Hong'en Lingji Palace

Hong'en Lingji Palace

Hong'en Lingji Palace is a cultural heritage site protected by Minhou County.

According to historical records, the Hong'en Lingji Palace rebuilt during the Yongle era extended from the foot to the summit of Jinao Mountain along the mountain's contours. It comprised three grand gates, six palatial halls, as well as over two hundred structures of various sizes including the Dharma Hall, Taoist living quarters, bell and drum towers, an imperial stele pavilion, memorial archways, and guesthouses. The entire complex was enclosed by palace walls and gleamed with golden splendor, resembling an imperial palace. Hence, the couplet on its main gate reads: "To see the emperor’s halls in Beijing, first visit the Lingji Palace in Qingpu." The Lingji Palace in Beiping was similar in design, covering an area of 974 mu, with eight major halls and 350 rooms, making its scale comparable to that of an imperial palace.

The existing Lingji Palace was rebuilt in 1988, with a construction area of approximately 2,460 square meters. It consists of the mountain gate, imperial stele pavilion, temple hall, and other structures.

The mountain gate faces west and is a two-story structure built with blue bricks. It features a three-section hip-and-gable roof with the inscription "Jin'ao Gate" on top.

Inside the mountain gate lies the front courtyard. On the south side of the courtyard stands the Ming Dynasty imperial stele pavilion, which is square in shape, three bays wide, with each side measuring 8.89 meters and a height of 9.80 meters. It has lotus-shaped column bases and bracket sets. The upper part features a double-eave spire roof, densely paved with sheathing boards on the roof surface, and animal ornaments at the ridge corners. The pavilion houses the “Imperially Commissioned Hong'en Lingji Palace Stele,” made of limestone, standing 6.20 meters tall, 2.06 meters wide, and 0.62 meters thick. The stele’s top is semicircular, adorned on both sides with relief carvings of two coiled dragons. The seal script inscription is said to have been written by Xie Jin. Beneath the stele is the turtle pedestal, which is 1.90 meters high, 4.00 meters long, 2.55 meters wide, and 1.40 meters thick, with its head raised and neck stretched. The turtle body is made of mottled red-and-white stone, smooth as a mirror, but unfortunately now covered with tiny pits, and the turtle’s mouth is missing. Legend says the stone powder from the turtle could cure livestock diseases, especially in pigs. As a result, local villagers often scraped powder from the turtle to feed their pigs, causing damage to the turtle sculpture.

Opposite the imperial stele pavilion are two smaller newly built halls, namely the Hall of Marshal Diao and the Hall of Prefect Zheng. They enshrine Diao, the vanguard general of the southern expedition led by the Two Xus, and Zheng, the prefect. Local residents also believe that Prefect Zheng is Zheng He, the famous Ming Dynasty eunuch admiral, who is said to have visited the Minhou Lingji Palace while escorting the “imperial stele” and the turtle sculpture.

Directly facing the mountain gate is the temple hall, bearing the plaque “Hongji Lingji Palace of Qingpu, Minhou,” which is a Republican-era structure. The temple hall consists of three interconnected large halls arranged in a front-hall-and-rear-hall layout. The hall and the front section are integrated without clear boundaries. Its main features include a stage, traditional-style seating, and shrine areas. The front hall occupies about two-thirds of the entire temple area and is used for villagers’ performances to honor the deities and for celebratory feasts during religious festivals. The main hall displays the plaque “Imperially Conferred Hong'en God.” At the center are statues of the Two Xus dressed in Ming imperial attire as “Golden Palace Hong'en True Lords” and “Jade Palace Hong'en True Lords,” with golden effigies of the two beside them. On either side of the main hall are two side halls named “Yong’an Palace” and “Zhusheng Hall,” enshrining the parents of the Two Xus and their two wives. The left and right halls are dedicated to the followers of the Two Xus.

In March 1989, Lingji Palace was listed as a cultural heritage site under the protection of Minhou County. In March 1991, the stele pavilion of Lingji Palace was listed as a cultural heritage site under the protection of Fujian Province. In June 2006, the stele pavilion of Lingji Palace was listed as a National Key Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

Qingkou Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Minhou County. One of the city’s vegetable production bases. Established as Qingkou Commune in 1983, restructured as a township in 1984, and upgraded to a town in 1992. Located in the southeastern part of the county, it is 37.5 kilometers from the county seat. Covering an area of 137 square kilometers with a population of 73,000, it is traversed by National Highway 324. The town administers Jing Shang, Qian Yang, Yang Cuo, Hu Yu, Cun Li, Hu Shan, Nong Guang, Zhuang Tou, Qing Kou, Tuán Jié, Wén Huá, Qīng Xiù, Hóng Qí, Shēng Qí, Xìng Fú, Qīng Pǔ Lǐ, Qīng Pǔ Lǐng, Hóng Yī, Hóng YīI, Hóng YīII, Hóng YīIII, Hóng YīIV, Jí Shān, Hòu Fú, Lián Fēng, Fù Zhù, Méi Lǐng, Chuán Wěi, Cháng Lóu, Qian Jie, Hou Jie, Fang... For detailed information about Qingkou Town, please refer to ++