Zhongzhi Qian Gong Bao Dian (Qian Gong Shrine)

Zhongzhi Qian Gong Bao Dian

Zhongzhi Qian Gong Bao Dian is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Fujian Province.

Qian Gong Shrine is located at the end of Zhongzhi Village, PanYang Township, Gutian County. It is a single-room earthen and wooden structure with a construction area of 162 square meters. The building faces northeast, is 13.5 meters wide across three bays, and 12 meters deep with four columns. It features a post-and-lintel wooden frame with a flush-gable roof covered in small blue tiles.

At the center of the main hall is a statue of Qian Gong, with a statue of Chen Jinggu on the right. The east and west walls are adorned with 38 well-preserved murals depicting the “Legend of Chen Jinggu,” which narrate the mythological story of her birth up to her achieving enlightenment at the Linshui Palace at the age of 24. These murals are arranged in two rows of two or three columns each, separated by ink lines, featuring vividly colored and lifelike figures.

Qian Gong Shrine was originally built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1736–1795) and was renovated in the 16th year of the Daoguang reign (1836).

The murals of Zhongzhi Qian Gong Bao Dian were discovered during the Third National Cultural Relics Census in 2009. In May 2010, the Office of the Third National Cultural Relics Census Leading Group under the State Council selected 165 significant newly discovered immovable cultural relics from nearly 500,000 newly identified sites across China. These were compiled into the book “Important New Discoveries of the 2009 Third National Cultural Relics Census.” Eight important new discoveries from Fujian Province were included in this publication, among which was Zhongzhi Qian Gong Bao Dian.

In February 2012, Zhongzhi Qian Gong Bao Dian was designated as a Cultural Relics Protection Unit in the fifth batch of Gutian County.

In 2013, it was listed as a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit in the eighth batch.

Zhongzhi Village: With an elevation of 1,050 meters and located 12 kilometers from the township government, Zhongzhi Village has 80 households and a population of 280. Currently, fewer than 100 people reside in the village permanently. The village covers 801.4 mu of arable land and 5,662 mu of mountainous land, including a 5,000-mu highland grassland within its boundaries. The village mainly engages in off-season vegetable cultivation and has limited local fiscal resources.

The highland grassland in the village is a notable tourism resource due to its favorable geographic location, unique natural scenery, and cultural heritage. The Qian Gong Shrine in the village houses the most intact set of murals depicting the “Legend of Chen Jinggu” from the Daoguang period still existing in Gutian. Additionally... More details about Zhongzhi Village++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Fujian Province