Jiujiang Goddess Temple

Jiujiang Goddess Temple

The Jiujiang Goddess Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Jiujiang Goddess Temple is located approximately 33.5 kilometers northwest of Wu’an County in Hebei Province, about 200 meters northeast of Guantao Village in Guantao Township. It is a well-preserved ancient architectural complex dating back to the early Yuan Dynasty. The temple faces south and features a square-shaped layout with 14 halls and 45 rooms, covering a construction area of 1,000 square meters. It is a uniquely designed structure, built specifically for worshipping the river god and controlling water disasters, according to inscriptions on steles and multiple historical studies. It is considered an early Yuan Dynasty building.

The main hall of the Jiujiang Goddess Temple is centrally located. It has a wooden structure with a single-eave gable-and-hip roof adorned with glazed tile edges. The hall is three bays wide (9.81 meters east-west) and two bays deep (9.35 meters north-south), forming an almost square floor plan with a construction area of 91.7 square meters and a height of 8.6 meters. The front eaves rest on a bluestone base that is 0.2 meters high, paved with square bricks. The column arrangement includes four front eave columns and four rear eave columns, totaling 12 natural (unprocessed) wooden columns. The wall structure features undecorated front eave columns, straight-lattice windows in the walls, and brick-and-stone mixed walls on the east and west gables, forming a five-flower-patterned wall with outer bluestone cladding.

Bracket sets (dougong): There are a total of [number missing] bracket sets, using the four-tiered style with a single downward cantilever. The column-top bracket sets include four at the column heads and others in between. The central bay has two bracket sets, while the side bays each have one, all featuring bamboo-style true cantilevers. The roof beam structure consists of six rafters, with four rafters connected to a rear breast rafter and a front nipple rafter. The roof is finished with glazed tile edges, centered with cylindrical tiles—47 rows of tubular tiles, 48 rows of flat tiles, and 53 rows of ridging tiles—with a glazed floral ridge. The main ridge features dragon and phoenix patterns, while the hip ridges display lotus designs. The ridge ornaments such as dragon heads and beasts are no longer present.

There are nine auxiliary halls distributed around the main structure, all of which are Qing Dynasty renovations.

The four northern auxiliary halls are aligned in a row behind the main hall. Each hall is three bays wide and one bay deep, totaling 12 rooms. All are flush-gable roofed buildings with tiled roofs, featuring lotus-patterned ridges. The middle two halls are relatively well-preserved, while the two side halls are severely damaged.

The two eastern auxiliary halls: The upper eastern auxiliary hall is three bays wide and one bay deep, with a wooden structure, flush-gable tiled roof, floral ridge, and five-rafter beams. The lower eastern auxiliary hall is three bays wide and two bays deep, featuring a five-rafter beam structure with a single-step corridor in front, wooden structure, flush-gable tiled roof, and floral ridge.

The two western auxiliary halls: The upper western auxiliary hall has largely collapsed, leaving only the foundation. The lower western auxiliary hall is three bays wide and two bays deep, with a five-rafter beam structure, a single-step corridor in front, flush-gable tiled roof, wooden structure, and floral ridge.

The southern auxiliary halls and the gate tower have completely collapsed, leaving only broken walls. The current gate tower was rebuilt in the 1970s. The original lotus-patterned drum-shaped door pier remains, and bluestone steps with vertical stone ramps lead up to the entrance.

There are six associated cultural relics inside the Jiujiang Goddess Temple, including five stone steles and one incense stand.

1. Stele Inscription for the Renovation of Jiujiang Goddess Temple. Made of bluestone, this octagonal-stepped stele stands 2.15 meters tall, 0.8 meters wide, and 0.2 meters thick. It is currently embedded in the front eave area of the eastern auxiliary hall. The stele was erected on the 26th day of the ninth month in the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1803). The front side features 10 lines of regular script, 45 characters per line, totaling approximately 500 characters. It mainly describes how local benefactors from Guantao Village funded the renovation of the temple and statues in the seventh year of the Jiaqing reign.

2. Stele Inscription for the Renovation of the Water Pond. This bluestone, octagonal-stepped stele is 0.8 meters tall and 0.57 meters wide. Its base is missing, and the body is now embedded in the front wall of the main hall. It was erected on the 11th day of the fourth month in the 14th year of the Jiaqing reign (1809). The text, written in six lines of regular script with 27 characters per line, totals approximately 160 characters. It describes the renovation of a water pond to the north of the village and its function. Authored and inscribed by Hua Cai Shi Fu, the stele is partially damaged.

3. Stele Inscription for Planting Cypress Trees. This rectangular stone plaque, 0.37 meters wide and 0.45 meters tall, is embedded in the front wall of the western auxiliary hall. It was erected in the middle of the second month of the 24th year of the Guangxu reign (1898). The text, in four lines of regular script, contains 46 characters: “The ancient temple on the northern hill of the village, known as Xinglong Mountain, though surrounded by lofty peaks, lacked lush forests and groves. The whole community agreed to plant 82 cypress trees on the mountain to leave a legacy for future generations.” The plaque is fully preserved.

4. Stele Inscription for the Renovation of the Zisuntang Temple. This rectangular stone plaque, 0.62 meters wide and 0.46 meters tall, is embedded in the middle of the back wall of the Zisuntang Temple. It was erected in the first month of the second year of the Xuantong reign (1909). The text, in three lines of regular script, contains 36 characters describing the renovation of the Zisuntang Temple and its statues. The plaque is fully preserved.

5. Stele Inscription for the Renovation of Jiujiang Goddess Temple. This bluestone stele has an octagonal-stepped top, but its base is missing. It stands 2.19 meters tall and 0.83 meters wide, and is currently embedded in the front wall of the main hall. It was erected on the ninth day of the tenth month in the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917). The text, in five lines of regular script with 49 characters per line, totals over 300 words, mainly recounting the renovation of the Three Halls of Bixia Yuanjun and the creation of new halls for Yanluo and the God of Wealth in 1917. It was authored by Zhang Chengxiao, Vice Councilor of the Wuxin District and a resident of Beiming. The stele is relatively well-preserved.

6. One Incense Stand. Located on the left front side of the main hall, it is made of stone, octagonal in shape, and stands 0.64 meters tall. It was erected on the seventh day of the mid-autumn in the 21st year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1542). Each face of the stand bears inscriptions in intaglio regular script, documenting how villagers and believers contributed funds to renovate the Goddess Temple and donate this incense stand for peace and longevity.

Experts from the provincial level and Handan City suggest that although some components of the existing structure date from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the main architecture, certain parts, and overall design reflect early construction techniques and styles. Some elements are not later than the Yuan Dynasty, leading scholars to conclude that the temple was originally built during the Yuan Dynasty.

In May 2013, the Jiujiang Goddess Temple was designated as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Guantao Village: As the seat of the Guantao Township government, Guantao Village lies to the east of Nanliu and west of the Xiaomotianling mountain range in the south of Chanche. The village is large, nestled in a mountainous valley, and boasts rich natural scenery. It is a relatively remote settlement, surrounded by hills and forests, crossed by streams. It is 35 kilometers from [missing location], and a newly built Wu-Zuo Road passes west of the village as of 1992. The village has 450 households and 1,500 residents, all of Han ethnicity, with 1,143 mu of arable land—750 mu of sloping dryland and 12,000 mu of mountainous forested area... More details about Guantao Village ++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units