Changdao Temple

Changdao Temple

Changdao Temple is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shandong Province.

Changdao Temple is located in Dong’ezhuang Village, Bucun Subdistrict, Zhangqiu District. The protected area extends 10 meters east, west, south, and north from the foundation walls of the temple. The construction control zone expands 4 meters outward from the protected area boundary on all sides.

The main hall is the only remaining building in the courtyard, facing south and situated on a north-south axis. It has a rectangular floor plan, with a width of three bays totaling 12.46 meters, and a depth of three bays totaling 7.28 meters, giving a total floor area of 90.78 square meters. The building has an eave height of 4.01 meters and an overall height of 8.90 meters. It features a hip-and-gable roof covered with clay tiles, with green glazed edge tiles along the eaves and ridges. The central part of the front slope roof is decorated with a green-glazed "jùjǐn" (gathered brocade) design in a diamond pattern. All the ridges are adorned with yellow and green glazed carved patterns. The main ridge is sculpted with dragons in motion and lotus floral motifs — the dragons have small heads, upturned upper lips, elongated bodies, slender legs, claws, and tails, with scale patterns, giving them a light and graceful appearance that hints at the early “Ming-style dragon.” At both ends are “zhèngwěn” (ridge beasts), whose tails curl upward and outward, representing a transitional style reminiscent of the Yuan Dynasty. The central ridge finial features a design of an arhat leading a lion. The vertical ridges are carved with lotus or scroll patterns, and are topped with vertical beasts, with two running beasts placed before and after each beast. The ends of the vertical ridges are fitted with corner deities, each uniquely shaped. The primary timber frame uses a seven-rafter post-and-lintel system with reduced-column construction. The beam ends and angle braces are carved with cloud motifs, while the column pedestals are mounted on lotus bases. The columns themselves are inscribed with patterns of the sun, moon, or clouds. Below the ridge beam and the intermediate purlins are bracket sets (pànjiān dǒugǒng) that highlight the temple’s prominence within the village. The gable-side timber frame does not use the “pushing mountain” method; instead, the northern section employs the “shùnliáng fǎ” (parallel beam method), and the southern section uses the “pāliáng fǎ” (prone beam method), with curved prone beams installed at the reduced column positions, reflecting certain “Yuan Dynasty characteristics.” The corner sections use mitered beams, with a central intersecting column (jiāojīn guāzhù) supporting the crossing ridge purlins. The corner beams are tenoned directly onto the column, and the diagonal bracing connects to the corner beams resting atop the crossing ridge purlins, forming the structural framework of the vertical ridges. The front and rear eaves each feature 11 sets of double-rising, five-step “liújīn” (flowing gold) bracket sets, while the east and west gables each have 5 sets. Each corner is equipped with one set of corner bracket sets, with a bracket opening size of 80 mm. The upper section of the walls is built with blue bricks in a mixed bond pattern. The doors and windows on the front and rear eaves have been altered and no longer retain their original form. The main hall stands on a 0.72-meter-high platform constructed of a mix of brick and stone. The steps at the front eave have been rebuilt with red bricks, while those at the rear eave have been removed. The floor is paved with blue bricks arranged in a cross-joint pattern. The eaves rafters, ceiling boards, tile notches, flashboards, architraves, girders, outer-bracket arms, and column surfaces have all lost their original paint. Inside, the beams and inner-bracket arms still bear traces of colored paintings, mainly featuring “xuánzǐ” (spiral) decorative painting in a “one whole, two broken” layout. The color scheme primarily includes white, black, and red, with motifs such as lotus flowers, ruyi heads, cloud patterns, and taiji symbols.

Changdao Temple is recorded in multiple editions of the Zhangqiu County Annals. The fourth volume of the Qianlong-era (1736–1795) Zhangqiu County Annals, under the “Temples and Monasteries” section, states: “Changdao Temple is located in Lüyuan Village (present-day Dong’ezhuang, Bucun Subdistrict) south of the county. Its architectural style is peculiar, and it is said to have been built by Lu Ban (a legendary master carpenter). Craftsmen who tried to imitate his methods would stare at it day and night, but would forget everything upon leaving the temple. It was later dedicated to Laozi.” The second volume of the Daoguang-era (1821–1850) Zhangqiu County Annals, under the “Construction Records” section, notes: “Changdao Temple is located in Lüyuan Village (now Dong’ezhuang, Bucun Subdistrict) south of the county seat. Its design is unusual, and it is said to have been built by Lu Ban (a legendary master carpenter). Craftsmen attempting to replicate its methods would strain their eyes looking up, but forget everything as soon as they stepped out.” In 1936, the renowned architectural historians Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin personally visited Changdao Temple for research, and the square-framed windows with unique designs of the main hall were included in their book Chinese Architectural Art Album.

On June 23, 2015, Changdao Temple was designated as part of the fifth group of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units by the People’s Government of Shandong Province.

Bucun Subdistrict: Administrative and Demographic Profile: Bucun Subdistrict is located in the central-southern part of Zhangqiu City, covering an area of 43.91 square kilometers with 1,335 hectares of arable land. It administers 4 management areas and 17 administrative villages, with a total population of 36,291. The birth rate is 2‰, and the natural growth rate is 1.99‰.

Economic Overview: In 2010, the regional GDP was 3.458 billion yuan, total grain output was 12,660 tons, agricultural added value was 120 million yuan, industrial added value of large-scale enterprises was 566 million yuan, total fixed asset investment was 815 million yuan, and total social consumption… More details about Bucun Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Shandong Province

· Fourth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jinan City