Hall of the True Lord

Hall of the True Lord

The Hall of the True Lord is a cultural tourism attraction.

In the Ming Dynasty, the Hall of the True Lord was called the Temple of the Stone Immortal. It is located on the sunny side of Wozhou Mountain, facing Ming Lake in front. It enshrines General Zong Ze, a famous anti-Jin hero. In the 30th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1904), it was rebuilt with donated funds, costing over 30,000 taels of silver and taking four years to complete. The hall features more than fifty bays, exquisitely constructed and grand in scale, representing a temple that blends Buddhist and Taoist architectural styles.

In recent years, structures within the Hall of the True Lord such as the stage and the central hall have been restored on their original foundations. Additional halls have also been built, including the Sixty Jiazi Hall, the God of Wealth Hall, the Thousand Buddha Hall, the Goddess Hall, and the Guanyin Hall, further enriching the cultural significance of the Hall of the True Lord.

Inside the hall is a stone statue of the True Lord with a solemn red face. A temple fair is held annually on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month. During the fair, folk performances, troupes, divine entertainment, flags, firecrackers, processions, dragon dances, lion dances, palanquins, boat flips, instrumental ensembles, drum towers, back-turning rituals, lotus parades, the Thirty-Six Trades, stilt walking, and square flags are all on display, creating an exceptionally lively atmosphere.

The welcoming ceremony and parade are held as a grand competition every five years. Participants from neighboring counties such as Tiantai, Fenghua, and Yiwu also join in with their own “troupes,” often drawing tens of thousands of attendees, making it a rare spectacle in eastern Zhejiang.

Main Hall: The Hall of the True Lord has endured many trials. The best-preserved main hall features a Fenghuo Mountain-style roof, with a width of three bays and a depth of three bays.

The front eaves are adorned with a pair of suspended carved stone pillars featuring coiled dragons made from Xikeng stone, which are particularly eye-catching. The pillars are 4.3 meters high and 0.5 meters in diameter. Between the dragons, there are suspended carvings depicting the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, finely detailed and lifelike, representing fine examples of stone carving art.

The entire hall showcases exquisite wood, brick, and stone carvings with distinctive local characteristics. Above the brick lintel of the rear hall door is the seal script “Dui Yue” (meaning “to pay homage”), while the walls on both sides feature twelve murals depicting characters and stories from the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin, along with floral designs, all created in grayish tile relief. These works are simple yet elegant, with highly vivid shapes.

The walls of the main hall also feature many exquisite murals based on the Investiture of the Gods and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, all showcasing the talent of folk artists.

At the center of the main hall is enshrined the red-faced, black-bearded, and spirited True Lord Emperor — Zong Ze. Zong Ze was a Song Dynasty anti-Jin marshal who fought the Jin army thirteen times, achieving repeated victories, striking fear into the hearts of the Jin people.

Sixty-Four Sons Hall: The deities enshrined in the Sixty-Four Sons Hall are the 60 presiding deities of the years, arranged according to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. People born in different years can find their own birth deity here. This hall is also called the Tai Sui Hall and belongs to Taoism.

The year of one’s birth is referred to as the “birth celestial stem,” and worshiping the corresponding celestial deity is also called “following the star.” People do this to pray for longevity, health, and good fortune, making this hall a place for blessings as well.

In the center is the Grand Duke of Thunder Tai Sui, Yin Jiao, the youngest son of King Zhou of Shang, who oversees human fortune and misfortune. The sixty Jiazi (60-year cycle) are under his jurisdiction. There is also a folk custom of praying for children here, so it is also known as the Hundred Sons Hall.

God of Wealth Hall: Wozhou Mountain is the 15th blessed land of Taoism. Since the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoist activities have been active here. Over the course of more than a thousand years of development, Taoism has always maintained a dominant position. As an important part of Taoism, the God of Wealth has rarely been emphasized in the Hall of the True Lord. In 2005, construction began on the World’s Number One God of Wealth Hall.

The interior of the hall is resplendent and dazzling, exuding wealth and splendor. There are many legends about the God of Wealth. The deity enshrined here is the “Martial God of Wealth,” Zhao Gongming, who is the most influential among the wealth deities worshipped by the people. Legends about Zhao Gongming have existed for a long time. He was originally a Taoist immortal from Mount Emei in Sichuan. Jiang Ziya, following the decree of the Primordial Celestial Worthy, appointed him as the “Orthodox Dragon-Tiger Mysterious Altar True Lord,” tasked with overseeing gold, silver, and treasures, as well as welcoming good fortune. He commands the “Four Assistants” — “Attracting Treasures,” “Receiving Valuables,” “Inviting Wealth,” and “Market Profits” — symbolizing opportunities for wealth everywhere.

Thousand Buddha Hall: The Thousand Buddha Hall was consecrated on January 3, 2005. In the center of the hall are enshrined the Three Saints of the West — Guanyin Bodhisattva, Amitabha Buddha, and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva — with one thousand small Amitabha Buddha statues standing nearby, radiating brilliance and embodying the dignity of the Buddha. Amitabha Buddha holds a golden lotus in his left hand, stands upright with his chest, and lowers his right hand in a gesture of welcoming all beings. Guanyin Bodhisattva wears the crown of Amitabha, holding a nectar bottle in one hand and a willow branch in the other, sprinkling blessings across the world, symbolizing great compassion. Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva wears a radiant treasure vase on his head, holds a lotus flower, and beckons all beings, symbolizing great wisdom. Radiance represents wisdom, hence he is called the “Boundless Light Blazing Body.” The Buddha saves all beings, with compassion as the foundation and expedient means as the method. The left assistant represents compassion, and the right assistant represents wisdom, symbolizing the dual practice of compassion and wisdom by Amitabha Buddha to deliver all beings.

Goddess Hall: The Goddess Hall enshrines the wife of the True Lord. Most of the wooden carvings in the hall were collected from the demolition of some Qing Dynasty ancestral halls and ancient residences in Chengguan, Xinchang, and are of very high quality. A scene from the new version of “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” titled “Love and Hatred in the Ancestral Hall,” was filmed here.

Address: Wozhou Lake Scenic Area, Xinchang County, Shaoxing City

Type: Historical Architecture — Temple

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 20.0 RMB

The individual ticket for the Hall of the True Lord is 20 RMB, or you can purchase a combined ticket for the Wozhou Lake Scenic Area for 60 RMB (includes entry to the Hall of the True Lord, plank walkway, suspension bridge, and boat ride).