Guangying Temple

Guangying Temple

Guangying Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by Fuzhou City.

Guangying Temple is located near the downstream outlet of Shanchi Stream. The wooden temple faces west and sits to the east. Its main hall is three bays wide and five bays deep, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. It enshrines the third son of the Western Han Dynasty Minyue King Ying—Baima Sanlang. Inside the temple, there remains a stone stele from the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1865 AD), commemorating the reconstruction of the “Shanchi Baima Zunwang Ancestral Hall.”

Due to the worship of “Baima Sanlang,” it is also commonly known among locals as “Baima Wang Temple” (White Horse King Temple).

Legend has it that in ancient times, a giant serpent caused havoc in the mountains. The third son of the Han Minyue King Ying, Baima Sanlang, shot and killed it but lost his own life in the process. The people, grateful for his sacrifice, built the temple to honor him.

The exact year of the temple’s initial construction is unknown. The earliest recorded renovation was in the tenth year of the Tang Dynasty's Zhenyuan era (794 AD), when Observer Official Wang Yi refurbished the temple’s appearance, indicating that it must have been built before then.

In the sixth year of the Tang Dynasty's Xiantong era (865 AD), Observer Official Li Zhu petitioned to confer the title of Dragon Cavalry Marquis upon Baima Sanlang. In the first year of the Song Dynasty's Qingli era (1046 AD), Cai Xiang oversaw renovations, and in the sixth year of Qingli (1051 AD), Jiang Wenbing was ordered to renovate it again. The temple was rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era and reconstructed once more in the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign (1865 AD).

After 1949, the government “eliminated superstitions” and established Shanzhang Primary School inside the temple grounds. It continued to function as a primary school at least until 1980.

In 1961, Guangying Temple in Shanchi was listed among the first batch of cultural heritage sites protected by Fuzhou City.

Gushan Town: Located at Fuzhou’s eastern gateway, Gushan Town covers an area of 50 square kilometers at the foot of the renowned Gushan Scenic Area. It lies 5 kilometers west of downtown Fuzhou, adjacent to the Mawei Development Zone to the east, bordering the Guling Summer Resort to the north, and facing the Min River to the south. Both National Highway 104 and the Fuma Railway run through the town. The town administers one provincial-level development zone, the Gushan New District, 23 administrative villages, and 8 community neighborhood committees, with a population of 150,000. Gushan Town is an important hub for traditional arts and crafts in Fujian Province. Products such as Shoushan stone carvings, root carvings, and wood carvings possess unique ethnic character and strong local flavor, especially the art of Shoushan stone carving, which is deeply rooted in... More details about Gushan Town++