Hui'an Qingshan Temple

Hui'an Qingshan Temple

Hui'an Qingshan Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Period: Ming to Qing

Address: 500 meters north of Qingshan Village, Shanxia Town, on the southern foothills of Qingshan Mountain in the southeastern coastal area of Hui'an County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province

The coastal terrain here is steep and rugged, with overlapping lush green hills and dense forests. Qingshan Temple, also known as "Ling'an King Temple," is a Taoist temple — the ancestral temple of the King of Qingshan — enshrining the deified figure Zhang Gun from the Five Dynasties period. Along with Tianfei Palace on Meizhou Island and Ciji Palace in Longhai, it is widely renowned and collectively referred to as one of the "Three Great Temples of Central Fujian." It was first built during the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty (976–984). The temple worships Zhang Gun, a general of the Min Kingdom during the Tang and Five Dynasties periods. During the Jianyan era of the Song Dynasty (1127–1130), he was posthumously honored as "Linghui Marquis" and bestowed the plaque "Chengying"; in the Jingyan era (1276–1278), he was further elevated to "King of Qingshan" and the temple was granted the plaque "Imperially Authorized Qingshan King Temple." The Volume 3 of the Hui'an County Annals from the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty records: "It is said that when the county was first established, Chen Zhen divined the land south of Luoshan Mountain and relocated the tomb of Zhang Gun, the Ling'an King from the Five Dynasties, to Qingshan. The current county site is located there." Backed by Qingshan Mountain and facing the vast sea, the temple boasts scenic spots such as Qingshan Tiger Cave, Sheep Islet Floating Silk, Candle Mountain Morning Light, and ancient military terrain. With a relatively large overall scale, it is a sacred destination for tourism and reverence.

The temple faces south and covers an area of 656 square meters. Along the central axis from south to north are, in sequence, the mountain gate, two side corridors, the front hall, and the rear hall. On the east side is the Wenchang Shrine, and on the west side is the Yinglie Shrine. The front hall is five bays wide and five bays deep, while the rear hall is five bays wide and four bays deep. Both halls feature a mixed wooden structure of raised beams and through-tenon work, with flush gable roofs. The front hall is famous for its sharply sloping double-pitched roof. Currently, there are still two stone tablets in the temple recording renovations from the 16th year of the Hongwu era (1383) and the 1st year of the Chenghua era (1465) of the Ming Dynasty.

Qingshan Village: Official name: Qingshan Village Committee

Year established: 1985

Population (persons): 1,770

Area (square kilometers): 1.1

Jurisdiction: Borders Dongxiakeng Village to the east, Tianbian Village to the west, Daitou Village to the south, and backs onto Qingshan Mountain to the north.

Contact number: 0595-87610095

Postal code: 362132

Subordinate organizations (natural villages): Four natural villages — Xiaban, Cuoxi, Qianluxia, and Lücuo — comprising a total of six villager groups.

Name meaning: Qingshan Village... Detailed information on Qingshan Village++

Further reading:

· Seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units