Xiuzhen Temple Stage

Xiuzhen Temple Stage

The Xiuzhen Temple Stage is a cultural relic protection unit of Tongxiang City.

Across the central square from Xiuzhen Temple stands a stage, which is an auxiliary structure of the temple. It was first built in the 14th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty but later suffered damage. However, this particular stage has remained intact since its renovation in 1919, so locals refer to it as the Ancient Stage.

Tongxiang Ancient Stage

Nowadays, the sound of gongs and drums never ceases in front of the stage, with performances held every morning and afternoon on the hour. The performers are three elderly individuals, two of whom are a married couple. Ever since Wuzhen opened to tourism, they have been the regular performers at the ancient stage, singing local traditional opera known as Tongxiang Flower Drum Opera, all performed in the local dialect. Due to the advanced age of the two elders, and as Tongxiang Flower Drum Opera is an intangible cultural heritage, it also faces the risk of being lost forever due to a lack of successors.

Directly opposite the ancient stage is Xiuzhen Temple, which was first built during the Northern Song Dynasty. Legend has it that in the first year of the Xianping era, Taoist priest Zhang Dongming built a hermitage here to cultivate himself and eventually attained enlightenment, hence the name Xiuzhen (Cultivating Truth) Temple. Along with Suzhou’s Xuanmiao Temple and Puyuan’s Xiangyun Temple, it is known as one of the Three Great Taoist Temples of the Jiangnan region. Since its establishment, Xiuzhen Temple has undergone multiple instances of destruction and reconstruction, with its layout largely finalized by the 14th year of the Qianlong reign.

The current Xiuzhen Temple consists of a mountain gate at the front, the Hall of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak in the middle, and the Jade Emperor Pavilion at the back. The mountain gate features a pair of couplets: the upper line reads “Man may scheme a thousand ways,” and the lower line reads “Heaven has but one.” A large abacus hangs where the horizontal plaque would be, conveying the message that “man’s schemes are no match for Heaven’s will,” with the abacus also symbolizing Heaven’s own accounting. Upon entering the mountain gate, you’ll see two familiar deities: the Azure Dragon to the left and the White Tiger to the right, who serve as guardian figures, watching over the temple day and night.

One notable feature of Xiuzhen Temple is its integration of Buddhism and Taoism. Theoretically, Buddhism and Taoism each have their own doctrines and principles, and their practices differ, but over thousands of years of development, the two have often blended and influenced each other. Both advocate for kindness and virtue, so it’s natural for common people to conflate the two. On either side of the mountain gate are side halls: the right hall houses painted sculptures of the Ten Kings of Hell and civil and military judges. The central figure is Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, whose birthday falls on the 30th day of the seventh lunar month, which is why the people around Wuzhen have the custom of inserting Kṣitigarbha incense on that evening. The left hall features the Three Pure Ones of Taoism: the Supreme Old Lord (Laozi), the Primordial Celestial Worthy (Yuanshi Tianzun), and the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord (Tai Shang Dao Jun).

Entering the main hall, the Hall of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, you’ll find the central deity, the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, flanked by statues of the twelve zodiac spirits. It is believed that the Great Emperor governs human life and death. On the 28th day of the third lunar month, his birthday, grand ceremonies and temple fairs are held locally. The Jade Emperor Pavilion has two levels: the lower level enshrines Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy), with her disciples, the Wealth Boy and the Dragon Girl, standing on either side. The lower level also houses a statue of the supreme ruler of the heavens, the Jade Emperor, with murals on either side created by the Cheng Changgeng Research Studio—“The Assembly of the Supreme Deities” and “The Goddess Xi Wangmu on an Outing.”

Today, Xiuzhen Temple welcomes visitors from near and far who come to admire its fame, continuing to pass on Buddhist and Taoist culture while also boosting Wuzhen’s tourism industry.

On June 9, 1981, the Xiuzhen Temple Stage was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Tongxiang City.