Zibo Yuhuang Palace

Zibo Yuhuang Palace

Zibo Yuhuang Palace in Boshan District, Zibo City, Shandong Province, 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 Xiaofu River. Locals call it Yuhuang Palace on Xiaoding Mountain or Yuhuang Palace on Yuanshan. The palace was founded during the Daguan era (1107–1110) of the Northern Song Dynasty by Zhang Daoyuan from Yanshen Town and was once known as Shenxiao Yiqing Wanshou Palace. The main gate faces east, with large halls to the north, west, and south arranged in a ring. The western hall is quite majestic, featuring a rolled awning and terrace in front, while the northern wall is inlaid with the “Stone Carving of Imperial Seals of the Four Song Emperors” and the “Water Charm Talisman” by the Taoist Liu Zhili of the Song Dynasty. The southern wall is inlaid with 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 records: “Yuhuang Palace is built halfway up Phoenix Mountain, with green tiles and ornate gates, overlooking the Xiaofu River. The palace walls and steles are engraved with ‘Liu Zhili’s Talisman’ and the ‘Four Saints’ Imperial Seals’ from the early Song Dynasty.” The Boshan County Annals state: “Yuhuang Palace is located halfway up Phoenix Mountain. It was built during the Daguan era of the Song Dynasty by the Taoist priest Zhang Daoyuan. The courtyard had ancient cypresses, and wherever they flourished, the local scholars often achieved success in imperial examinations. In the early years of the Yuan Dynasty’s Tai Ding era (1324, reign of Yesün Temür), the palace was rebuilt. On the ninth day of the first lunar month in the second year of the Qianlong era (1737), it was destroyed by firecrackers, and the locals rebuilt it as a pavilion.” The Qingzhou Prefecture Annals note: “Xiao Pengying is in Yan Shen Town. It was the villa of Zhang Daoyuan, a townsman of the Song Dynasty, built during the Daguan era. Recorded by Li Heng of Xintai.” The original “Xiao Pengying Pavilion Stele Inscription” by Li Heng was once housed in Yuhuang Palace. Qian Yinzhī wrote: the original stele “was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1938,” as recorded in Qian Yinzhī’s Collected Works · Yanxi Hall Collection. The Boshan County Annals transcribe the stele text. The palace was occupied in 1938 by the guerrilla forces of 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 more than 20 stone tablets in the courtyard of Yuhuang Palace, among which the corridor pillars carved with ancient and rarely used characters from a couplet written by Zhang Xinzeng, a late Qing Dynasty imperial examination graduate, are particularly distinctive. The couplet in the North Official Hall reads: “Assisting Heaven, governing Earth, guiding Water, blessings extend through the three realms; bestowing fortune, dispelling sins, removing calamities, incense burns across the nine lands.” The couplet in the South Official Hall reads: “Thunder, Kan, and Li each occupy a direction, assisting great transformation; Lightning, Water, and Fire oversee three branches, safeguarding all people.” These couplets promote the power of Taoist deities and teach common people that faith in the divine can bring blessings. Overall, the stone carving culture is quite rich. While the “Four Emperors’ Imperial Seals” from the Song Dynasty may seem somewhat obscure, the “Water Charm Talisman” by the Taoist master Liu Zhili offers considerable insight. The original talisman reads: “This water comes from filial piety; filial piety surely connects to Heaven. My way is found within the heart, the heart shares the same source as Heaven. Now I chant over this water, its aid boundless and endless. Should there be those gravely ill, one sip will heal them. Further, may they know the great way, and thus become immortals.”

During the Han and Jin periods, Boshan was considered one of the Three Immortal Mountains of the Sea, and the various legendary tales of the Taoist master Liu Zhili add a rich layer of mystique to Yuhuang Palace in Boshan.

One legend says that during the Song Dynasty, Master Liu Zhili practiced Taoism within Yuhuang Palace. Compassionate and dedicated to helping others, he often used medicine and Taoist methods to eliminate disasters for people. Well-read and knowledgeable about ancient and modern times, he was on good terms with scholars and literati, and many local students admired him and came to visit. 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 an instant. The students found it strange but assumed he might have hidden wine somewhere in the temple, so they didn’t think much of it. But it happened repeatedly, and the students grew curious. When the master left, they followed him and saw him go to the Xiaofu River, where he used a gourd to draw water, chanted a divine spell, and shook it several times, after which the gourd exuded the fragrance of wine. The students were shocked, and when the master realized his secret technique had been exposed—and because Taoism should not be revealed to the world—he summoned a white horse, rode it into the Xiaofu River, and disappeared without a trace.

Aside from the stories of Master Liu Zhili, the Qing Dynasty historical text Chi Bei Ou Tan (Casual Talks North of the Pond) also records a description of Yuhuang Palace written by Wang Shizhen during the late Ming and early Qing periods: “Sun Wending, styled Tingquan (also known as Sun Guolao, a teacher to an emperor), was a native of Yan Shen Town. As a child, he often went to school before dawn and once encountered a tall figure resembling the fierce deity Fangxiang, who stared fiercely and tried to attack him. Frightened, Sun suddenly felt himself grow as tall as the figure, and as they struggled, they reached the Yuhuang Palace on the western bank of the Xiaofu River, where the figure suddenly vanished. He also once read in his study when a fox left several golden beans behind. His family later named a room ‘Golden Bean Mountain House,’ which still exists today.”

The text of the Yuan Dynasty’s Li Yuan’s “Record of the Reconstruction of Yuhuang Palace” survives, though the stele itself cannot be verified. The couplet inscriptions from the Republic of China era by Zhang Xinzeng and Qian Rumeng are both worthy of appreciation. The stone-carved couplet in front of Yuhuang Palace’s main gate is quite meaningful. The upper line reads: “Devoted to cultivating the Tao—the Tao is boundless, yet joy lies within it;” the lower line: “All things follow fate—fate has its portion, and nothing more need be sought beyond it.” From Liu Zhili’s discourse on “filial piety” to “seeking joy in accordance with fate,” one can glean some philosophical insights on life. In 1995, Yuhuang Palace was rebuilt, and Yang Jichang, a local resident, inscribed the palace plaque “Yuhuang Palace.” A stele written by Ma Chuanzheng and inscribed by Yang Jichang documents the rebuilding process. In 2003, Taoist Master Yin Qingjun came to Yuhuang Palace in Boshan from the Taiqing Palace on Mount Lao in Qingdao to serve as supervisor. Master Yin is currently the Vice President of the Shandong Taoist Association and President of the Zibo Taoist Association. Yuhuang Palace is now under the unified management of the Zibo Taoist Association.