Nanyang Luoyan Temple

Nanyang Luoyan Temple

Nanyang Luoyan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Nanyang Luoyan Temple

Situated on Luoyan Mountain in Huacun, Nanyang, about 26 kilometers from the county seat of Sha County, there is a temple within the mountain known as the Luoyan Taibao Temple. The earliest construction date of this temple can be traced back to before 1213 AD, according to the casting inscription on an ancient bell inside the temple, which states “the sixth year of the Jiading era of the Song Dynasty.” However, the history of snake worship at the Luoyan Taibao Temple dates back to the ancient primitive snake deity worship of the Min people’s early inhabitants.

The snake deity enshrined at the Luoyan Taibao Temple is also known as the “Snake Mountain Taibao,” commonly referred to as the “Luoyan Taibao.” Legend has it that the Jade Emperor, moved by the Taibao’s loyalty and bravery in protecting his hometown—having swallowed poison and fought five demons—bestowed upon him the title of “Heroic Taibao Marquis.” It is said that the place of this bestowal was Luoyan Mountain, which is why the Luoyan Temple is also regarded as the ancestral temple of the Taibao. As a result, it has been called by anthropologists a “living fossil of primitive polytheistic worship in central Fujian.”