Tiānhuā Palace

Tiānhuā Palace

Located at the southern end of the embankment built by Li Bo between Gāntáng Lake and Nánmén Lake in Jiujiang, the palace covers an area of approximately 1,100 square meters. Nestled by the lake with rippling blue waters, willows lining the shore, and lush greenery providing a serene setting, the site boasts picturesque and elegant surroundings. According to the *Dehua County Annals*, “The palace was built in the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign.” The entire compound is constructed with a brick-and-wood structure, along with perimeter walls. The main structures within the courtyard include the Goddess Hall and the Goddess Pavilion. The pavilion has three levels, features a hexagonal shape, and is adorned with upturned eaves, giving it a somewhat pagoda-like appearance that is quite magnificent. On both sides, there are meditation rooms and other auxiliary buildings. Originally, it was a folk temple dedicated to the deity who blesses people with children. Tiānhuā Palace is the later name, derived from the idea that the temple's appearance resembles a heavenly flower palace. Climbing to the third floor and looking out the windows, one can enjoy views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Legend has it that during the Three Kingdoms period, when Zhou Yu of the Eastern Wu was stationed at Gōngtíng and training his naval forces, this place was where Xiao Qiao, his wife, used to dress up. Hence, the building erected back then was called Xiao Qiao’s Dressing Tower.

The deity worshipped here as the Goddess of Childbirth is actually Lady Huāruǐ, a concubine of Méng Chǎng, the ruler of the Later Shu during the Five Dynasties period. In the third year of the Qiándé era under Emperor Tàizǔ of the Song Dynasty, after Méng Chǎng was defeated and surrendered to the Song, he soon died. His concubine, Lady Huāruǐ, although forced to move into the Song palace, never forgot her former master. She secretly hung a portrait of Méng Chǎng in the palace and worshipped it. When Emperor Tàizǔ discovered this and questioned her, Lady Huāruǐ, in a moment of panic, falsely claimed, “This is the image of the God Zhangxiān, the deity who grants children, which all people of Shu know well.” Fortunately, the emperor did not press the issue further but asked her to compose a poem on the theme of the fall of Shu. Left with no choice, Lady Huāruǐ recited: “The king raised the white flag atop the city wall, / Deep in the palace, how could I have known? / Four hundred thousand men laid down their arms, / Yet not a single one among them was a man.” Emperor Tàizǔ could do nothing about it. The worship of the childbirth deity later spread from the palace to the populace. In the late Qing Dynasty, the male image of Zhangxiān was replaced with a female image of Lady Huāruǐ, and Tiānhuā Palace began enshrining a female Goddess of Childbirth. It was once a place of particularly thriving worship. Another poem describes it: “Willow shadows and lake waves create a rich scene, / Tiānhuā Palace stands tall, even more enchanting. / From the third floor’s subtle heights, gaze out the window, / The refined scenery is a delight to behold.”