Qinghua Cave

Qinghua Cave

Qinghua Cave is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

“Qinghua Cave,” also known as Lüzu Hall (a branch of Changqing Temple), is a Taoist temple of the Miaozhen sect, a hidden branch of Taoism, located in Jining, Shandong Province. Originally situated west of the former Zhongqu Government and within the compound of Jining Teachers' College Affiliated Middle School, the site now has surviving stone steles. Facing south, the cave was first built during the Yuan Dynasty, covering a total area of 10,000 square meters. The 1703 edition of the Jining Prefecture Annals records: Qinghua Cave was originally a flower garden belonging to Xiaolian Wu Dunlin, which Hu Ruoqi converted into a hall dedicated to the Pure Yang True Man. With lush trees, pavilions, terraces, pools, and secluded hills, entering it felt like walking through a valley. To the left of the main gate stood a bell tower, and at the rear courtyard there was a pavilion, along with six rooms on the east and west halls and three rooms in the main hall. Behind the cave was a large hall for the Supreme Lord of the North Star Who Relieves Suffering, and a three-room Doumu Pavilion (housing statues of Doumu and the Northern and Southern Dipper deities). The east courtyard featured a bamboo grove and a three-room Universal Salvation Hall, where incense burned year-round and people came for confession and medicine. On the 14th day of the fourth lunar month each year, a grand celebration for Lüzu was held. Two resident Taoist priests would regularly collect and burn waste paper collected from the streets daily, then scatter the ashes in the river—a practice known as showing reverence for written characters.

In 1958, the abbot Han Zhixiang handed over the temple to the school and moved the statue of Lü Dongbin to the Huoshen Temple in Banjiegé for worship. Activities were halted in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution.

The new Qinghua Cave in Jining began construction in 2003, took three years to complete, and is now open to the public. The new Qinghua Cave is designed entirely according to the structure and layout of the original. It is located within the Luming Mountain Villa in Rencheng District’s Nianlipu Town, covering an area of 8 mu. From south to north, it features a single-eave main gate, with the Qinghua Cave stone plaque inscribed by calligrapher Master Cheng Baoyuan. On both sides of the gate, red walls with blue tiles bear the phrases “Tao follows nature” and “Boundless Celestial Worthy.” Inside the gate are door gods on either side, and above is a plaque reading “Cave Heaven and Blessed Land.” To the east are three rooms for guest reception, and to the west are three rooms for the vegetarian kitchen. After crossing a small bridge, the central structure is the double-eave Mounted Horse Pavilion, Little Yingzhou, surrounded by a pool of water, with a stone pagoda to the east. Beyond the bridge lies the main hall, the Chunyang Hall, with its plaque inscribed by Huang Xinyang, Vice President of the China Taoist Association. Inside is a statue of Lüzu, and to the east and west are the “Heavenly Root” and “Moon Jade” halls. Behind the Chunyang Hall is an artificial hill containing a stone chamber that forms the Qinghua Cave, housing a statue of the Supreme Old Lord. To the west of the hill are two sister pavilions named “Bright Virtue” and “Mysterious Serenity,” with an ancestral hall to the east. Behind the hill is a two-story building called the Scripture Depository, with its plaque inscribed by calligrapher Du Huaiyi. The area is richly vegetated, mainly with pines and bamboos, complemented by ginkgos and large-leaved privets. The entire complex is built in the style of ancient structures, exuding an antique charm, and embodies the Taoist cultural concept of “tranquility.” The rear Luming Mountain Villa is designed in the style of a Suzhou garden, featuring lush trees, pavilions, flowing springs, cascading waterfalls, birdsong, and floral scents, resembling a paradise—an ideal place for Taoist practitioners to cultivate themselves and a wonderful destination for citizens to sightsee and relax.

Source: Shandong Provincial Tourism Development Commission