Qilin Terrace

Qilin Terrace

Qilin Terrace is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

Qilin Terrace, also known as Huolin Terrace, was historically called the Ancient Tomb of Huolin. It is located seven kilometers east of Juye County — specifically, within a large depression to the east of Chenhuzhuang and north of Houfengqiao in present-day Qilin Town. It is a key county-level cultural relic site under protection. This terrace marks the spot where Duke Ai of Lu "hunted in the west and captured a qilin." It measures 73 meters in length from east to west and 52 meters in width from north to south, covering an area of 3,800 square meters. Originally, there were several Tang Dynasty stone tablets here, but they have been destroyed over time. In the 14th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Jiuxu, a prefectural judge of Jining Prefecture, rebuilt a Qilin Tablet and erected it beside the Caoji Highway. The character 冢 (tomb) and the date and signature inscribed on the tablet still remain today. The event "hunting in the west and capturing a qilin" became nationally renowned, and many place names at the levels of state, county, township, and village — such as the Lingzhou of the Tang Dynasty, Jiaxiang County east of Juye, the Huolin Bao (township) and Huolin Ji (market) east of Juye County — were named after this event.

The "hunting in the west and capturing a qilin" incident took place in the late Spring and Autumn period in the Daye Marsh area on the western border of the State of Lu. The earliest written historical record of this event appears in the Spring and Autumn Annals, China’s earliest chronological history book compiled during the Warring States period. The Gongyang Commentary by Gongyang Gao and the Guliang Commentary by Guliang Chi, both historical works from the Warring States period, also document this event. Zuo Qiuming, a contemporary of Confucius, wrote in Volume Twelve of the Zuo Zhuan: "In spring of the 14th year of Duke Ai’s reign, [the duke] went hunting in Daye. A charioteer of the Shusun clan, Yueshang, captured a qilin, thinking it inauspicious, and gave it to the gamekeeper. Confucius saw it and said, ‘It is a qilin.’" The Strategies of the Warring States · Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou states: "In the 39th year of King Jing of Zhou, Duke Ai of Lu hunted in Daye. A retainer of the Shusun clan, Yueshang, captured a strange beast — it had the body of a deer, the tail of an ox, the hooves of a horse, and a single fleshy horn on its head. Thinking it bizarre, they killed it. Confucius sighed and said, ‘It is a benevolent beast, a qilin. Why has it come?’ He then ordered his disciples to bury it." Although Strategies of the Warring States is a historical novel, its accounts largely match those in historical texts and are certainly not fabricated.

The Records of the Grand Historian · The House of Confucius records: "In spring of the 14th year of Duke Ai’s reign, [they] hunted in Daye. A charioteer of the Shusun clan, Yueshang, captured a beast, thinking it inauspicious. Confucius saw it and said, ‘It is a qilin,’ and took it." In his annotations Collected Explanations and Rectified Meanings, it is further noted: "Daye is the name of a marsh, a common hunting ground of Lu, likely referring to present-day Juye."

The Sacred Land Records section of the Yanzhou Prefecture Annals states: "In spring of the 39th year of King Jing of Zhou (14th year of Duke Ai), [they] hunted in Daye. A retainer of the Shusun clan, Yueshang, captured a qilin." "They broke its left leg and carried it back. The Shusun clan thought it inauspicious and discarded it outside the city, then sent someone to inform Confucius, asking, ‘What is this horned deer-like creature?’ Confucius went to see it and said, ‘It is a qilin. Why has it come here?’ He covered his face with his sleeve, weeping, tears soaking his robe. Upon hearing this, the Shusun clan then retrieved it. Zigong asked, ‘Master, why do you weep?’ Confucius replied, ‘The arrival of a qilin signifies the coming of a wise ruler. It has appeared out of time and met harm. That is why I grieve.’"

An article titled "On the Qilin" published in the 1991 issue of Literary and Historical Knowledge states: "The earliest records of the 'qilin' in ancient Chinese texts are found in the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Songs." The Spring and Autumn Annals is known for its meticulous record-keeping and never speaks of the strange, supernatural, chaotic, or divine — nor does it fabricate stories without basis.

Other texts such as the Dynastic Outline Compendium, the Easy-to-Understand Outline Record, the Cao’nan Literature Record, the Caozhou Prefecture Annals, and the Juye County Annals also provide faithful accounts of the event.

The "hunting in the west and capturing a qilin" incident occurred in the 39th year of King Jing of Zhou (the 14th year of Duke Ai of Lu in the Spring and Autumn period), and Confucius’ Spring and Autumn Annals was completed in that very year. By then, Confucius was 71 years old and ceased writing afterward. This strongly supports the authenticity of the widely circulated story in Juye that Confucius "stopped writing upon capturing the qilin." Objectively, Confucius stopped writing due to his advanced age and declining energy. But subjectively, being moved and worried by the qilin was also a major reason. Legend says that in 551 BCE (the 22nd year of Duke Xiang of Lu), Confucius’ mother, Yan Zhengzai, prayed at Niqiu Mountain and encountered a qilin before giving birth to Confucius. Because the top of Confucius’ head resembled Niqiu Mountain when he was born, he was named Qiu and given the courtesy name Zhongni. Confucius was born because of the qilin and died after seeing one again. He believed it to be an ominous sign, so he immediately composed a dirge for the qilin: "In the age of Emperors Yao and Shun, qilins and phoenixes roamed; now it comes in unseasonable times — what does it seek? O qilin, o qilin, my heart is heavy with sorrow." Troubled by the qilin and grieving over the early death of his only beloved son, Li, Confucius was deeply saddened and eventually passed away in the 16th year of Duke Ai of Lu (479 BCE). After his death, the story of Confucius stopping his writing upon encountering the qilin spread widely. The great Tang poet Li Bai wrote in his poem Ancient Style: "If one aspires to sainthood and establishes virtue, their brush stops at the capture of the qilin." The Book of Rites states: "The phoenix and qilin dwell in the wild marshes." Late Spring and Autumn Juye, located in the Daye Marsh area on the western border of the State of Lu, had plants like reeds and cattails favored by qilins, making it a habitat suited to them. When Duke Ai of Lu led a hunting party there, based on geography, it was called "hunting in the west." Since ancient times, dragons, phoenixes, turtles, and qilins were regarded as divine creatures, so the incident of "hunting in the west and capturing a qilin" became a significant theme in literary works. Du Yu, a Jin Dynasty general and historian, wrote in his commentary Collected Explanations of the Zuo Tradition of the Spring and Autumn Annals: "The qilin is a benevolent beast, an auspicious sign of a sage king." The great Tang writer Han Yu, in his commentary on the "Explanation of Capturing the Qilin," wrote: "The qilin has one horn and carries flesh, equipped for battle yet harmless." "It roams only in open wetlands, resides only where auspiciousness dwells, treads not on living insects, nor steps on growing grass. When a sage king emerges, it appears alongside the phoenix, turtle, and dragon — collectively known as the Four Spirits." As one of the Four Spirits, the qilin appears in many historical texts and stories such as The Classic of the Qilin, The Book of the Qilin, Golden Wall Stories, the Song Dynasty’s Chronicles of the Qilin Terrace by Cheng Ju, and the Qing Dynasty’s The Qilin Pavilion by Li Yu. Additionally, ancient imperial reign titles, as well as historic architecture and place names, often used the character 麟 (qilin) as a symbol of good fortune. Emperor Gaozu of Han referred to the Weiyang Palace as the Qilin Hall, and Emperor Xuan of Han called it the Qilin Pavilion. In the 4th year of the Wude era of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, inspired by the "hunting in the west and capturing a qilin" event, the Lingzhou Commandery was established in Juye. Emperor Gaozong of Tang adopted the reign title "Linde" (Auspicious Qilin), and Empress Wu Zetian renamed the Zhongshu Province as the Qilin Terrace. In the 4th year of the Dali era of Emperor Dezong of Tang, the Qilin Terrace Stele was erected on Qilin Terrace. In the 7th year of the Huangtong era of the Jin Dynasty, inspired by the auspicious symbolism of the qilin, Jiaxiang County was added in Shankou Town, Juye County (now Dashantou area of Jiaxiang County). In the 16th year of the Zhiyuan era of Yuan Emperor Shizu, a Qilin and Phoenix Pavilion was built north of Juye County seat as a symbol of good fortune; in the 2nd year of the Zhiying era of Yuan Emperor Wenzong, Fan Xun, the magistrate of Juye, renovated the Qilin and Phoenix Pavilion. During the Ming Dynasty, Fang Shihua, the magistrate of Juye, built the Ruiqilin Temple on Qilin Terrace. The Ruiqilin Temple was grand in scale and magnificent in construction. Local legend says the temple complex once covered over a hundred acres, housed more than a hundred monks, and had dozens of tenant households. Nearby were shops, stone mills, vegetable gardens, salt fields, and carriage workshops — clearly forming a self-sufficient economic unit. To the south of the Ruiqilin Temple flowed a small river called Balih River, which ran from east to west, lined with willows, babbling with clear water, and home to visible fish. On the southern bank was a ferry crossing, known in the Juye County Annals as the "Ancient Huolin Ferry." In the spring, when the weather was mild and flowers bloomed, scholars, merchants, and people of all ages came here to sightsee in great numbers. Unfortunately, due to warfare in the late Ming Dynasty, the entire temple complex turned to ruins, leaving only this overgrown earthen terrace today.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units