Sanhou Temple

Sanhou Temple

Sanhou Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located in Wupi Town, Anyuan District, Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province, about 8 kilometers from downtown Pingxiang and 6 kilometers from Anyuan, Sanhou Temple is an important tourist destination in Pingxiang. Most visitors to Pingxiang make it a point to go to Sanhou Temple when they arrive in Wupi Town. Formerly known as Sanhou Temple or Zhang Xianggong Temple, it was first built in the second year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1629) and rebuilt in the 27th year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty (1847). It lies east of the Nanhe River, south of Wulong Mountain, west of the ancient Sanhou Bridge, and north of Ce’gang Monastery.

According to the local historical text *Records of Zhao Ping*, “In the Datian area of southern Pingxiang, there were three nobles whose miraculous deeds were frequently witnessed. The locals built this temple to worship Zhang Xianggong.” “I once read in the Tang Dynasty’s biography of Zhang Hongjing that three generations of his family served as prime ministers and were ennobled as marquises, collectively referred to as the ‘Three Marquis of the Zhang Xianggong Family.’ Today’s Sanhou Temple also worships Zhang Xianggong.” The Zhang Xianggong worshipped in the temple is not the Tang Dynasty’s Zhang Hongjing but is so named in symbolic reverence for Zhang Jinghong, a native of Jiyang, Hunan, who was born in 1597 during the Ming Dynasty. He passed the imperial examination for xiucai in his youth and later mastered medical skills. To avoid turmoil, he left his hometown with his mother and wandered to Hengtouzhou, a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters. He called himself the "Son of Hengtouzhou," made a living by running a school, and often used his medical knowledge to treat villagers and provide medicine to the poor. His noble character in educating people and helping the needy earned him widespread respect, and he came to be known as Zhang Xianggong. In the autumn of 1629, a plague spread through the villages, causing widespread panic. Zhang Xianggong had a dream in which he was warned that the well water on the island had been poisoned and must not be consumed. Upon waking, he was terrified and immediately alerted the villagers. At dawn, he stood by the well, trying to stop people from drawing water. However, the villagers did not believe him and insisted on fetching water. Desperate and helpless, Zhang Xianggong cupped his hands, tasted the water himself, and died on the spot. The villagers were struck with horror and burst into tears, deeply moved and shocked by his self-sacrificial act, and remorseful for not heeding his warning, which led to the untimely death of such a virtuous man. A temple was built here, and his statue was enshrined as a deity. People have since worshipped him morning and evening, paying tribute to him year-round.

Sanhou Temple was built along the mountain terrain, facing south from the north and ascending gradually from low to high. It consists of three two-story buildings, representing a typical example of Qing Dynasty palace-style architecture. The entire temple complex includes a mountain gate, central gate, theater stage, teahouse, Hall of Zhang Kang Zhenren (True Man), Mahavira Hall, Kṣitigarbha Hall, Ciyun Pavilion, and Xianggong Tower, forming an exquisitely arranged ancient architectural ensemble spanning over 8,000 square meters. The Hall of Zhang Kang Zhenren is the main structure of the Sanhou Temple complex. Facing east and situated west, it features a three-courtyard, earth, wood, and brick structure with a flush gable roof and fire-prevention walls. The front has two layers of wooden lattice doors, while the back wall, mountain wall, and lower floor all consist of lime-sand walls, with upper floors built using brick and no windows. Inside, nine pairs of square stone pillars with raised beams support the structure, using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery techniques for beams, pillars, purlins, and rafters, complemented by spandrels, two octagonal caisson ceilings, one covered pavilion, and flat ceiling panels. Between the front hall and middle hall is a central courtyard, while the rear hall has two side courtyards near the middle hall for drainage and lighting. The upper hall of the rear hall features a tall, two-story, lattice-style octagonal pavilion that allows light in. The flower brackets and inserted brackets in the architectural structure are typical of the region and reflect the construction style and aesthetics of southern China. It was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site in 2005.

Sanhou Temple was built to honor Zhang Kang, who sacrificed himself to save others. Zhang Xianggong, named Jinghong, with the courtesy name Yiyun and the alias Kang, was a native of Liuyang, Hunan. Born in 1597 during the Ming Dynasty, he went into seclusion in Datian, Pingxiang, due to war. He made a living by teaching and practicing medicine. In the second year of the Chongzhen era (1629), he died heroically after tasting poisoned well water to save others and was buried on Wulong Mountain behind the temple. To this day, his tomb remains well-preserved on Wulong Mountain behind the temple.

Henglong Temple is located 1.5 li west of Changxingguan Village in the suburban management area of Anyuan District, covering an area of 794.88 square meters. It is a municipal-level cultural heritage site. Now known as Chunyang Guan (Pure Yang Temple), it has a long history, having been built approximately 1,300 years ago during the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, it was called Minglong Temple. In the first year of the Zhenzai era (695 AD) during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, officials were sent to offer incense at Minglong Temple, and the poet and court official Song Zhiwen inscribed the plaque “Minglong Temple.” The *Taiping Huanyu Ji* (Comprehensive Gazetteer of the Taiping Era), a Northern Song Dynasty geographical text, records: “Minglong Temple in Pingxiang County is located six li southwest of the county. Its plaque was inscribed by Song Zhiwen in the first year of Wu Zetian’s Zhenzai era and contains the phrase ‘returning phoenixes and reversing magpies,’ which still exists today.” Over time, Minglong Temple declined. According to *Records of Zhao Ping*, during the Northern Song Dynasty, someone built a hut against the rocks here. In the early Ming Dynasty, tiles were added, and during the Ming Dynasty’s Tian Shun era, County Magistrate Wang Shi and local resident Wang Yanlan constructed temple halls. In the 36th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1771), Chunyang Guan was renovated and renamed Henglong Temple. Since then, it has undergone multiple restorations.

The mountain gate is inscribed with the three characters “Henglong Temple.” The temple complex consists of two main structures connected by an 18-arch corridor. The front hall, known as Chunyang Hall, is a two-part hard-roofed structure with a flush gable roof, measuring 13.29 meters in width and 25.55 meters in depth. The plaque above the gate reads “Chunyang Guan,” and the couplet says: “To seek the ancient, do not doubt its remoteness; to taste the spiritual spring, you too have a connection.” In the courtyard between the front hall’s chambers is a pool where clear spring water gushes from underground, surrounded by stone railings. The pool features a stone dragon head, all in the Ming Dynasty style. The rear hall, known as the Three Pure Ones Hall, measures 11.45 meters in width and 20.61 meters in depth. The hall’s caisson ceiling is decorated with wooden structures in the form of the eight trigrams, showcasing a strong traditional ethnic aesthetic. Both the front and rear halls are three bays wide. The 18-arch corridor consists of 18 contiguous brick arches that rise upward in a winding fashion across seven levels of steps. Each arch is covered with tiles to provide shade and shelter from rain. The 18-arch corridor is 25.55 meters long and 13.29 meters wide, with each arch roughly one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) square. The architectural design of the “18 Arches” is distinctive and considered a scenic highlight of Henglong Cave.

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