Linglong Palace

Linglong Palace

Linglong Palace is a cultural relic protection unit of Cixi City.

Commonly known as Longting, Linglong Palace is located in Renjiaxi Village, Zhangqi Town, Cixi City. It borders Lingxu Lake to the east, Longting River to the south, and faces Shahu Temple across the road to the west. Before 1954, this area belonged to Lingxu Township, Zhenhai County. According to the *Zhenhai County Annals*, “Linglong Palace is situated in Renjiaxi, dedicated to the Dragon God of Shidou. It was originally enshrined within Shahu Temple. During the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, a separate Dragon Palace was built at the southeast corner of the temple, which proved highly efficacious in prayers.”

Linglong Palace features blue bricks and black tiles, exuding a simple yet majestic charm. Along its central axis are five sections: the palace gate, stage, main hall, and left and right wing rooms, covering an area of over 700 square meters. The palace gate is a five-bay, flush-gable-roof building, with the central bay connecting to the stage, and the side bays linking to the three-bay wing rooms on both sides. The stage has a hip-and-gable roof, adorned with cloud-shaped brackets around the perimeter. Its interior ceiling features an octagonal caisson dome, constructed from eight tiers of bracket sets, showcasing a meticulous structure. The palace gate, stage, and wing rooms are ingeniously combined, with simple railings and elegant platforms. The rear main hall is the principal structure, square in layout, with a three-bay width, double-eave hip-and-gable roof. The eaves are decorated with coffered ceilings, while the spandrels and architraves are carved with auspicious patterns such as paired phoenixes and flowers, demonstrating a high level of artistic craftsmanship. The east and west walls of the main hall feature large murals of “Cloud Dragons Spouting Water,” which are grand and imposing.

Linglong Palace was an important site where local people worshipped the Dragon God in ancient times. During droughts, the Dragon King statue would be carried here to pray for rain, especially during the lively Dragon King Temple Fair on the Dragon Boat Festival. At that time, worshippers from the surrounding Sanbei region would gather to pray for favorable weather and peace for the nation—a tradition that continues to this day.

Having undergone several restorations, Linglong Palace remains well-preserved and is the only Qing Dynasty double-eave hip-and-gable roof structure in Cixi City. The palace integrates architectural elements such as caisson domes, bracket sets, and coffered ceilings, along with decorative arts like murals, embodying the exceptional wisdom and skill of craftsmen of its time. It holds significant value for folkloric research and architectural history. In May 1982, the Cixi County People's Government designated Linglong Palace as one of the first batch of cultural relic protection units.