Zibo Yan Wenjiang Shrine (Lingquan Temple)

Zibo Yan Wenjiang Shrine (Lingquan Temple)

The Zibo Yan Wenjiang Shrine (Lingquan Temple) is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Yan Wenjiang Shrine, also known as Lingquan Temple or Shunde Lady Shrine, commonly referred to as the Grand Temple, is located at the southern foot of Phoenix Mountain in the southwestern suburbs of Boshan.

The Yan Wenjiang Shrine has a history of over 1,400 years. Local legend tells that Yan Wenjiang, a filial woman from the Qi region, served her in-laws devotedly, fetching mountain spring water from afar without rest in both cold and heat. Her piety moved the gods, causing a spring to emerge inside her home and flow into a river. After Wenjiang passed away, she was worshipped as a deity in a grass hut at the site. Later, during the Northern Zhou Dynasty, a temple was built here — the Yan Wenjiang Shrine. According to the Yuan Dynasty’s "Qi Ching", the shrine was first constructed during the Later Zhou Dynasty (557–581 AD), and was rebuilt in the fifth year of the Tang Dynasty’s Tianbao era (764 AD). By the Song Dynasty, which promoted governance through filial piety, Yan Wenjiang was further associated with Yan Hui, the Duke of Virtue, leading to the spread of her miracles and growing popularity of the shrine. In the eighth year of the Xining era, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty conferred the title “Shunde Lady” upon Yan Wenjiang and bestowed the name “Lingquan Temple” on the shrine, expanding its structure. Subsequent dynasties carried out renovations, and the current architecture reflects typical Ming and Qing styles.

The entire shrine complex stretches 64 meters from north to south and 61 meters from east to west, covering a construction area of 1,324 square meters. The walls and gates are neatly arranged, with structures including the mountain gate, incense pavilion, main hall, east and west side halls, bedroom hall, Hall of Parents, and Hall of In-Laws, totaling 73 rooms, among which 34 are main structures. The mountain gate, incense pavilion, main hall, bedroom hall, and Lingquan Spring are aligned along a central axis. The entire building complex is divided into four courtyards, with two rows front and back, symmetrical left and right, forming a cohesive architectural ensemble. The mountain gate faces south, spanning three bays (11 meters wide) and one bay deep (6 meters). It features a hip-and-gable roof with single eaves and glazed tiles, with bracket sets (dougong) in front and back. The gate bears a plaque inscribed with “Yan Wenjiang Shrine” in running script, written in intaglio by the renowned Chinese calligrapher Shu Tong in the autumn of 1982. A pair of stone lions flank the gate. Inside the gate, the beams bear three inscriptions: “Reconstructed in the 34th year of the Qianlong era of the Great Qing, 1769, on the 6th day of the 6th month, by Jiang Jinchang, Middle Secretary of the Central Secretariat”, “Renovated on the 15th day of the 8th month in the 8th year of the Daoguang era of the Great Qing, 1828”, and “Renovated in September 1982”. The architectural style is solemn and unadorned.

Inside the courtyard, facing the gate, stands an octagonal double-eaved incense pavilion, 8.5 meters tall, 5.1 meters long, and 4.7 meters wide, serving as a place for worshippers to offer incense. It features a hip-and-gable roof with double eaves, a stone base at the back wall and lower sides, with blue bricks in the middle, and vermilion-painted wooden lattice doors and windows. The layout is harmonious and exquisitely charming. At the center of the front courtyard lies Lingquan, the main source of the Xiaofu River. It is a square pool, 7.5 meters on each side, and 3 meters deep, surrounded by carved stone railings with animal motifs. Beside the spring is a stone stele inscribed with the verse: “The Xiaofu River has been famed since ancient times; / Its springhead flows ever deeper and wider. / Oh, if its waters could be drawn as rain, / To cleanse all hearts bereft of filial love.” At the center of the front courtyard is the main hall, commonly called the “Beamless Hall,” which is the principal structure of the Yan Wenjiang Shrine. It spans three bays (13 meters wide) and three bays deep (14.5 meters), standing about 15 meters tall. It features a hip-and-gable roof with single eaves, bracket sets, wooden frame construction, and is covered with glazed tiles. The front eaves have a wooden coffered corridor, and the beam ends are decorated with painted patterns. The interior beams of the hall bear three inscriptions: “Reconstructed in the 15th year of the Shunzhi era of the Great Qing, 1658, on the 9th day of the 9th month, by Sun Tingquan, Governor of Shandong and Minister of War, and Zhao Banxi, Imperial Censor”, “Renovated on the 1st day of the 1st decade of the 4th month in the 13th year of the Republic of China, 1924”, and “Major renovation in 1982”. The side halls of the front courtyard are both single-eave bracket-set structures, each spanning five bays wide and one bay deep. An original beam in the main hall also bears the inscription “Reconstructed in the 57th year of the Qianlong era of the Great Qing, 1792, by Jiang Jinchang, Middle Secretary of the Central Secretariat”.

In 2006, the Yan Wenjiang Shrine was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council as a historical architecture dating from the Yuan to Qing Dynasties.

Admission

60 RMB

Opening Hours

8:00—16:00

Location

No. 26 Quanshui Road, Boshan District, Zibo City, Shandong Province

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units