Sanbao Temple

Sanbao Temple

To the north of the county bell and drum tower lies a small east-west street, connecting to East Ring Road in the east and North Street in the west. It is called Sanbao Temple Street. At the western end of this street stands a "Sanbao Temple."

The "Sanbao Temple" is a small shrine. "Bao" refers to karma — the ancient belief that "good deeds are rewarded, evil deeds are punished; it’s not that there is no retribution, but that the time has not yet come." "Si" means authority or administration. "San" refers to three individuals. The Sanbao Temple is a small shrine built in honor of the three figures believed to oversee karmic justice in the human world.

The temple is very small. It is built on a tiny wooden overpass at the junction of Sanbao Temple Street and North Street, consisting of just one small room of about ten square meters. Inside are three statues representing the deities Kou Zhun, Bao Zheng, and Hai Rui.

Kou Zhun and Bao Zheng were from the Song Dynasty, while Hai Rui was from the Ming Dynasty. All three are historically renowned as upright and virtuous officials. They governed with integrity, fairness, and fearlessness toward the powerful, enforcing laws strictly and judging cases with almost divine insight. Legends about them have been widely circulated among the people, growing ever more miraculous over time. It is said that after their deaths, they ascended to heaven as deities tasked with overseeing the karmic justice of the mortal world. A temple was built in their memory, with the hope that they would punish evil and promote good — ensuring that those who accumulated virtue and did good deeds would be rewarded, while wrongdoers would face retribution. Though the Sanbao Temple was small, it was once highly frequented, with many coming to burn incense and pray. Some sought divine protection, while others reported the misdeeds of evildoers... reflecting the heartfelt wishes of the common people.

There is no clear record of who built the Sanbao Temple or when it was constructed. However, it is mentioned in the Republican-era "Revised Meng County Annals," leading scholars to infer that it was likely built during the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty.

The Sanbao Temple still existed during the Cultural Revolution. Although the wooden overpass had become dilapidated, the statues inside remained intact. In the early stages of the Cultural Revolution, during the campaign to destroy the "Four Olds," the statues were demolished. In 1996, during the refurbishment of the street in a traditional Chinese architectural style, the old wooden overpass was torn down and replaced with a new one (made of reinforced concrete).