Cao’e Temple

Cao’e Temple

Cao’e Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Located on the west bank of the Cao’e River in Bai Guan Town, Shangyu District, Shaoxing City. In May of the second year of the Han’an era during the Eastern Han Dynasty (143), Cao’e drowned herself in the river to save her father. In the first year of the Yuanjia era (151), County Magistrate Du Shang buried her by the roadside on the southern bank and erected a memorial stele. In the eighth year of the Yuanyou era (1093), her tomb was moved from the northern bank to the southern bank. The current temple was rebuilt in the 23rd year of the Republic of China (1934) on the original site, facing east. The central axis includes a gate tower, main hall, rear hall, and multi-storied pavilion; the north axis features the Cao’e Stele, Twin Cypress Pavilion, and Cao’e Tomb; the south axis consists of a mountain gate, theater stage, Earth God Shrine, and Dongyue Hall. The beams, brackets, and doors/windows inside the halls are mostly exquisitely carved with openwork designs. It is a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Cao’e Temple, formerly also known as Lingxiao Temple or Filial Daughter Temple, is a commemorative structure built to honor Cao’e, a filial daughter from Shangyu during the Eastern Han Dynasty. After several relocations, expansions, and renovations, the temple now features a rigorously laid out, well-arranged, and grand architectural style.

Cao’e Temple faces east and backs onto Phoenix Mountain, overlooking the Cao’e River, covering an area of 6,000 square meters with a construction area of 3,840 square meters. The main structures are distributed along three axes. The north axis has three bays and includes: a stone memorial archway, Drinking Pavilion, stele corridor, Twin Cypress Pavilion, and Cao’e Tomb; the central axis has five bays and includes: a screen wall, Imperial Stele Pavilion, mountain gate, theater stage, main hall, and Temple of Lord Cao; the south axis has three bays and includes: mountain gate, theater stage, Earth God Shrine, Shen Gong Shrine, theater stage, Dongyue Hall, and King Yama Hall.

With nearly two thousand years of cultural accumulation, Cao’e Temple boasts high artistic value and is renowned both in China and abroad for its “four excellences”: carving, murals, couplets, and calligraphy. The main hall is the primary place for people to pay respects and commemorate the filial daughter Cao’e. It is situated at the center of the entire temple complex, standing 18 meters tall, 21 meters wide, and 25 meters deep, with a flush gable roof. The central and side bays feature raised-beam construction, while the end bays have through-tenon walls. The four central golden columns are 15 meters tall and 0.6 meters in diameter, made of iron-hard wood imported from Southeast Asia, known as copper-willow wood. The three outward-curving canopy layers not only facilitate the reduced-column construction method structurally—increasing spatial capacity—but also create a solemn and respectful atmosphere for visitors.

The Warm Pavilion is located in the center of the main hall, exquisite and resplendent, radiating a majestic aura. Originally, a warm pavilion referred to a small, partitioned room used by noblewomen or young ladies to keep warm, separated from the main house. In ancient government halls, the area below the case table with a base, a screen at the back, and partitions on the sides was also called a warm pavilion. This Warm Pavilion stands 6.5 meters tall, featuring a three-bay, six-pillar hip-and-gable double-eave design, with yellow glazed tiles on the roof. The roof is adorned with round carvings of the Eight Immortals, including Iron-Crutch Li, Han Zhongli, and Han Xiangzi. The purlins and lintels are decorated with brackets, finished with gold trim, and several layers of openwork flower panels are installed below. The two central columns feature entwined dragons descending, facing each other with awe-inspiring expressions. The filial daughter Cao’e sits regally within, dressed in phoenix crown and ceremonial robes, full of vitality.

The rear hall, also known as the Temple of Lord Cao or Parents’ Hall, historically enshrined statues of Cao’e’s parents. It was built by Prefect Wang Gang in the 17th year of the Jiading era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1224 AD). In the 6th year of the Chunyou era (1246 AD), Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty posthumously honored Cao’e’s parents as “He Ying Hou” (Lord of Harmony and Response) and “Qing Shan Fu Ren” (Lady of Joyful Virtue).

The structure of the rear hall is largely similar to that of the main hall, except for the twenty-two vermilion-painted doors that are thick and solemn, with a unique charm. The central bay features a three-panel, six-door design, while the side and end bays have two-panel, four-door arrangements. The upper sections of the doors have finely crafted circular lattice cores, and the lower sections are covered with richly detailed bas-reliefs and decorative panels. Particularly notable is the central window panel in the main bay, where the carving breaks away from traditional themes, drawing inspiration from Tang poetry, reflecting the artisans’ exceptional craftsmanship and profound cultural knowledge.

In the first year of the Yuanjia era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (151 AD), Cao’e County Magistrate Du Shang reported Cao’e’s filial act to the imperial court, which honored her as a filial daughter and erected a stele in her memory. The inscription was written by Handan. This stele was lost in ancient times.

In the second year of the Dongjin’s Shengping era (358 AD), Wang Xizhi visited the temple to write an inscription for the Cao’e Stele, with the text engraved by Wu Maoxian of Xin’an. The silk manuscript of this inscription is now housed in the Liaoning Museum, bearing inscriptions by Xu Sengquan, Man Qian, and Huai Chong from the Liang Dynasty, as well as signatures by Han Yu and Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty.

The existing Cao’e Stele was rewritten by Cai Bian, son-in-law of Wang Anshi, in the eighth year of the Yuanyou era (1093 AD). The stele is 2.3 meters tall and 1 meter wide, in semi-cursive script, with powerful and fluid brushstrokes. It holds a significant position in the history of Chinese calligraphy. Having survived for a thousand years, it is extremely precious.

The Twin Cypress Pavilion was a hall where high-ranking officials and nobles held memorial ceremonies in front of Cao’e’s tomb. It was built by Prefect Wang Gang in the 17th year of the Jiading era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1224 AD), and named after two cypress trees planted in front of the pavilion upon its completion. The original plaque with the name “Twin Cypress Pavilion” was inscribed by the famous calligrapher Zhang Jizhi.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) announced Cao’e Temple as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Admission

15.00 RMB

Opening Hours

08:00~17:00

Location

Xiaonümiao Village, Outer Ring South Road, Shangyu City, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province

Xiaonümiao Village: Located by the Cao’e River in Shangyu District, Xiaonümiao Village sits on the alluvial plain of the Cao’e River. It borders E’yi Neighborhood Committee to the north, the Cao’e River to the east, Shangsha Village to the south, and the Xiao-Shao Inland River to the west. The village is named after the historic and world-renowned Cao’e Temple, known as the “Number One in the South of the Yangtze,” hence the name “Xiaonümiao Village” (Filial Daughter Temple Village).

Before 1984, it was under the jurisdiction of Bai Guan Commune in Shangyu County, known as Jianxin Brigade. After the separation of government and commune in 1984, it came under the administration of Bai Guan Town People’s Government and was renamed “Xiaonümiao Village.”

Until 2000, after the establishment of Cao’e Subdistrict, the village came under the jurisdiction of Cao’e Subdistrict Office... More details about Xiaonümiao Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units