Tangjia Hui Jieshan Temple

Tangjia Hui Jieshan Temple

Tangjia Hui Jieshan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located on Xiaojie Street in Tangjia Hui Town, Jinzhai County. To the southeast behind the temple are two mountain ridges. The southern ridge is over 300 meters long, backed by the Tanghui River, which resembles a “silver carp,” hence the name “Carp Mountain.” During the Tang Dynasty, Guo Jinwu, the fourth son of the famous general Guo Ziyi, died in battle suppressing a rebellion in the Dabie Mountains and was buried south of this mountain. His tomb and a stele still remain. The eastern ridge is 600 meters long, winding like a dragon from a traditional flower-drum lantern dance. Along with eight other ridges, it faces a small hill south of Carp Mountain, resembling nine dragons paying homage to a pearl. Locals whimsically call it “Nine Dragons Playing with a Pearl,” hence the name “Nine Dragons Mountain.”

Historical records indicate that the temple was built in the early Ming Dynasty. Legend has it that at the time, Meixi Town at the foot of Carp Mountain was a bustling hub for merchants from Shangnan, and because the Tang clan was prominent, the place was renamed Tangjia Hui. Later, during the late Ming peasant uprisings, the rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong attacked Henan three times, and the temple was destroyed. In the 37th year of the Qing Qianlong reign (1722), local gentry raised funds to rebuild it and renamed it “Jieshan Temple.” Between the 7th and 14th years of the Daoguang reign (1827–1834), it was expanded again. There are now 30 rooms, divided between an eastern and western courtyard. The front of the temple features a three-bay, two-story gate tower with flying eaves and painted ornamentation, serving as a theater stage. The main hall has three bays and houses statues of emperors, the God of Wealth, and Hua Tuo, among others. Side rooms enshrine plaques of other deities. The western courtyard includes the abbot’s quarters and scripture depository. A traditional round gate connects the east and west courtyards. Corridors link the courtyards and halls. Outside the temple gate is a terrace planted with three ancient cypresses, one ginkgo, and one red sandalwood tree—all planted when the temple was built over 600 years ago. With their gnarled trunks and branches, they exude timeless charm and have become a scenic highlight of Tangjia Hui Town.

Before the establishment of Jinzhai County, Jieshan Temple was under the jurisdiction of Shangcheng in Henan. During the democratic revolution period, the temple briefly served as the revolutionary command center for the E-Yu-Wan Border Region. In June 1931, the Soviet Government of Southeastern Henan was established here, governing counties such as Shangcheng, Gushi, and Guangshan. In March 1932, as the Fourth Red Army led by Xu Xiangqian moved eastward, they stayed at the temple to rest. In April 1933, the Workers’, Peasants’, and Soldiers’ Representative Conference of the Northwest Anhui Soviet Area was held here, attended by over 300 delegates. The Central Committee of the Party sent Guo Shushen to deliver a report on the situation and tasks. The conference merged the Southeastern Henan and Northwest Anhui Soviet Areas into the Northwest Anhui Soviet Area and elected the Executive Committee of the Northwest Anhui Soviet Area. On June 12, 1979, to commemorate its historical significance, the Jinzhai County Revolutionary Committee designated Jieshan Temple as a county-level key cultural relics protection unit and set up an exhibition room displaying numerous revolutionary artifacts and photographs. The following year, it was recognized as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

The temple enjoys a serene environment and even housed a school in the western courtyard during the Ming Dynasty. It is said that Mei Zhihuan from Macheng in the Qing Dynasty studied here in his youth. After achieving fame, he donated a complete set of Buddhist scriptures to the temple. During the War of Resistance, the Tangjia Hui Central Primary School of Lihuang County was located in the western courtyard. In May 1959, the Jinzhai County People’s Government founded the Jinzhai County Junior High School here. After several transformations, it was renamed the “Jinzhai County Bijia Mountain Vocational School” in September 1992, and additional school buildings totaling 6,000 square meters were constructed behind the temple. Currently, the school has over 1,500 students, making it the largest junior high school in Jinzhai County. Since its establishment, it has trained a large number of outstanding talents for New China, breathing new life into the ancient Jieshan Temple and attracting many literati and dignitaries to visit. As Comrade Lü Xin, former correspondent of the Southeastern Henan Soviet Committee, praised during his revisit in 1984: “An ancient temple revives through education in spring, now a more delightful sight it brings. Teachers and students strive for a better land, the future brighter than the present springs.”