Temple of the Five Sages

Temple of the Five Sages

The Temple of the Five Sages is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Temple of the Five Sages is located on Qingqiu in Matan Lake. During the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong reign, the "Temple of the Three Sages" was first built on Qingqiu, featuring statues of the three esteemed scholars Lu Zhonglian, Zhuge Liang, and Su Dongpo. The wooden pillars of the temple’s front porch bear an inscribed couplet: “Three sages of different surnames—Sleeping Dragon and Exiled Immortal, men of renown under heaven; several generations gathered in one hall, talents from the Warring States, Han ministers, and Song Confucians.” The main gate faces south and bears a couplet that reads: “Sages of different surnames join hands in unity, one hall gathers heroes of three generations.” A pair of stone lions stands in front of the gate. To the east of the gate is the bell tower, about eight meters tall, with a large bell hanging inside. To the west is the fire pit.

By the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Temple of the Three Sages had fallen into ruin. Only one stele remained, inscribed with the “Record of the Re-engraving and Continuation of the Reconstruction of the Temple of the Three Sages,” which stated: “If time erases memory and the temple is to be rebuilt, future gentlemen should include Yuan Gu and Yan Chu to form the Temple of the Five Sages, thus perfecting it.” In 1985, villagers of Huagou rebuilt the temple on Qingqiu. Statues of five revered sages—Lu Zhonglian, Su Dongpo, Zhuge Liang, Yan Chu, and Yuan Gu—were erected inside in their honor. The Temple of the Five Sages is a set of traditional-style, symmetrical courtyard buildings.

The main gate faces south, with corner towers built high at the southeast and southwest corners. Inside the gate, on both sides are side rooms, while the main hall faces forward—all featuring raised platforms, covered corridors, and elegant ancient design. The plaque above the hall reads “Temple of the Five Sages.” The couplet on the pillars in front of the hall reads: “Five sages of different surnames, their illustrious names live on through the ages; several generations gathered in one hall, their achievements echo through a thousand years.” The door pillars of the hall and the pillars of the side rooms’ corridors also feature many poetic inscriptions.