Tangdou Temple

Tangdou Temple

Tangdou Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The name of Tangdou Temple originates from that of a spring.

Tangdou Spring is located near Panlong Mountain in Gangou Town, Licheng District. The legendary “flowing beans” spot is on the cliff east of Tangdou Temple.

After rainfall, several clear springs spurt out from the rocky wall and cascade straight down with tremendous force, a sight that amazes with the wonder of nature’s creation. The falling spring water lands on the rocks below, splashing up showers of droplets before continuing its descent.

The water that collects in the pool at the base of the cliff is cool, fresh, and pure—like heavenly nectar. Nearby villagers often come to fetch it, praising its refreshing taste with a hint of sweetness. They say the spring water contains various minerals and that regular consumption can promote health and longevity.

According to elderly villagers, when the spring is abundant, the water surges and cascades down with vigor, but during droughts, it drips gently like beans trickling. The spring water gathers and flows into a small reservoir below.

Why is it called “Tangdou Spring”? There are several legends. One tells of Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, who passed through this area while leading his eastern campaign. Exhausted from the journey, he set up camp on the western side of Panlong Mountain to rest and reorganize his troops.

Coincidentally, there was a severe drought at the time, and nearby villages had no harvest. With insufficient military rations, Li Shimin’s army had gone without food for days, and soldiers were surviving on wild vegetables. One day, during an inspection, Li Shimin found some soldiers on the verge of collapse from starvation. Deeply moved, he approached a cliff, drew his sword, and sighed, “Must I, too…” In a fit of frustration, he thrust his precious sword forcefully into the opposing cliff face.

Instantly, a large hole appeared in the rock. Then something miraculous happened: thin streams of water began flowing from the hole. Even more astonishingly, beans poured out along with the gushing spring water. Soon, both water and beans spread across the ground, emitting a fragrant aroma.

Witnessing this, Li Shimin and his soldiers were overjoyed and bowed in reverence to the divine spring. After eating the beans and drinking the water, the soldiers’ morale soared. Li Shimin named the spring “Tangdou Spring.”

This story is recorded in both the “Licheng County Annals · Volume 18” from the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty and the “Jinan Prefecture Annals · Volume 6” from the Daoguang era. Later, when nearby villagers learned of the event, they also came to collect the spring water and beans. Thanks to Tangdou Spring, the local people managed to survive the famine.

Here is another legend: shortly after Li Shimin’s army departed, a wealthy man from a nearby village became covetous of Tangdou Spring. To monopolize it, he dug a small channel from the foot of the mountain, attempting to divert the spring water to his own courtyard. He even enlarged the spring’s mouth, hoping to get more beans and water. However, unexpectedly, once the spring’s mouth was widened, fewer and fewer beans flowed out until none came at all.

Although the spring water continued to flow, it gradually diminished. The greedy man fell ill from anger and died within days. Though the spring no longer produced beans, the villagers remained deeply grateful for it. They pooled money to build Tangdou Temple south of the spring and named the mountain “Tangdou Temple Mountain.”

According to inscriptions in the temple, it earned its name because “during the Tang Dynasty, troops were stationed here and ran short on provisions. Suddenly, beans gushed from a crevice in the rocks like a spring. Later generations admired this miracle, hence the name ‘Tangdou’ (Flowing Beans).” Historical records also mention that there was originally a pagoda in front of the temple, inscribed with the date “the ninth year of the Kaiyuan era,” indicating that Tangdou Temple was established at least as early as the Tang Dynasty.

Address: Gaojiawa Village, Gangou Subdistrict, Licheng District, Jinan City

Photography: Zhuge Vision

Information source: WeChat Official Account of the Municipal Tourism Development Commission