Site of the Fushan Xihuang Temple Ruins

Site of the Fushan Xihuang Temple Ruins

The Fushan Xihuang Temple Ruins is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Fushan Xihuang Temple, also known as Renzu Temple or colloquially as Ye’niang Temple, is located in Dongcun Village, Ye’niang Temple, Guoli Town. It is a temple dedicated to the worship of Fuxi. Its exact founding date is unknown, but an inscription from the second year of the Changxing era of the Later Tang Dynasty found within the temple indicates that it had already taken initial shape by the late Tang and early Five Dynasties period. The entire structure was built along the mountain, stretching approximately 150 meters from north to south and about 120 meters from east to west. It is a complex consisting of pavilions, terraces, towers, and halls, featuring a rigorous structure and majestic grandeur. In front of the temple is a mountain gate, inside which lies a Golden Water Bridge, with one gate on each of the east and west sides, commonly referred to as the East and West Huamen. To the north, the buildings are divided into eastern, central, and western sections, distributed in upper, middle, and lower tiers along the mountain slope. The central section includes the Ritual Gate, East and West Side Halls, Xihuang Hall, and Nühuang Hall, with the main building being the Xihuang Hall. The eastern section houses the Jade Emperor Hall, while the western section contains the Mount Tai Palace and the Guan Yu Temple. The entire architectural complex consists of 42 large and small temples, enshrining over 1,300 statues of deities. There are numerous halls with uniquely designed structures. Notably, the main Xihuang Hall features a hip-and-gable roof with turned corners, divided into five bays, with flying eaves, bracket sets, and a composite construction of brick, wood, and stone. It is covered with green glazed tiles, with painted beams and carved rafters, all richly decorated. A nine-step staircase leads up from the front pathway. The hall platform is surrounded by stone railings, and the corridor eaves are supported by eight thick stone columns intricately carved with coiled dragons. The dragons appear to be soaring through clouds, exuding a majestic aura (it is verified that these dragon pillars were built during the Yuandade era). The Jade Emperor Hall in the eastern section has a beamless structure, with its roof and corridor eaves entirely supported by octagonal stone columns, earning it the reputation of the “Ninety-Nine Beamless Halls.” Overall, the architectural complex boasts a unique style, mostly composed of stone carvings and wood sculptures with exquisite craftsmanship and lifelike details. The deities enshrined within the halls display diverse and vivid expressions, making it a true “gem” in China’s treasure trove of dragon culture architecture. There are 18 ancient cypresses, dubbed “millennium-old trees,” evenly distributed both inside and outside the temple. Their trunks are so thick that three people joining hands still cannot encircle them. With lush foliage and towering, vigorous forms reaching the sky, they have become a unique highlight of the temple. One of the most distinctive features of this temple is its integration of the “Three Teachings”—Buddhism, Taoism, and Nunnery—housing nuns, monks, and Taoist priests in ascending order from top to bottom, hence also called the “Three Saints Temple.” Additionally, the temple enshrines celestial deities such as the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, earthly figures like Hua Tuo and Guan Yu, as well as underworld spirits like the King of Hell, reflecting the diversity and inclusiveness of Chinese beliefs. Its unique form of worship is unparalleled in China. On the annual traditional “March 3rd” festival, people from dozens of miles around flock to the temple to offer incense and make wishes, creating an unprecedentedly grand occasion.

However, despite its grand scale, this magnificent temple was burned down on the tenth day of the second lunar month in 1929 by troops under Feng Yuxiang’s command led by Liang Guanying. The once sprawling complex was reduced to ruins after three days and nights of raging fire. Coupled with subsequent human destruction, only five over-five-meter-tall octagonal stone pillars, five turtle-bearing stone steles (the Ming Wanli-era "Stele of the Chronicles of Emperors Through the Ages" and "Stele Commemorating the Reconstruction of the Three Saints Hall," the Qing Yongzheng-era "Apricot Auspicious Poem Stele," the Qing Kangxi-era "Stele Recording the Xihuang Hall and Poetic Tributes," and a square four-edged stele), and the stone wall foundation of the Jade Emperor Hall remain at the original site. Of the eight surviving dragon-carved stone pillars, four are now housed in the Zoucheng City Cultural Relics Museum, and the other four are at the Dongda Temple (mosque) in Jining City. The original 18 towering “millennium-old cypresses” of the temple were also cut down for housing construction during the People’s Commune period.

The past has become history. Although people can no longer see the temple’s former glory, its long historical legacy can still be felt through the remaining broken steles and ruins.

In February 1978, it was designated as a Zoucheng City Cultural Relics Protection Unit; in March 2001, it was listed as a Jining City Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In 2019, the Site of the Fushan Xihuang Temple Ruins was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Guoli Town: "Guoli Town is located in the southwestern part of Zoucheng City, at the junction of Zoucheng, Tengzhou, and Weishan counties/cities. It boasts a rich cultural heritage and a long history, and is the hometown of the famous physician Wang Shuhe and Wang Can, one of the 'Seven Scholars of Jian'an.' The town is home to key cultural protection units such as the Fuxi Temple Ruins, the Tomb of Liu Bao, the General of the Western Jin Dynasty’s Pacification Northern Army, and the Tomb of General Wulindada. The town covers an area of 85.9 square kilometers, with a population of 46,857, and administers 6 management areas and 39 villages.

Social development is progressing steadily. The education sector remains consistently strong, earning the town a reputation as a “Number One Scholar Town”; the healthcare sector is developing... For more detailed information about Guoli Town ++

Further reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units