Ruins of Taohua Temple

Ruins of Taohua Temple

Legend has it that Taohua Temple was originally named Guanyin Temple, and its founding date is unknown. It was later renamed Taohua Temple. According to *Beichen Cultural Relics* (compiled by the Cultural and Historical Committee of the Beichen District CPPCC), the temple gradually expanded in scale and was rebuilt as the Great Temple of Taohuakou in the second year of the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty (1568). The large temple consisted of a front hall, a rear hall, and side halls on the east and west. In front of the halls stood the “Reconstruction Stele of Taohua Temple.” The main hall initially enshrined the Buddha, and later the Three Saints. In the 26th year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1900), the great temple was burned down by the Eight-Nation Alliance, leaving only a few buildings. In the late Qing Dynasty, the temple was repurposed for education and converted into an elementary school. After several renovations, the original appearance of the temple was lost, and now only four ancient locust trees remain.

Investigations have found that the temple no longer exists, but no large-scale earthwork construction has been carried out in the surrounding area, so it is inferred that the foundation site likely still remains, covering an area of approximately 2,600 square meters. Meanwhile, two stone stelae are currently buried under a disused sluice gate about 300 meters to the west of the ruins, serving as the top stones of a culvert.