Yu Huang Palace of Yuanshan

Yuanshan Yu Huang Palace

Yuanshan Yu Huang Palace is a cultural heritage protection unit of Shandong Province.

Yu Huang Palace of Yuanshan is located in Chengxi Subdistrict, Boshan District, Zibo City. Dating back to the Song and Yuan dynasties, it was designated as part of the fourth batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units by the Shandong Provincial People's Government in 2013.

The palace is located at the eastern foot of Phoenix Mountain in Chengxi Subdistrict, adjacent to Shandong Light Industry and Art School to the south, and close to the urban area near Xiaofu River. Locals call it either Little Peak Mountain Yu Huang Palace or Yuanshan Yu Huang Palace. The palace was originally built during the Daguan era (1107–1110) of the Northern Song Dynasty by Zhang Daoyuan, a resident of Yanshen Town, and was once named Shenxiao Yuching Wanshou Palace. Its main gate faces east, with large halls distributed to the north, west, and south. The western hall is quite majestic, featuring a rolled-roof porch and terrace in front, while the northern wall is inlaid with the “Stone Carving of the Imperial Seals of the Four Song Emperors” and the “Water-Chanting Talisman” by the Taoist Liu Zhili of the Song Dynasty. The southern wall holds a stone stele inscribed by Zhao Qichang of the county and written by Sun Tingduo.

The Yan Shen Zhen Zhi (Annals of Yan Shen Town) from the Kangxi period recorded: “Yu Huang Palace is built halfway up Phoenix Mountain, with green tiles and ornate doors, overlooking Xiaoshui River. The palace walls bear an inscription of Liu Zhili’s Talisman and the ‘Four Saints’ Imperial Seals’ from the early Song Dynasty.” The Boshan County Annals noted: “Yu Huang Palace is located halfway up Phoenix Mountain. It was built by the Taoist Zhang Daoyuan during the Daguan era of the Song Dynasty. The courtyard had ancient cypresses, and whenever the town produced many scholars, the trees would blossom. In the early years of the Yuan Dynasty’s Tai Ding era (also known as Taiding Emperor, 1324), the palace was restored. On the ninth day of the first lunar month in the second year of the Qianlong reign (1737), it was destroyed by firecrackers, and the locals rebuilt it as a pavilion.” The Qingzhou Prefecture Annals mentioned: “Xiao Pengying is in Yan Shen Town. It was the villa of Zhang Daoyuan, a resident of the town during the Song Dynasty, built during the Daguan era. Recorded by Xin Tai of Xintai.” The original “Xiao Pengying Pavilion Stele Inscription” by Li Heng was once housed at Yu Huang Palace. Qian Yinzhī wrote: the original stele “was destroyed in a fire in the spring of 1938,” as recorded in Qian Yinzhī’s Yan Xi Tang Ji. The Boshan County Annals include the full text of the stele. In 1938, the palace served as a guerrilla outpost under Li Xingtang. After Li retreated, the Japanese set fire to the palace and burned it down. In 1939, locals pooled funds to rebuild it.

There are still over 20 stone tablets in the courtyard of Yu Huang Palace, among which the corridor pillars carved with antithetical couplets using rare ancient characters by Zhang Xinzeng, a late Qing Dynasty imperial examination graduate, are particularly distinctive. The couplet in the North Official Hall reads: “Assisting Heaven, supporting Earth, governing Water, blessings extend through the three realms; fortune may be bestowed, sins erased, calamities removed, incense burns across the nine lands.” The one in the South Official Hall reads: “Thunder, Kan, and Li each preside over a direction to assist great transformation; thunder, water, and fire oversee three divisions to protect the populace.” These couplets promote the might of Taoist deities, teaching people that faith in the divine brings blessings. Overall, the stone carving culture is quite rich. While the “Imperial Seals of the Four Emperors” from the Song Dynasty may seem somewhat obscure, the “Water-Chanting Talisman” by the Taoist master Liu Zhili offers valuable insights. The original talisman text reads: “This water comes from filial piety; filial piety can surely reach Heaven. My way is attained from the heart; the heart shares the same source as Heaven. I now chant over this water, to bring endless relief. Should there be those gravely ill, one sip will heal them. Further, may they come to know the great way, and thus become immortals.”

During the Han and Jin periods, Boshan was regarded as one of the three immortal mountains of the sea, and the various legendary tales of Taoist master Liu Zhili add even more mystique to Yu Huang Palace in Boshan.

One legend says that during the Song Dynasty, Master Liu Zhili practiced in Yu Huang Palace. Compassionate and dedicated to helping others, he often used medicine and Taoist methods to eliminate disasters for people. Well-versed in both ancient and modern knowledge, he befriended scholars and literati, and local students often came to visit him out of admiration. Their discussions were often accompanied by wine, and when the wine ran out but the conversation continued, the master would go out to buy more. In those days, the area was desolate and sparsely populated, yet the master would return in moments. The students found it strange, though they assumed he might have hidden wine in the temple and didn’t think much of it. But it happened repeatedly, puzzling the students. When the master left, they followed him and saw him go to Xiaofu River, where he drew water with a gourd, chanted a divine spell, and shook it a few times—soon, the gourd emitted the aroma of fine wine. The students were astonished. Realizing his secret technique had been exposed—and because Taoist miracles were not meant to be revealed to the world—the master summoned a white horse, rode it into Xiaofu River, and vanished without a trace.

Aside from the stories of Master Liu Zhili, the late Ming and early Qing historical text Chi Bei Ou Tan also documented a description of Yu Huang Palace written by Wang YuYang from the late Ming and early Qing period: “Sun Wending (also known as Sun Guolao, a renowned imperial tutor) of Yidu, who resided in Yan Shen Town, as a child would often go to school before dawn. On his way, he encountered a towering figure resembling Fangxiang (a fearsome deity), with glaring eyes that were terrifying. The figure lunged at him. Frightened, Sun suddenly felt himself grow to match the figure’s height, pushing back as they struggled until they reached the western bank of Xiaoshui River and Yu Huang Palace, where the entity suddenly disappeared. Sun also often read in his study when a fox left a few golden beans behind before departing. His family later named a room ‘Golden Bean Mountain Study,’ which still exists today.”

The text of “Record of the Reconstruction of Yu Huang Palace” by Yuan Dynasty’s Li Yuan still exists, though the stele is unaccounted for. The couplet inscriptions by Zhang Xinzeng and Qian Rumeng from the Republican era are both worthy of appreciation. The stone-carved couplet in front of the main gate of Yu Huang Palace is quite meaningful: the upper line reads “Devote your heart to the Tao; the Tao is boundless, and joy lies within the Tao,” while the lower line reads “Go with the flow in all matters; fate has its portion, and nothing beyond that is sought.” From Liu Zhili’s teachings on “filial piety” to “seeking joy by going with the flow,” one can glean some life philosophies. In 1995, Yu Huang Palace was reconstructed, and Yang Jichang, a local resident, inscribed the plaque reading “Yu Huang Palace.” A stele written by Ma Chuanzheng and inscribed by Yang Jichang documents the reconstruction process. In 2003, Taoist Master Yin Qingjun came from Taiqing Palace on Mount Lao in Qingdao to serve as the supervising abbot of Yu Huang Palace in Boshan. Master Yin is currently the Vice President of the Shandong Taoist Association and President of the Zibo Taoist Association. The palace is now managed under the unified administration of the Zibo Taoist Association.

Chengxi Subdistrict: Chengxi Subdistrict is located in Boshan District, Zibo City, Shandong Province. It governs:

370304002001 111 Shuiwu Street Neighborhood Committee

370304002003 111 Xiyehua Street Neighborhood Committee

370304002005 111 Shuangshan Neighborhood Committee

370304002006 111 Xintan Neighborhood Committee

370304002007 111 Fenghuangyuan Neighborhood Committee

370304002008 111 Longzeyuan Neighborhood Committee

3703040…… Detailed information on Chengxi Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units