Sanqing Palace

Sanqing Palace

Location

Yushan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, Sanqing Palace, Sanqing Mountain Scenic Area

Sanqing Palace sits to the east of Juxian Terrace, backed by Jiulong Mountain to the south, adjacent to Yanjiao Hall to the west, and perched on Turtle Back Rock to the north, occupying the most favorable feng shui location within the Sanqing Blessed Land for gathering qi and retaining water. The Sanqing Palace Scenic Area, named after the palace, is a hub of the rich cultural landscape of Sanqing Mountain and serves as an "open-air museum" of the ancient Taoist architectural complex on the mountain.

The Sanqing Palace Scenic Area has an average elevation of over 1,500 meters, extending from “Jiutian Yingyuan Mansion” in the upper part down to “Fengmen” in the lower part. Since the mountain’s establishment by Ge Hong in the Jin Dynasty, Sanqing Mountain has a Taoist history spanning more than 1,600 years. There are over 230 ancient structures and stone carvings, including palaces, temples, halls, mansions, archways, springs, pools, bridges, tombs, terraces, and pagodas. These ancient buildings and artifacts are ingeniously arranged based on the “Early Heaven Bagua Diagram” and the “Later Heaven Bagua Diagram,” making them a unique model for the study of ancient Taoist architectural design and layout in China.

Sanqing Palace is situated on Turtle Back Rock at the entrance of Jiulong Mountain on the southern side of the Sanqing Blessed Land in Sanqing Mountain, at an altitude of 1,533 meters. It is the iconic Taoist structure of Sanqing Mountain. The palace lies to the east of Juxian Terrace, backed by Jiulong Mountain to the south, adjacent to Yanjiao Hall to the west, and perched on Turtle Back Rock to the north, occupying the most favorable feng shui location within the Sanqing Blessed Land for gathering qi and retaining water.

Legend has it that during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (326–334 or 357–361), Ge Hong and Minister Li “built huts to refine elixirs” and practiced Taoism on Sanqing Mountain. A temple for Laozi was built during the Tang Dynasty at the original site north of Danjing Well, facing south, and was called the Sanqing Blessed Land. “In the sixth year of the Qiandao era of the Song Dynasty (1170), Wang Lin funded the reconstruction of the Sanqing Temple halls to enshrine the Three Pure Ones. However, due to turmoil, the temple was abandoned and fell into ruin.” The Yuan Dynasty saw the construction of the Sanqing Temple, which included stone carvings of the Three Pure Ones, Immortals Ge and Li, Minister Li, celestial boys and girls, and General Pan. Between the Jingtai and Tianshun eras of the Ming Dynasty (1450–1464), Wang You and Zhan Biyue renovated and expanded the site, renaming it Sanqing Palace. It was destroyed by fire in the 18th year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1813), and was later rebuilt through donations by local Taoists from Yushan and Dexing counties, though on a much smaller scale. The current Sanqing Palace was built during the Ming Dynasty, facing north with a front hall and rear pavilion, flanked by side rooms, and consisting of two stories and two courtyards. The front hall is 5.38 meters high, while the rear pavilion is 2.3 meters higher than the front hall’s foundation. The hall is 10.4 meters wide and 19.82 meters deep, with a total area of 206 square meters. Including auxiliary buildings, the entire site covers 1,750 square meters. The beams, columns, walls, pools, and doors inside the hall are mainly constructed from polished granite, fitted seamlessly together, making it one of the finest examples of ancient architectural art. A plaque inscribed with “Sanqing Blessed Land” and dated to the eighth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1869) hangs above the palace gate.

The palace is named after the three revered deities enshrined in the front hall: the Yuanshi Tianzun (Supreme Primordial Lord) of Qingwei Tian (Azure Expanse Heaven) in the Yuqing Realm (Jade Clarity Realm), who resides in the central position, holding the Hunyuan Pearl symbolizing the formless and chaotic state before heaven and earth and all things came into being; the Lingbao Tianzun (Numinous Treasure Lord), also known as Tianbao Jun, on the left of Yuanshi Tianzun, holding either a ruyi scepter or a half-black, half-white “Yin-Yang Mirror,” symbolizing the emerging “Taiji” from the formless state; and the Daode Tianzun (Moral Lord), also known as Taishang Laojun, on the right of Yuanshi Tianzun, holding a feather fan, symbolizing the “Two Instruments” of heaven and earth or Yin and Yang differentiated from Taiji.

The rear pavilion serves as a Guanyin Hall, enshrining Buddhist deities such as the Eighteen Arhats. Thirteen steps connect the front hall and the rear pavilion, symbolizing treading upon the thirteen provinces. There is a saying: “Tread the thirteen steps, and blessings, good fortune, and longevity follow.” Inside the pavilion, there is a couplet: “In the Three Pure Halls, the teachings of compassion are widely expounded; in the Wondrous Dharma Hall, the gates of universal salvation are broadly opened.” The original side rooms have been destroyed, the roof is no longer in its original form, and the Three Pure Ones statues inside were created in the 1990s. The site was reopened after renovation on May 1, 2006. The stone pillars of the front and rear halls are original Ming Dynasty relics. Granite pillars on both sides of the Three Pure Ones are inscribed with couplets: “Through the Three Heavens without end, the Dao’s energy resides in Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing; unified under the great Ming, we pray for the imperial reign across a myriad of generations.” The stone-carved couplet at the main gate reads: “The hall opens to daylight, swept by the wind; the door closes at dusk, sealed by the clouds,” depicting the ethereal and misty scenery of this blessed land.

In front of the Sanqing Palace is a granite-paved platform. On the north side of the platform stands a stone incense burner and incense pavilion, with the burner’s base featuring carved stone chi dragon heads. To the east of the hall is a Character-Respect Pavilion. The hall has three gates, with five steps leading up to the central main gate. Below the steps, at the drip line of the eaves, lies a rectangular pool, historically called the “Dragon Spring Pool.” The pool is 2.8 meters long, 1.3 meters wide, and 0.25 meters deep. Inside the pool is a stone incense basin, with the word “Qingjing” (Purity and Tranquility) carved on the front, “Chang” (Taste) on the west side, and “Yi” (Yes) on the east side. At the southwest corner of the pool, a carved stone dragon head lies beneath the surface, with a “Fire Dragon Pearl” pattern engraved on the base of the incense basin to its west. Adjacent to the dragon head on the south side is a drainage outlet. During rain, water overflows to submerge the dragon head, hence the name “Dragon Captured Beneath the Steps.” At the center of the platform’s north side stands the Sanqing Palace Stone Archway, in front of which are the Lingguan Hall and Kuixing Hall. These cultural relics feature simple yet elegant designs, graceful lines, and exquisite carvings.

The architecture of Sanqing Mountain is filled with mysterious and mystical elements. A couplet inscribed on the large pillar in the front hall reads: “Through the Three Heavens without end, the Dao’s energy resides in Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing; unified under the great Ming, we pray for the imperial reign across a myriad of generations.” It is said to have been personally composed by Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty, who went into seclusion on Sanqing Mountain and served as the abbot of Sanqing Palace. This couplet reveals that although the emperor retreated into a life of serenity, he could not completely abandon worldly concerns, placing his hopes in the Three Pure Ones to safeguard the Ming imperial lineage for generations. The couplet at the main gate, “The hall opens to daylight, swept by the wind; the door closes at dusk, sealed by the clouds,” shares a similar sentiment with a couplet in Fengxing Temple in Fengyang, the birthplace of Zhu Yuanzhang: “Within the temple, no monks — the wind sweeps the floor; in the shrine, few lamps — the moon provides light.” Both express a shared sense of resignation and transcendence, offering a profound commentary and testament to the spiritual journeys of both the emperor and his ancestor as they entered the ethereal realms of Buddhism and Taoism.

Address: Northeast corner of Sanqing Mountain Scenic Area, Yushan County, Shangrao City

Opening Hours:

Monday–Friday: 8:00–17:00; Saturday & Sunday: 7:30–17:00. Slight adjustments may be made during golden weeks and major holidays; please refer to the scenic area for specifics.

Sanqing Mountain

Sanqing Blessed Land

Guanyin Appreciating Music on Sanqing Mountain

Jade Maiden Revealing Joy

Golden Sand Cableway

Sunshine Coast Scenic Area

Three Cave Entrances of Sanqing Mountain

Tiyun Ridge

Nanqingyuan

Yujing Peak

Yuling Temple on Sanqing Mountain

Shigu Ridge

Xihuatai on Sanqing Mountain

West Coast

Old Taoist Worshiping the Moon at Mount Sanqing

Wanshouyuan Scenic Area

Goddess of Spring

Giant Python Emerging from the Mountain