Qingliang Temple in Ren County

Qingliang Temple in Ren County

Qingliang Temple in Ren County is a cultural tourism attraction.

Qingliang Temple in Ren County is located in Houtainan Village, Gucheng Township, Ren County, approximately 8 kilometers from the county seat. It was first built in the fifth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (585 AD). The temple was renovated during the reigns of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty and the Zhengtong, Chenghua, Zhengde, and Jiajing eras of the Ming Dynasty. An inscription from the early years of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty records: “Qingliang Temple covers an area of 18 mu, has 200 rooms, accommodates over 300 monks, and is shaded by more than 500 trees,” reflecting its unprecedented prosperity. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the monks had left and the temple stood empty. In the early years of the Republic of China, the site was converted into Tainan Primary School. In 1963, an unprecedented catastrophic flood destroyed all remnants of the temple, leaving only an ancient locust tree.

The ancient locust tree from the Sui Dynasty — the only surviving relic of Qingliang Temple — now stands outside the back wall of Tainan Primary School. According to an inscription from the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the tree was planted in the first year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (581 AD), making it over 1,400 years old. The tree stands about 20 meters tall with a girth of over 10 meters. A hollow section in the trunk forms a cavity that can hold up to five people.

According to an inscription on a stele originally erected in front of the ancient locust tree, dating from the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty: “First came the ancient locust tree, then the great Qingliang Temple.” The Ren County Annals record: “Qingliang Temple is located east of the county seat in Tainan, and was built in the fifth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (585 AD).” This confirms that the Sui-era locust tree is now over 1,400 years old. Today, the tree stands 12 meters tall, with a circumference of 10 meters and a crown spread of 15x13 meters. The hollow interior of the trunk can accommodate five people, and inside grows a sapling locust tree with a diameter of 50 centimeters at breast height, creating the unique spectacle of a “mother locust embracing its child.” In the peak of summer, when the tree offers a shady canopy and blossoms fill its branches with delicate fragrance, one can still sense a feeling of “coolness.” On major temple fair days such as New Year’s Eve, the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, and the 30th day of the seventh lunar month, pilgrims gather here in large numbers, with incense smoke lingering in the air and the sounds of chanting echoing in the distance.

Location: Houtainan Village, Gucheng Township, Ren County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province

Transportation: Take bus routes 311, 312, 313, or Ren County route 309 from Xingtai or Ren County, get off at Gucheng Station, then walk south to Houtainan Village.