Site of Rao’e Temple

Site of Rao’e Temple

The site of Rao’e Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Rao’e Temple, also known as Rao’e Shrine or Goddess Temple, is located east of Leitan Village, about 18 kilometers south of Leping City. The temple is ten zhang in length and three zhang in width, facing west and fronting the Le’an River, with Hushan Pool to the east. It is a shrine dedicated to Rao’e, a filial daughter from the Tang Dynasty. Inside the temple, there is an altar dedicated to the Goddess Rao’e. In front of the temple stands a rare ancient osmanthus tree, large and lush, filling the air with the fragrance of golden osmanthus, known as the “Goddess’ Umbrella.” Originally, there was also a six-sided, seven-tiered stone pagoda over twelve feet tall, a fishing platform, and historic relics of the Eighteen Arhats. Now, only the front section of the temple site remains, measuring approximately three zhang square. The sacred bell and stone pagoda were destroyed in 1966, though remnants and ruins can still be seen.

Legend has it that in the year 762 during the Tang Dynasty’s Baoying reign (the year of the Tiger), a 14-year-old peasant girl named Rao’e, who often wove kudzu cloth and was known for her gentle and quiet nature, was much beloved by the villagers. One day, her father, Rao Ji, went to the opposite bank to cut firewood. A sudden storm capsized his boat, and he drowned. Upon hearing the news, Rao’e was overcome with grief. For three days and nights, she wept and cried out on the riverbank, until her voice gave out and her tears stained the sands red—so much so that the place came to be called “Lei Tan” (Tearful Beach). With the help of the villagers, Rao’e buried her father and chose to remain unmarried for the rest of her life.

Rao’e’s filial piety and tragic story moved heaven and earth, and her tale was widely told. To commemorate her, later generations built a statue and established a temple. According to the Leping County Annals from the Tongzhi era, in the fifth year of the Tang Dynasty’s Dali reign (770 AD), a temple was erected in Leicheng Township’s Leitan Li, initially called the Filial Daughter Rao’e Shrine. Throughout history, literary figures such as the Tang Dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan and the Song Dynasty chancellor Ma Tingluan inscribed steles here. Having endured over twelve hundred years of rise and decline, only the ruins now remain.