Wushan Temple

Wushan Temple

Wushan Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Wushan Temple is situated at the southern foot of Wushan Mountain. It was originally a communal temple jointly used by the five major family clans of Jiang, Zhang, Shan, Song, and Ren in Xikou Town for celebratory and funeral events, hence its name, derived from its position at the southern base of Wushan Mountain. The temple structure is intact, consisting of a front and rear section, east and west wing corridors, with a stage in the central courtyard. The front corridor of the rear hall features coiled dragon stone pillars, maintaining the architectural style of temples in the Jiangnan region prior to the mid-Qing Dynasty.

Wushan Temple is an important ancestral temple in Xikou Town. It faces southeast and is positioned northwest, with an axis that includes the mountain gate, stage, east and west side rooms, and the main hall. There are three side rooms on each east and west side, and the total built-up area exceeds 500 square meters. The stage is square-shaped with a hip-and-gable roof and features an internal caisson ceiling. The front eaves of the main hall are supported by blue stone pillars carved with coiled dragons and cloud motifs. Its interior combines both mortise-and-tenon and post-and-lintel construction methods. Originally a site for ancestral worship by the Jiang, Ren, Song, Shan, and Zhang families, it now houses the Xikou Museum.

The exact founding date of Wushan Temple is unknown. In 1790 (the 55th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty), funds were raised for renovation, which only involved repairs on the existing foundation without any expansion. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Chiang Sai-nung, Chiang Kai-shek’s father, became the “temple head.” He devised various strategies such as establishing schools, collecting rent, and setting up commercial stalls, which allowed Wushan Temple to accumulate substantial funds and greatly expand its properties. Subsequently, Chiang Sai-nung called together the clan leaders of the five families and proposed expanding the temple. Everyone agreed to appoint him as the leader, and large-scale construction commenced, resulting in the temple complex seen today.

By the early years of the Republic of China, Wushan Temple had established the “Wushan Primary School,” which became the most respectable school in Xikou at the time. Not long after, Chiang Kai-shek funded further construction and renovation of the temple, inviting skilled sculptors to recarve the temple’s deities and personally presiding over their consecration. The school facilities were further improved, attracting many children from prominent families, including Chiang Kai-shek’s eldest son, Chiang Ching-kuo, who received his early education there. Since the deities of Wushan Temple were sculpted and consecrated by the Chiang family, the entire Chiang household held the temple’s gods in especially high esteem. In the 1930s, Chiang Kai-shek’s first wife, Mao Fumei, desperate to see her son Chiang Ching-kuo who was studying in the Soviet Union, visited Wushan Temple to draw a divination slip. She drew one, unfolded it, and read: “A scholar leaves, a top scholar returns.” Puzzled by the message, she left the temple feeling disheartened. On the day after the Xi’an Incident, Chiang Kai-shek’s elder brother, Chiang Chieh-shih, happened to be watching a play at Wushan Temple when he suddenly heard the news. Terrified, he broke out in a cold sweat, fell seriously ill upon returning home, and passed away within three days. His funeral was held on April 14 of the following year, and just 13 days later, on April 27, Chiang Ching-kuo returned to Xikou with his wife and children. Only then did Mao Fumei have the slip interpreted—she learned that Chiang Chieh-shih, who had been a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, represented the “scholar,” while her son studying in the Soviet Union symbolized the “top scholar.” “A scholar leaves, a top scholar returns” meant that Chiang Chieh-shih was carried out dead, and Chiang Ching-kuo returned home victorious. From then on, Mao Fumei would often tell others how efficacious Wushan Temple’s deities were. After the Xi’an Incident settled down, Chiang Kai-shek returned briefly to Nanjing before coming back to Xikou. Upon disembarking, the first thing he did was to visit Wushan Temple to burn incense and pray, believing that the temple’s deities had saved his life. Later, whenever he faced misfortune but couldn’t go in person, he would ask someone else to pray on his behalf. In January 1949, after stepping down from power, Chiang Kai-shek returned to Xikou. Upon entering Wushan Temple, he drew a very inauspicious slip, which read: “The dragonfly flutters, its strength exhausted; encountering a spider web brings more sorrow. Who knows how tomorrow will end? A sojourner spends his days in a foreign land.” Seeing this, Chiang immediately turned pale and became incoherent. Though tempted to tear up the slip, he thought better of it, believing it to be a divine message. Sighing deeply, he walked out of the temple. Chiang Ching-kuo, who had been with him the whole time, noticed his father’s unusual reaction and said, “Father, it’s just a divination. Why take it so seriously?” Chiang replied with a bitter smile, “You don’t understand. The deities of Wushan Temple are very powerful. Our fate is sealed.”

On February 17, 1988 (the first day of the Lunar New Year), Wushan Temple was converted into the Xikou Museum and opened to the public, though locals still refer to it as “Wushan Temple.” The main hall and the deities in the side rooms are no longer present. Instead, the temple is divided into three exhibition halls: the first displays unearthed artifacts, including Neolithic stone plows, stone axes, stone knives, stone spears, Western Zhou Dynasty impressed hard pottery, and Eastern Han Dynasty celadon jars; the second showcases folk crafts such as boat drums used in ritual processions, bridal sedan chairs, and intricately crafted bridal beds; the third exhibits modern handicrafts like bamboo veneer carving, inlaid furniture, bamboo root carvings, and woven bamboo products. These quaint relics reflect the lifestyle, customs, and industrious wisdom of the working people in eastern Zhejiang in ancient times.

Xikou Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Fenghua City. Established as Xikou Township in 1950, upgraded to a town in 1956, restructured as a commune in 1958, and re-established as a town in 1980. In 1992, it incorporated three neighboring townships: Jifengshan, Dongcun, and Dong’ao. Located 13 km northwest of the city government, it covers an area of 134 square kilometers with a population of 43,000. The Jiangba Highway runs through the town. The town administers: Xikou 1st Village, Xikou 2nd Village, Xikou 3rd Village, Lichun, Wai Village, Renshan Ting, Yuxi, Shangbai, Wulin, Hushan, Shadi, Shanshan, Xinjian, Dong’ao, Wanggao’ao, Chenjia, Shuimen Tou, Zhizhao, Xizhou, Sanshiliuwang, Zhongfeng, Lantian, Dongjiang, … For more details about Xikou Town++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units