Palace of Moral Virtue

Palace of Moral Virtue

The Palace of Moral Virtue is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Palace of Moral Virtue is located on Laozi Temple Street in present-day Bozhou City. Originally built during the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt in the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, it has served as a temple for the worship of Laozi through the ages. Also known as the "Ancestral Hall of the Venerable One" or the "Laozi Traveling Palace," it houses stone engravings of Laozi’s “Tao Te Ching” and displays various documents related to Laozi.

In front of the palace lies the Ritual Etiquette Lane (Wenli Alley), which is said to be the place where Confucius once visited Laozi to inquire about rituals. During the Song Dynasty, there were three Laozi temples along the banks of the Guo River: the Shangqing Temple in Luyi County, Henan Province, the Palace of Moral Virtue in Bozhou City, and the Xiqing Temple north of Woyang City. Laozi, whose given name was Dan, was also said to have the surname Li and the given name Er, with the courtesy name Boyang. "Dan" was his posthumous title. He was a philosopher from the late Spring and Autumn Period, the founder of Taoism, and once served as an official in charge of the royal archives of the Zhou Dynasty. Legend has it that Emperors Taizong and Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, as well as Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, all visited Bozhou and paid homage at Laozi’s temples. Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty conferred upon Laozi the title of "Supremely Mysterious and Primordial Emperor," while Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty further honored him with the title of "Primordial Lord Lao, Supreme Virtue of the Primal Chaos." When Ouyang Xiu served as magistrate of Bozhou, he wrote a poem: “Bozhou and Ying stare at each other, joy knows no bounds; our state has been blessed as a fairyland.”

The site currently features a three-bay mountain gate inscribed with the words “Palace of Moral Virtue.” The central hall is dedicated to the Ancestral Human Deity, while the rear hall enshrines Laozi, including a 3.1-meter-tall statue of him. The east courtyard has a three-bay hall dedicated to Lu Ban, with a gate inscribed “Purple Air Comes from the East,” and the west courtyard has a three-bay hall dedicated to the God of Wealth, with a gate inscribed “The Green Ox Crosses West.” The Palace of Moral Virtue has now been listed as a key provincial cultural relic protection unit.