Shucheng Qide Cultural Institute

Shucheng Qide Cultural Institute

Qide Cultural Institute, located at the former site of Guanyin Temple in Chengguan Town, Shucheng County, Lu’an City, Anhui Province, covers an area of 64 acres. It was solely funded and built by Mr. Hu Pengfei, Chairman of Taiwan’s Qide Machinery Hoisting Co., Ltd. Its main structures include the “Ci Mu Gong” (Palace of the Compassionate Mother), the “Cultural Relics Museum,” the “Literature Academy,” the “North-South Complex Buildings,” as well as ornamental pillars such as huabiao, with a total construction area of 12,000 square meters.

Approaching his seventies, Hu Pengfei has donated most of his savings to his hometown—Shucheng County, Anhui Province—for the construction of the fully public welfare-oriented “Qide Cultural Institute” and the county’s educational initiatives.

The Qide Cultural Institute features traditional Chinese temple architecture, with red walls, gabled hip-and-gable roofs, overhanging eaves, and corridors, exuding solemnity and grandeur. The main building, Ci Mu Gong, faces west and is built on a high platform with an arched entrance. Floors above the second level are adorned with white marble railings, dignified and elegant; the interior corridor doors and windows are made of intricately carved camphorwood. The main hall is richly decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, featuring colorful bas-reliefs, hanging ornaments, and exquisite craftsmanship. The three-story main hall enshrines statues of ancient sages and virtuous figures, conveying benevolence, solemnity, nobility, and purity. In front of Ci Mu Gong stands a Nine-Dragon Wall, flanked by ornamental pillars. The towering huabiao symbolize the strength and enduring presence of the Chinese nation among the global community. To the right of Ci Mu Gong is the Cultural Relics Museum, displaying Sun Yat-sen’s “Testament,” Laozi’s “Tao Te Ching,” Han Dynasty brick carvings, famous calligraphy and paintings, and providing protection and exhibition space for private collections.

Qide Cultural Institute Tour Guide Script

Qide Cultural Institute was founded in May 1997 by Mr. Hu Pengfei, Chairman of Taiwan’s Qide Machinery Hoisting Co., Ltd. To date, the total investment is approximately 150 million yuan, covering an area of over 82 acres with a total construction area of 15,000 square meters. The entire institute consists of the Ci Mu Gong (three-story main hall enshrining Taoist deities and ancient sages), Ci Hang Dian (shrine to the Thousand-Armed Guanyin), the Cultural Relics Museum (displaying Sun Yat-sen’s “Testament,” Laozi’s “Tao Te Ching,” Han Dynasty brick carvings, famous calligraphy and paintings, and offering exhibition space for private collections), the Literature Academy (housing Chinese and foreign classics, hosting reading activities, and providing cultural and recreational spaces for locals), the North-South Complex Buildings (offering accommodation and dining for guests), as well as structures like the Nine-Dragon Wall and huabiao. The courtyard features lush plants, rockeries, and fountains for visitors to enjoy. Its scale and grandeur make it the largest urban Taoist temple in China.

Qide Cultural Institute is a public welfare facility built by its founder to give back to society and develop his hometown. There is no admission fee, no religious preaching, no recruitment of disciples, and no affiliation with any organizations. Its purpose is to allow people to pay homage to ancient sages, admire historical relics, study classic texts, appreciate traditional Chinese architectural styles, and experience the beauty of ecological gardens—all to promote national culture and purify the soul.

Qide Cultural Institute follows the palatial architectural style known as Wudian. Wudian is the highest form of traditional Chinese architecture. Its roof features four large slopes, with the front and rear slopes intersecting to form a central ridge, and the side slopes intersecting with the front and rear to create four vertical ridges, hence the name “Four-Ridge Hall” or “Five-Ridge Hall.” In the rigidly hierarchical feudal society, this architectural style was reserved exclusively for imperial palaces and ceremonial temples. Structures such as the Meridian Gate, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Palace of Heavenly Purity, and Imperial Ancestral Temple in the Forbidden City are all examples of Wudian architecture. As the supreme symbol of imperial power, Wudian architecture was strictly prohibited for government offices, commercial buildings, or residential homes. Its unique political status dictated the use of grand materials, majestic proportions, and luxurious decorations, giving it significant cultural and artistic value.

Qide Cultural Institute adopts the Wudian style for two reasons: first, Taoism, as a native Chinese religion, has been deeply intertwined with Chinese culture for over 1,800 years since its founding by Zhang Ling (also known as Zhang Daoling). It is firmly rooted in Chinese soil, bearing distinct Chinese characteristics and profoundly influencing various aspects of Chinese culture. Second, since the Tang and Song dynasties, successive emperors have promoted Taoism to consolidate their rule, making its status inseparable from imperial politics and reaching its peak. Therefore, adopting the Wudian style, symbolic of imperial authority, was only natural.

The use of yellow glazed tiles on the roof is based on Taoist Five Elements theory: the center element “Earth (Wu Ji)” governs the four directions and represents the color of the earth. Love for the land and the belief that returning to the earth brings peace are core values of agrarian culture. Yellow also symbolizes imperial power and the yellow skin of the Chinese people. The red walls represent the sun, joy, and good fortune. Additionally, influenced by Confucian and Mencian philosophies of moderation, Chinese people value harmony, humility, and stability. The passionate red color serves to inspire and energize people on a spiritual level. (Western architecture often uses white, possibly because Westerners are perceived as more impulsive, and white, as a cool color, helps stabilize emotions.)

Upon entering the institute, please observe the decorative studs on the gate, called “floating stud nails.” Count how many there are. Correct—there are 81 nails arranged in nine rows and nine columns. The number nine is highly symbolic and traditionally reserved for emperors. The number of studs on the gates of nobles decreases by rank, while commoners were forbidden from using them, as it would be considered presumptuous. These “floating stud nails” serve two purposes: warding off evil and decoration, and symbolizing prosperity through the homophone “ding” (nail) and “ding” (male offspring), implying a wish for a thriving family.

Ci Mu Gong is the main structure of Qide Cultural Institute. The term “Ci Mu” (Compassionate Mother) has multiple meanings: first, it references the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching: “The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; the named is the mother of all things.” Second, Mr. Hu Pengfei left for Taiwan as a youth and could not repay his mother’s kindness. The local community cared for his mother, so the building also honors his gratitude and commemorates her. Third, both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same Chinese heritage, with the motherland as their common mother. (Additionally, historical records mention Hu Gongchen of Shucheng during the early Ming Dynasty, whose mother raised him after his father’s early death. He later became a county official and saved his mother during wartime, even building a hall in her honor. While the blood relation between him and Mr. Hu Pengfei is unconfirmed, their filial piety aligns with traditional Chinese values.)

The main hall of Ci Mu Gong has three levels, based on the Tao Te Ching: “The Tao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to all things.” The Tao is the formless void (Wuji), which gives rise to the One (chaos), then the Two (yin and yang), the Three (heaven, earth, and humanity), and ultimately all things. The number three appears frequently in Taoist texts, such as the “Three Pure Ones” (celestial realms), the “Three Realms” (desire, form, and formlessness), and the “Three Islands” (mythical paradises). The three levels also symbolize heaven, earth, and humanity.

Ci Mu Gong enshrines both Taoist deities and ancient Chinese sages, as well as Buddhist figures.

First Floor: The central deities are the City God, Earth God (Fude Zunshen), and the Goddess of Childbirth. Before them stand the Judge and attendants. On the left are Bao Zheng, Peng Gong, and Shi Gong. On the right is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (enshrined here as Anhui is his sacred site).

Second Floor: The central deity is Yuanshi Tianzun; to the left is Lingbao Tianzun; to the right is Daode Tianzun (Laozi), flanked by Confucius and Wen Tianxiang.

The highest Taoist deities are the “Three Pure Ones,” representing Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun (center), Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun (right), and Taiqing Daode Tianzun (left). They embody the Taoist concept of “Three-in-One.” The Tao Te Ching states: “The Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things.” The Three Pure Ones are the highest in the Taoist pantheon.

Third Floor: The central deity is the Jade Emperor, flanked by the Sun God and Moon Goddess. The left hall enshrines the Queen Mother of the West (flanked by deities of Mount Li and the Earth Mother), with the Three-Eyed Jade Officer (Erlang Shen) and the Monkey King before her. The right hall enshrines the Heavenly Sacred Mother (Mazu, patroness of seafarers), flanked by the Goddess of the Nine Heavens and Guanyin, with the Wealth Boy and Dragon Girl before her.

Ci Hang Dian enshrines the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin.

Guanyin, meaning “Observing the Sounds of the World,” is also called Guanshiyin or Guanzizai. Her name reflects her compassion for those who call upon her in suffering. Known as the “Goddess of Mercy,” she is the most revered bodhisattva in Buddhism, with the largest following.

The Thousand-Armed Guanyin is a manifestation of Guanyin, also called the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion. Legend says she vowed to save all beings, even fragmenting her body to do so. Eventually, the Buddha advised her to use her spiritual power instead, merging her fragments into one body with 42 arms, each hand bearing an eye to symbolize 25 “realms” of existence—totaling 1,000 arms.

Huabiao are ornamental stone pillars traditionally placed in front of palaces and tombs. They consist of a base, a dragon column, a dishing plate, and a mythical beast. Originally used to symbolize imperial authority, they now represent Chinese culture. The beast atop, called “Hou,” faces north at the Forbidden City’s huabiao, urging the emperor to care for his people, and south at Tiananmen, urging him not to stay away too long.

The origin of huabiao is debated. Some say they were ancient direction markers or suggestion pillars for public feedback. Others believe they were tribal totems, evolved from musical instruments, or astronomical tools. They were also used in construction to mark alignment.

The Nine-Dragon Wall is a type of screen wall, traditionally placed outside palace gates. Among China’s four famous Nine-Dragon Walls (two in Datong, one in Wuxi, and one in the Forbidden City), this one is considered the fifth.

The Forbidden City’s Nine-Dragon Wall, built in 1772, measures 29.4m long, 3.5m high, and 0.45m thick. Its central dragon rises 20cm, creating a striking 3D effect. The wall’s design incorporates multiple “nine-five” numerological elements, symbolizing imperial authority and national unity.

In Chinese numerology, nine is the ultimate yang number, and five represents the center. The “Nine-Five” concept symbolizes imperial supremacy. The wall’s design incorporates this number repeatedly, reflecting the Chinese nation’s unity and aspirations.