Pingtan Wufu Temple

Pingtan Wufu Temple

Pingtan Wufu Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Fujian Province.

Pingtan Wufu Temple, also known as Weilinggong Temple, was originally called Zhuzhen Capital City God Temple. Legend has it that during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Fu, a royal son-in-law, was posthumously honored as "Weilinggong Wufu Capital City God" and worshipped in the capital. The incense burner was later moved to Fuqing and then flown to Haitan. Since this temple is located in Futangli, Fuqing County, Fuzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province (Pingtan was originally part of Fuqing), and the main deity is named Chen Fu, which along with the location and other elements totals five “fu” (meaning fortune) characters, it is commonly known among the people as “Wufu Temple” (Temple of Five Fortunes).

Located on Pingtan, Wufu Temple Street, Tancheng Town, Pingtan County, the temple covers an area of 940 square meters, faces south and sits north, and consists in sequence of the temple gate, theater stage, City God Hall, and Tai Sui Hall.

The stone lintel above the temple gate is inscribed with “Wufu Jing” (Realm of Five Fortunes) on the outside and “Pingtan Guji” (Historic Site of Pingtan) on the inside, referring to the fact that the gate stands on a flat, huge rock — this is also the origin of the name “Pingtan.” Inside the gate is a dragon and phoenix theater stage with a three-arch ceiling roof.

The City God Hall is three bays wide and five bays deep, featuring a mixed raised-beam and through-tenon structural system with a flush gable roof. The beams are painted with gilded designs such as arhats subduing tigers and lotus pedestal fights. The walls of the main hall still retain murals from the Qing Dynasty depicting dragons roaring and tigers howling. The hall enshrines the Capital City God of Fujian and the Capital City God of Taiwan Prefecture. Legend has it that after the First Sino-Japanese War, when the Qing court ceded Taiwan, the soldiers stationed on the island, in tears as they withdrew, specially sent the statue of the Taiwan City God to the Pingtan garrison and placed it in Pingtan Wufu Temple. They also created a statue of the Capital City God of Fujian behind it to express their remembrance of the territory of Taiwan. This arrangement of “one temple with two city gods” is relatively rare.

The Tai Sui Hall was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, and during the Ming Dynasty, it was expanded around the Tai Sui Hall to become the Zhuzhen Capital City God Temple, also known as Wufu Temple.

During the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, when Haitan was established as a general garrison, the temple was relocated from Zhendongwei to its current site. Zhan Gongxian, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Land and Water Forces Commander-in-Chief, and Jiang Jiyun, the anti-British martyr and Commandant of Kinmen Fort, once visited here.

Renovations were carried out during both the Daoguang and Tongzhi eras.

In 1982, it was announced as a cultural relic protection unit of Pingtan County.

In 2001, it was announced as the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units of Fujian Province.

Tancheng Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Pingtan County and the seat of the county government. In 1958, the Tancheng Branch of the Pingtan Commune was established; in 1961, the Tancheng Commune was split off; in 1980, it was renamed Chengguan Town; in 1982, it was changed to Tancheng Town. It is located in the central part of the county, covering an area of 12 square kilometers with a population of 36,000. It administers four village committees: Chengbei, Chengnan, Chengzhong, and Beimen, and six neighborhood committees: Yuamen, Guanyinjing, RuiLong, Chengdong, Hongshan, and BaoHu. The area hosts the Fuzhou Internal Combustion Engine Parts Factory, the County Shell Carving Craft Factory, and a wind power station. The main agricultural products are sweet potatoes, peanuts, and vegetables. There is also a national-level island forest park. During the Opium War, the area saw resistance against... More details about Tancheng Town++