Huaqiao Ciji Palace

Huaqiao Ciji Palace

Huaqiao Ciji Palace is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Fujian Province.

Huaqiao Ciji Palace was first built during the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty (1131–1162). It enshrines Wu Ben (979–1036), a renowned physician from Quanzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty, whose courtesy name was Huaji and alias Yunchong. He is respectfully referred to in Fujian and Taiwan as Wu Zhenren (the True Man Wu), Dadao Gong (Great Taoist Lord), Huaqiao Gong (Huaqiao Lord), and Baosheng Dadi (the Emperor of Life Protection). Historical records state that he “gained fame across the land for his medical skills, dedicated himself to saving lives and helping others, and never accepted money for his services,” and that “in practicing medicine, he made no distinction between nobles and commoners, prescribing remedies according to illness with unerring accuracy.” Huaqiao was the site where he practiced medicine during his lifetime.

In the fourth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1878), scholars and merchants in Quanzhou initiated the establishment of the Quanzhou Prefecture Medicine Distribution Bureau inside Huaqiao Palace. They sourced medicinal ingredients widely and distributed them to the public to promote the spirit of Wu Zhenren, who practiced medicine to benefit society and assist those in need. In the sixth year of Guangxu (1880), it was renamed the Quanzhou Prefecture Medicine Distribution Bureau.

In the 23rd year of Guangxu (1897), when a severe plague struck Quanzhou Prefecture, Huaqiao Palace provided coffins and medicine, supported orphans, and assisted the poor, carrying out numerous charitable acts to save lives, provide disaster relief, and aid the distressed. That year, it was renamed the Huaqiao Palace Charitable Works Office. The Medicine Distribution Bureau became a subordinate unit under the Charitable Works Office, primarily distributing medicine and offering free medical treatment, while also engaging in charitable activities such as providing coffins, year-end relief, and selling grain at fair prices to relieve famine. For over a hundred years, it has received continuous support and donations from people of all walks of life, philanthropists, local and overseas Chinese, compatriots from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, as well as religious figures, with contributions of funds and medicine made year-round in a spirit of compassion.

In the 1950s, it was briefly renamed the Quanzhou Patriotic Free Medicine Distribution Center. In 1978, the original name Huaqiao was restored, and it became known as the Huaqiao Free Medicine Distribution Center. On March 18, 1985, free medical consultations resumed, and it adopted its current name: Quanzhou Huaqiao Free Medicine and Medical Clinic. To this day, the clinic has been providing free medicine and medical services for 121 years.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected at the Provincial Level in Fujian Province