Temple of Duke Yueguo

Temple of Duke Yueguo

The Temple of Duke Yueguo is a cultural heritage site protected by Yuyao City.

The Temple of Duke Yueguo is located in the center of Ximing Natural Village, Wangxiang Village, Liangnong Town, Yuyao City, Zhejiang Province, also known as the "Ancestral Hall of Duke Yueguo." It was first built during the Qianfu era of the Tang Dynasty, and the existing structure was reconstructed in the late Qing Dynasty.

According to the Guangxu edition of the "Yuyao County Annals," the Temple of Duke Yueguo is situated in the Siming Mountains. During the Qianfu era of the Tang Dynasty, Hanlin Academician Wang Liang built it to enshrine his ancestor, Duke Yueguo Wang Hua. In the 19th year of the Jiajing era, his descendant Dun, together with his brother Kezhang, renovated it. It was destroyed in the first year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt by descendants eleven years later. Originally, there was a stone memorial archway in front of the hall (eight feet high and eighteen feet wide, with a white marble imperial edict stele in front carved with coiled dragons and the emperor's calligraphy), which was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

The Temple of Duke Yueguo faces south overall and consists of two halls, front and back, connected by a central passageway, forming a "工"-shaped layout. Both the front and rear sections have three bays, with the central bay featuring a five-rafter raised-beam structure and a hip-and-gable roof. The upturned eaves are tall, and the building is relatively large and imposing.

The Temple of Duke Yueguo has considerable historical significance, along with a relatively high architectural standard, representing an important form of rural ancestral hall architecture, and holds notable value for cultural heritage preservation.

On September 23, 2014, the Yuyao Municipal People's Government designated it as a municipal-level cultural heritage site in the sixth batch of such listings.

Liangnong Town: 1. Town Overview: Liangnong is a famous historical and cultural town in Zhejiang Province, as well as a central town of both Zhejiang Province and Ningbo City. Located at the foot of the Siming Mountains in eastern Zhejiang and south of the Yao River, it is a distinctive town on the golden tourist route from Hangzhou – Shaoxing – Ningbo – Zhoushan. Liangnong has a long history—during the Qin Dynasty, it was part of Kuaiji Commandery. Legend has it that it was originally named "Liangfeng" after the clustering settlements of the Liang and Feng families. By the Later Tang Dynasty, it had become "a bustling town with a concentrated population." Due to its many streets and lanes, the name evolved phonetically into "Liangnong," and it has long been known by the honorific titles "Ninth Grotto-Heaven" and "Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land." The town administers 17 administrative villages and 1 community, covering a total area of... More detailed information about Liangnong Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Yuyao City