Yunxiao Weihui Temple

Yunxiao Weihui Temple

Yunxiao Weihui Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Originally named Chen General Temple, it is located in Xiangtang Village, Yunling Town, Yunxiao County. Facing southeast and situated northwest, it was first built in the first year of the Suiqing era of the Tang Dynasty (684 AD), and was first called Weihui Temple in the third year of the Zhenghe era of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (1113 AD). The existing structures were rebuilt during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty (1465–1487) by Wu Yongsui, a local resident, and have undergone multiple renovations over the dynasties. The temple primarily enshrines Chen Yuanguang, revered as the "Sacred King of Opening Zhangzhou," and is honored both domestically and abroad as the ancestral Weihui Temple. This is evidenced by the famous verse from the poem "Visiting Weihui Temple" by Lü Wangshou, the county magistrate of Zhangpu (at that time Yunxiao was under Zhangpu County) during the Song Dynasty: "No historian in the Tang Dynasty compiled his biography, but the Zhang River has a temple to honor the general." On January 15, 1985, it was announced as one of the first batch of county-level cultural heritage protection units in Yunxiao County.

Chen Yuanguang is the Sacred King revered by descendants of the Zhangzhou pioneers both at home and abroad. His ancestral home is Gushi County, Guangzhou Prefecture, Henan Province. As early as the second year of the Zongzhang era of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (669 AD), the 13-year-old Chen Yuanguang followed his father, “General of Returning Virtue” Chen Zheng, who was ordered to lead Central Plains troops southward into Fujian, pacify the Min-Yue borderlands, implement stabilization and development policies, and support the Tang Dynasty in achieving national multi-ethnic unity. After his father’s passing, Yuanguang inherited his position, expanded the territory by thousands of miles, established military garrisons and fortifications, stabilized the frontier, and brought peace to the mountainous regions. In the second year of the Chuigong era of Empress Wu Zetian (686 AD), he was granted permission to establish an administrative region on the banks of the Zhang River in Yunxiao (present-day Xinlin Village), which governed two counties—Zhangpu and Huai’en—and he became the first prefect of Zhangzhou. Later, he founded an official school, promoted agriculture and industry, and developed the economy, making Zhangzhou a key city in southern Fujian.　

The temple is approximately 60 meters long from north to south and 18 meters wide from east to west, covering nearly 1,500 square meters. It consists of three parts: a screen wall, a front courtyard, and the main temple structure. The main building is divided into two sections, front and back, comprising an entrance hall, an inner courtyard, corridors, and the main hall, with a total floor area of 500 square meters. At the center of the main hall is a wooden carved shrine that enshrines the statues of Chen Yuanguang and Lady Zhong. In front of the shrine is the statue of Chen Zheng. To the right is a shrine for Lady Wei, inscribed with the plaque “Heroine Among Women,” which enshrines the statue of Wei Jing, Chen Yuanguang’s grandmother, with couplets on both sides reading “A heroine’s long march reached the seaside cliffs; from the Central Plains she came south to pacify Yunxiao.” To the left is the shrine for Xu Tianzheng, inscribed with the plaque “Achievements in the Southern Commandery,” accompanied by couplets stating “Together we came to open up land and made history; jointly we promoted culture and benefited the people.” On both sides of the main hall are side chambers: the right one is the shrine for Princess Rouyi, Chen Huaiyu, with couplets engraved in running script reading “Her gentleness and obedience are admirable, aiding her father and brothers’ foundation; her grace and dignity set an example, her female virtues live on,” inscribed by “a senior scholar Xian Deng, respectfully written after ritual cleansing.” The left chamber is the shrine for “Prince” Chen Xiang, with couplets in running script on the pillars reading “Both civil and martial, he strengthened great plans for the new land; his spirit shines brightly, continuing blessings for generations.” Inside the main hall is a square stone incense burner from the Ming Dynasty, 0.8 meters wide, 0.5 meters high and thick, with four legs at the base. The front is inscribed in regular script: “In the spring of the renshen year (1632) of the Chongzhen era, the first month, presented by Liu Dengshu of Jinpǔ,” with characters 6 cm in size, arranged vertically in seven lines of two characters each. It is one of the earliest surviving stone carvings in the temple.　

Yunxiao Weihui Temple serves as an important window for cultural exchanges between Zhangzhou City and Taiwan, as well as with the rest of the world. Over the years, it has welcomed a continuous stream of visitors from both home and abroad. The temple also houses many exquisitely crafted golden plaques, such as “Sacred Ancestor of Zhangzhou and Taiwan,” “Virtuous Grace and Benevolence,” and “Blessings Across the Four Seas,” all of which are cultural gifts presented by “Chen Sacred King Temples” in Taiwan, and serve as vivid embodiments of cross-strait spiritual and cultural ties. There are now over 300 Chen Sacred King Temples in Taiwan and more than 20 in Southeast Asian islands. Over the past decade, the Taiwan Association of Chen Sacred King Temples has organized dozens of delegations to visit Yunxiao and pay homage at the ancestral Weihui Temple, frequently presenting plaques and banners, demonstrating the fine traditions of reverence and ancestral gratitude among these descendants. The statue of the Sacred King of Chen from Yunxiao Weihui Temple has also served as an envoy of friendship between the people on both sides of the strait, making two trips to Taiwan for peace tours and cultural exchanges. Yunxiao Weihui Temple has become an important platform for cross-strait cultural exchanges.