Yuhuang Temple in Fan County

Yuhuang Temple in Fan County

Yuhuang Temple in Fan County is a cultural tourism attraction.

To the southeast of Yudong Village in Pucheng Town lies an area enclosed by circular earthen embankments, spanning about a hundred acres. The embankments are approximately three meters high, three meters wide at the top, and six meters wide at the base.

According to Liu Jiwu (82 years old), an elderly resident of the village, over sixty years ago, there stood a grand Yuhuang Temple within these embankments. At that time, the temple covered more than 20 acres and had front and rear halls. The front hall enshrined a statue of the Jade Emperor, flanked on each side by six statues of civil and military officials, while Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng stood guard at the front of the hall. On both the east and west sides of the main hall were three corridor rooms each. The rear hall housed a bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy (reportedly now kept in the city’s museum). The Yuhuang Temple had two gates. The west-facing second gate led to the Guan Yu Temple, which enshrined statues of Guan Yu and Zhou Cang; outside the Guan Yu Temple was a Temple of the Earth God. The east-facing second gate led to the Three Queen Mothers Temple, consisting of three rooms and housing the deities of the First, Second, and Third Queen Mothers. To the southeast of the Yuhuang Temple stood a theater stage about 1.8 zhang (approximately 6 meters) tall, next to which was the Guanyin Bodhisattva Temple, with its entrance facing north and housing three Bodhisattva statues. It is said that about a hundred steps due west of the Yuhuang Temple was the tomb of Bian Que, which had been buried by floods over time, and its exact location is now unknown. However, to this day, there remains a small room in the southwest part of the embankment believed to be the site of Bian Que’s tomb. It is also said that the Yuhuang Temple originally had stone turtles, bronze statues, and dragon-tiger-fu-shou steles, but these historic relics were either lost elsewhere or destroyed in wars. Among them, the Dragon-Tiger-Fu-Shou Stele has a particularly legendary tale.

The “Dragon-Tiger-Fu-Shou Stele” is hailed as a masterpiece of calligraphy, treasured for centuries for its extraordinary artistic brilliance. The stele consists of four stone slabs, each standing 170 cm tall, 85 cm wide, and 12 cm thick. Both large and small characters on the stele were written using finger painting techniques — the larger characters with five fingers holding cotton, and the smaller ones with fingertips dipped in ink. This unique calligraphic skill is extremely rare in the world. The four large characters — Dragon, Tiger, Fu (Fortune), and Shou (Longevity) — are both script and painting: the “Dragon” coils, the “Tiger” crouches, the “Fu” depicts blessings, and the “Shou” portrays the Star of Longevity. They resemble dragons emerging from the sea, tigers perched majestically, dragons and phoenixes in an embrace, and the graceful posture of the deity of longevity, demonstrating the art of pictographic representation at its finest. Not only are the characters unique, but the meanings behind them are also profound. Above each of the four characters is a poem composed based on its theme, written in five-character or seven-character verse, created with finger ink and brushwork. The scripts are unconventional, the poetry timeless, dazzlingly brilliant, and filled with an inspiring spirit. The poem above the “Dragon” character reads: “From the ocean gate, waves rise like mountains, / Thunder splits the sky in an instant. / With eyes wide open and a roar, its scales tremble, / Half the sky fills with smoke, rain, and lightning.” Its meaning: The soaring dragon stirs up towering waves as thunder cracks the heavens. With eyes wide and a mighty roar, its scales bristle, as smoke and lightning herald the coming storm. The poem above the “Tiger” character reads: “Mist shrouds the southern hills, chilling the plants, / Suddenly one sees the aging beast, its spots fully shown. / It should not rest peacefully under the trees, / But rather seek the king to guard the nine passes.” Its meaning: Mist veils the southern mountains, making the vegetation appear desolate. Though aged and marked with spots, you do not rest in the forest but follow the sovereign to defend the nation. The poem above the “Fu” character reads: “The Fu character is offered with reverence, / Only you are worthy of such honor. / Your virtue lasts through generations, / Your titles and honors endure for millennia. / Heroes forge bonds of brotherhood, / Achievements won on countless battlefields. / Had I known your legacy would shine, / It would rival the sun and moon.” Its meaning: The Fu character is humbly presented, and only you are deserving. Though some say you are remembered as an elder through the ages, your fame and honors will live forever. The gallantry of sworn brotherhood has earned everlasting glory, and your brilliance shall forever rival that of the sun and moon. The poem above the “Shou” character reads: “The Shou character is offered with deep respect, / Only you embody its true meaning. / From emperors to commoners, your integrity shines through seasonal rites, / Your loyal spirit in the shrine commands reverence. / Songs and dances greet you morning and night, / Offerings come from near and far. / Even after a thousand years, / Your majestic presence still lives on.” Its meaning: The Shou character is offered sincerely, and only you truly represent its essence. Through the seasons, from emperors to the people, your noble spirit is honored. In the shrine, your loyal soul is solemnly revered, songs praising you echo day and night, and worshippers come from far and wide. Your revered legacy remains alive even after a thousand years.

It is said that during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Puzhou was bustling with merchants and thriving in commerce. Merchants, scholars, artisans, and laborers from Shanxi who came to Puzhou to make a living pooled resources together. Aside from establishing the Shanxi Guild Hall in Puzhou, they also raised funds to build the Guan Yu Temple. At that time, Cao Bing (courtesy name Yanlie, also known as Yuyuan), a merchant from Fengtai County in Shanxi (now Jincheng City), had relatively modest means and could not contribute much money, but he possessed exceptional talent in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He therefore wrote and carved the four stone steles of “Dragon, Tiger, Fu, and Shou” as his offering, greatly enhancing the splendor of the Guan Yu Temple. Unfortunately, the Guan Yu Temple in Pucheng was destroyed during the Anti-Japanese War. However, because these four steles were so cherished, they were buried underground. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, when constructing the Pucheng Cultural Center, the steles were unearthed and embedded in the exhibition hall downstairs, where they remained well preserved. Sadly, during the early stages of the Cultural Revolution, they suffered hammer damage, transforming their once-beautiful visages. Fortunately, the steles themselves survived, and most of the inscriptions are still legible. Today, the four steles are housed in the Zheng Banqiao Memorial Hall in Xinzhuang Township, Fan County.

It is said that the Zhang family in the village migrated from - County during the early Ming Dynasty. Later, the village was named Yuzhang Village (later divided into Yudong Village and Yuxi Village, each with its own village committee) due to the nearby Yuhuang Temple to the east.

Before 1950, Yuhuang Temple housed a complete elementary school. Demolition of the temple began in 1950, and in 1952, it was rebuilt as a senior high school. Around 1954, Fan County No. 2 Senior High School (also known as Fan County No. 2 Middle School, commonly referred to as “Yuhuang Temple High School”) began enrolling students. In September 1993, Fan County No. 2 Middle School was renamed Fan County No. 1 Vocational High School (or “No. 1 Vocational High”). Due to the relocation of Fan County No. 1 Middle School from the old town to the new district, from May 2011 to the present, “No. 1 Vocational High” has moved to the former site of Fan County No. 1 Middle School (the old town of Fan County).

Nowadays, south of the original “Yuhuang Temple High School” embankment, local residents have built a small temple with a plaque reading “Lingxiao Palace.” Inside the palace, the central deity is the Jade Emperor, with Laozi, the Heavenly King Holding the Pagoda, and the Heavenly King Holding the Country on the east side, and the Jade Emperor of the Great White Star, the Heavenly King of Omniscience, and the Heavenly King of Vast Vision on the west side. Beneath the two corridor pillars at the front of the palace lie two circular stone pedestals, and there are also two more in front of the hall. These four pedestals are said to be the only remaining relics from the original Yuhuang Temple. The middle of the pedestal under the western corridor pillar still bears inscriptions, including “Dongchang Prefecture, Puzhou,” “Kaizhou, Dafu Prefecture,” and “12th Year of the Zhengde Era, □ Month, 15th Day.” Research shows that the term “Dongchang” first appeared in the Western Han Dynasty, where it was not a place name but a title. Liu Cheng, son of Liu Yi, the Prince of Qinghe during the Han Dynasty, was granted the title “Marquis of Dongchang” during the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han. The use of “Dongchang” as a place name began in the Yuan Dynasty. Before the Yuan Dynasty, Liaocheng was the seat of the Bohai Prefecture. In May 1276, during the 13th year of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan reformed the national administrative divisions, converting prefectures into routes, and the former Bohai Prefecture was renamed “Dongchang Route.” Since then, Liaocheng has been called Dongchang. From the first year of the Ming Hongwu era to the third year of the Qing Xuantong era, Liaocheng served as the seat of Dongchang Prefecture. During the Ming Dynasty, Dongchang Prefecture governed Liaocheng and included three sub-prefectures — Linqing (with Qi and Guantao counties), Gaotang (with En, Xiajin, and Wucheng counties), and Puzhou (with Fan, Guancheng, and Chaoyang counties) — as well as 15 counties including Liaocheng, Tangyi, Boping, Chiping, Shen, Qingping, Guan, Qi, Guantao, En, Xiajin, Wucheng, Fan, Guancheng, and Chaoyang. “Zhengde” was the reign title of several emperors throughout history, but it generally refers to the 10th Ming emperor, the Zhengde Emperor Zhu Houzhao (1491–1521), and the 12th year of Zhengde corresponds to 1517. If one could truly travel back 500 years, perhaps we would learn the full history of these circular stone pedestals and the Yuhuang Temple, imagining how majestic and imposing the temple once was.

Every year on the 18th day of the third lunar month, the birthday of the Jade Emperor, a traditional opera is performed in the open space west of the “Lingxiao Palace” in Yudong Village, lasting three to four days and attracting many visitors from the surrounding areas.

Around the embankment of the former “Yuhuang Temple High School,” there are still many ancient-looking black locust trees. Strolling here, one might suddenly recall the phrase “withered vines, old trees, and dusky crows.” It is said that the embankment was built by manpower sixty years ago, and its outer slope was once much longer. Now, the embankment has lost its former glory, with half of the outer slope gone and many parts showing signs of wear.

Over the years, the black locust trees remain unchanged. When the wind blows, their branches sway, emitting a low, mournful sound — as if they are still telling their stories, just as they always have...