built a temple in his honor. His ten sons were each appointed to one of ten smaller temples scattered across the surrounding Forty-Eight Forts, namely Dashan Qian’gang Temple, Yindi Jiangzhu Temple, Daiwang Meishan Chenggong Temple, Xuling Qingtan Temple, Hongqiao Xuan’an Temple, Panzhai Chenxi Temple, Shifei Temple, Zhuxi Baima Temple, Zhangjialing Shaofu Temple, and Miaoxia Ganxi Temple.

For over two thousand years since its construction, the temple boasted ninety-nine rooms and a double-washing tower. Its painted beams and carved pillars gleamed with golden splendor. During major festivals such as Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival, crowds would flock to the temple to hold various commemorative activities, including opera performances and lantern displays. The temple grounds were bustling with activity.

Tracing back to 1939, in the early stages of the War of Resistance Against Japan, following instructions from the Ning-Shao Special Committee, efforts were made to wage armed struggle by relying on mountainous regions. In response, the Shangyu County Party Working Committee promptly implemented this directive, establishing the Yunan Anti-Japanese Base in Chenxi and situating the headquarters of the County Shanxi Township wartime political work team at Chenxi Grand Temple—the strategic gateway to Dalan Mountain. At that time, Yuan Xiaoling, head of the county political work team, led the people of the Forty-Eight Forts and Nineteen Districts of Yunan in launching vigorous resistance struggles. The temple also served as a logistical support base for the New Fourth Army’s Eastern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column. Surrounding villages, centered on the grand temple, housed wartime military factories such as ordnance manufacturing plants, printing plants, uniform factories, weaving mills, cotton fluffing plants, dyeing mills, and leather workshops, as well as facilities for printing anti-Japanese currency and food ration coupons. It also included a field hospital and Lu Xun Middle School, making significant contributions to the ultimate victory of the war.

After the liberation, Tongze Grand Temple was repurposed as a supply and marketing cooperative and a bamboo product factory. During the Cultural Revolution, known for its slogan of “smashing the old and establishing the new,” the temple was demolished, and historically valuable relics within were destroyed. A cement-structured building was erected in its place for the supply and marketing cooperative.

The current Tongze Grand Temple was reconstructed in 1993 through the voluntary efforts of ten elderly individuals including Feng Zhixian, Cao Hechun, and Wang Guoqiang. After three years of hard work, the project received support from various levels of government, generous donations from the public, strong sponsorship from enterprises, and active labor participation from villagers. This historic site, rich in cultural heritage, has finally been restored to the world. Like an elder standing in quiet dignity, it bears witness to Chenxi’s tumultuous past and the rapidly transforming new rural landscape of today.