Jian'ou Dongyue Temple

Jian'ou Dongyue Temple

Jian'ou Dongyue Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jian'ou Dongyue Temple, also known as the Dongyue Travelling Palace, is located at the foot of White Crane Mountain, three li east of Jian'ou City in Fujian Province.

The Dongyue Temple was first built in the first year of the Jianwu era (317 AD) during the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and has a history of over 1,600 years. Volume 3 "Mountains and Rivers" of the Ming Dynasty's "Jianning Prefecture Records," under the entry for White Crane Mountain, states: “Located to the east of the prefectural city, in the Jin Dynasty, a geomancer observed an extraordinary aura on the mountain. Laborers were ordered to chisel it, but every time they dug in the morning, it closed up by evening. Cranes were also seen flying above, hence the name. At the foot of the mountain lies the Dongyue Travelling Palace.” Covering an area of over 40 acres, it is one of the few ancient Taoist architectural complexes in Fujian Province. In terms of scale, structure, and cultural value, the main hall, the “Holy Emperor Hall,” is truly unique in the entire province.

The main hall of the Dongyue Temple contains a well called the “Heavenly Gushing Spring,” enclosed by an iron fence (now replaced with a wooden fence), which was dug in the third year of the Xining era of the Song Dynasty (1070 AD). The temple has undergone multiple renovations throughout history. It was rebuilt in the 21st year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1682 AD), and has been repaired many times since. Exiting the eastern gate, walking three li, crossing the Naihe Bridge, and passing by the Mengpo Pavilion, you arrive at the front of Dongyue Temple. Lush trees and red lawns surround the layered, terraced halls built along the hillside, with cobblestone paths leading up the steps to the gate, which bears the plaque “Grand Worship of Mount Tai.” Entering the mountain gate and ascending more stone steps, past the Heavenly King Hall, you reach a row of front halls enshrining the Ten Kings of Hell, followed by the Precept Platform, which faces south toward the main hall. The main hall, also called the Holy Emperor Hall, is the principal structure of the Dongyue Temple. The Holy Emperor Hall features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, an 11-rafter lifted-beam timber frame, is five bays wide (total width 28.5 meters), and six bays deep (total length 22.2 meters). The column capitals feature Qing-style dougong with inverted “V” brackets, while the corner brackets include dragon-head single downward ang with decorative elements—such as stone-bearing elephant-nose downward ang. The caisson ceiling is a bright beam structure, constructed in exposed style, surrounded by Qing-style ruyi-style dougong. The inner eaves supplementary brackets (flat-body diagonal) are arranged in clusters, beneath which are exquisitely carved camel humps shaped like deer, sheep, and other animals. The inner column bases are symmetrically arranged on both sides, with the central and golden column bases transitioning from a compound basin style to a drum-mirror style—a design typical of early Ming Dynasty architecture.

The entire complex showcases exquisite craftsmanship and preserves architectural styles from the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, making it of significant archaeological and reference value for the study of ancient Chinese architecture and modern imitation ancient buildings.

In 2006, Jian'ou Dongyue Temple, as a Qing Dynasty-era ancient building, was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units