Quanzhou Xuanmiao Temple

Quanzhou Xuanmiao Temple

Xuanmiao Temple, located at Xinfunakou on Dongjie in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, was first built in the third year of the Taikang era of the Western Jin Dynasty (282 AD), boasting a history of over 1,700 years. It is the first Taoist temple established after Taoism was introduced to Fujian and is honored as the “Foremost Taoist Temple in the Eight Min Regions.” As the main hall enshrines the Jade Emperor, whom the people of Quanzhou respectfully call “Heavenly Father,” the temple is also commonly known as the “Heavenly Father Temple.”

Historical records indicate that Xuanmiao Temple was initially named Baiyun Temple. Over the dynasties, it underwent multiple renovations and expansions, changing its name several times. In the first year of the Shenlong era of the Tang Dynasty (705 AD), it was expanded and renamed Zhongxing Temple. In the second year of the Jingyun era (711 AD), as the prefectural seat moved southward, it was renamed Longxing Temple. In the nineteenth year of the Kaiyuan era (731 AD), by imperial decree, it was renamed Kaiyuan Temple. In the second year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty (1009 AD), it was renamed Tianqing Temple by imperial order. In the first year of the Yuanshen era of the Yuan Dynasty (1295 AD), taking the Taoist saying “Mysterious and yet more mysterious, the gateway to all wonders” as inspiration, it was renamed Xuanmiao Temple. The nearby Laojun Shrine was incorporated into it. During the Ming Dynasty’s Jingtai and Tianshun eras, the Ziji Palace (established in the early Shenlong era of the Tang Dynasty) on the left side was repeatedly renovated and also integrated into Xuanmiao Temple. In the seventh year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1668 AD), to avoid the naming taboo of Emperor Kangxi (Xuanye), it was renamed Yuanmiao Temple, a name that continued into modern times. In 2007, to restore the meaning of “mysterious and yet more mysterious, the gateway to all wonders,” it was renamed once again as “Xuanmiao Temple.”

Historically, Quanzhou Xuanmiao Temple covered an area of about ten thousand square meters. By the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, it still had around six thousand square meters. In front of the temple was a large screen wall, decorated with the Taiji diagram and images of the sun, moon, and stars. The first section was the mountain gate, called the “Duanmen,” a double-eaved hip-and-gable roofed, memorial archway-style structure with three parallel gates, flanked by the Xuantan Shrine and the Kangwang Shrine. The second section was the Hall of the Three Pure Ones. This hall was five bays wide and four bays deep. At the center of the hall were enshrined the Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning), Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of the Numinous Treasure), and Taiqing Daode Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of the Great Dao), with the Four Sea Dragon Kings on either side. Immediately behind the Hall of the Three Pure Ones were the Laojun Shrine and the South Heaven Gate, where the Five Manifestations of the Spirit Officials were worshipped. The third section was the Hall of the Jade Emperor (Lingxiao Hall), which had a layout similar to but slightly taller than the Hall of the Three Pure Ones. At its center was enshrined the Jade Emperor, with the Golden Boy, Jade Girl, Leisheng Puhua Tianzun (Celestial Venerable Who Reverberates Thunder), and Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun (Celestial Venerable Who Rescues from Suffering) on either side, and the Northern Dipper Star Lords, Southern Dipper Star Lords, and the Six Ding and Six Jia on the east and west sides. In front of the Jade Emperor’s seat was a bronze statue of the Sun God. The rear hall consisted of three single-eaved, flush-gable-roof rooms called the Wenchang Mansion, with Guan Shengdi Jun (Lord Guan) enshrined at the center, Wenchang Di Jun (God of Literature) on the left, and Fuyou Di Jun (God of Blessings) on the right. In front of each hall were bluestone dragon stair carvings, adding to the solemnity of the structures. From the Duanmen to the Wenchang Mansion, corridors ran along both sides, adorned with statues of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions. Seven small wells were dug inside and outside the temple, arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper, used by Taoist priests for alchemy. There was also an ancient cypress tree planted during the Jin Dynasty. Beside the cypress was a permanent stage used for Taoist festival activities. On New Year’s Eve, plays were performed all night long, providing a refuge for debt-ridden poor people, hence the stage was also called the Debt-Avoidance Stage.

Xuanmiao Temple has always been the center of Taoist activities in Quanzhou. Every year, major temples would come to Xuanmiao Temple to hold the “Jinbiao” (submitting petitions) and “Lingzhi” (receiving decrees) ceremonies. Historically, many renowned Taoist priests have visited. Numerous legends are passed down among the people, such as the story of Dong Bohua selling thunder. Many poets and scholars have also written poems about Xuanmiao Temple. For example, Huang Kehui of the Ming Dynasty wrote in his poem “Records of Observations in the Temple”: “The Spring comes early in the Hall of the Mysterious Origin; the sun is already high in front of the Hall of Taiyi. Though fated to wander the world forever, the purple aura still radiates magnificently toward us.”

Xuanmiao Temple was destroyed in modern times. The current structure is a reconstruction that continues and improves upon traditional Southern Fujian architectural styles (rather than indulging in anachronistic or eclectic designs). It integrates gold-lacquering, porcelain carving, wood carving, and stone engraving, achieving an exceedingly splendid and magnificent effect, vividly expressing devotees’ boundless imagination of heaven. Among the nationwide trend of historical-revival architecture in temples, it stands uniquely apart. The celestial beings lined up along the roof ridges, with their flowing ribbons seemingly ready to ascend to the heavens, exude dynamic vitality. The divine aura that a Taoist temple should have is fully manifested in these eaves and ridges.

Due to historical reasons, the original buildings and statues of Xuanmiao Temple were almost completely destroyed in modern times. Since the reform and opening-up, many people from home and abroad have hoped for the early restoration of the temple’s ancient structures. In May 1995, the Quanzhou Taoist Association was established, actively reporting to the municipal government and religious authorities. In early 1996, the municipal government, in conjunction with the old city renovation of Dongjie, designated 10 mu of land at the original site for the reconstruction of Xuanmiao Temple. At the same time, the Xuanmiao Temple Reconstruction Committee, headed by Lin Zhou, then Vice President of the China Taoist Association and President of the Quanzhou Taoist Association (currently Vice Chairman of the Consultative Committee of the China Taoist Association), was officially launched. At the end of 1997, the first phase of reconstruction—the Hall of the Three Pure Ones—broke ground and was successfully completed around the turn of the new century. In September 2001, the second phase of Xuanmiao Temple, including the Lingxiao Hall and the Lingguan Hall, was initiated. Construction officially began in 2003, was completed at the end of 2007, and a grand ceremony for the consecration of the statues and the completion of the second phase was held on December 28.

The current Xuanmiao Temple covers an actual area of nearly 4,000 square meters, with a construction area of about 2,000 square meters. In addition to the central axis main structures—the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, the Lingxiao Hall, and the Lingguan Hall—that have been reconstructed, temporary structures such as the Jiazi Hall, Wenchang Hall, Caishen Hall, and Tudi Hall have also been erected according to tradition. The reconstructed Hall of the Three Pure Ones, Lingxiao Hall, and Lingguan Hall include the Lingxiao Hall, which enshrines the Jade Emperor. Standing 18.5 meters tall and covering an area of 630.5 square meters, it is a classical Chinese palace-style building. The architecture is both majestic and imposing, as well as exquisitely elegant and finely carved. It not only embodies profound Taoist cultural significance but also showcases the artistic style of contemporary Southern Fujian ancient architecture. Blending Taoist culture with the craftsmanship of Southern Fujian’s traditional architecture, it can be regarded as the essence of contemporary Taoist antique-style architecture.