Shangqiu Mulan Temple

Shangqiu Mulan Temple

Shangqiu Mulan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located in Dazhouzhuang Village, Yingkuo Town, Yucheng County, 35 kilometers from Yucheng County and 2.5 kilometers from Mulan Station on the Beijing-Kowloon Railway. The Hua Mulan Hometown Tourist Area was approved as a municipal-level key cultural relics protection unit by the Shangqiu Municipal People's Government in 2001.

Mulan Temple was first built during the Tang Dynasty. Later, during the Taihe period of the Jin Dynasty (1201–1208), Jiuwu Instructor Niaodasahula of the Yingu County, Guide Prefecture, in Yingkuo Town, built a main hall and an offering hall, each with three rooms, and erected a statue of Mulan.

In the second year of the Yuantong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1334), Liang Siwen, the prefect of Suiyang, initiated a campaign to raise 2,500 guan to renovate and expand the temple. In the eleventh year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1806), funds were raised again to repair the temple and erect a stele. By the early years of the Republic of China, Mulan Temple covered an area of over ten thousand square meters, with additional temple land of more than 400 mu and over ten resident monks.

Inside and outside the temple walls, cypress and locust trees were planted. On both sides of the gateway, there were two large clay statues of war horses. The main hall housed a seated statue of Mulan in civilian dress, while the current hall features a warrior statue, and the rear building has a statue of Mulan’s entire family.

Within the temple halls and surroundings, there were inscriptions, poems, calligraphy, paintings by successive dynasties’ officials and notable figures, as well as over 60 incense offering steles. All were destroyed during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Two temple steles have survived to this day: one is the “Debate and Record of the Filial and Heroic General’s Temple Statue” stele erected in the second year of the Yuantong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1334), and the other is the “Rectification and Correct Naming Record of the Filial and Heroic General’s Temple” stele from the eleventh year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1806), which details Mulan’s life, heroic deeds, and the historical renovations of the temple.

For over a thousand years, on Mulan’s birthday, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, local officials and elders led the community in paying tribute to commemorate her spirit and educate future generations. This evolved into an annual three-day grand incense temple fair around the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, attracting people from a hundred-mile radius across the borders of Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces to attend the fair, offer incense, and engage in trade — a tradition that continues to this day.

In 1993, the Yucheng County Party Committee and County Government held the first Mulan Cultural Festival. In 2000, China Post issued a set of four special stamps titled “Mulan Joins the Army” nationwide. Efforts were actively made to promote naming innovations featuring the image, name, and culture of Mulan. The Beijing-Kowloon Railway established two stations in Yucheng: Mulan Station and Yiyin Station. Many enterprises and brands named after Mulan were also developed, such as Mulan Electric Co., Ltd., Mulan Food Co., Ltd., and Mulan Textile Group. Currently, there are 62 products in the county branded with the name “Mulan,” among which the Mulan-brand Red Fuji apples and Mulan-brand cotton textiles are recognized as Henan Famous Products.

On April 30, 2000, the unveiling ceremony of China Post’s “Mulan Joins the Army” stamps was grandly held at Shangqiu Railway Station. At the same time, the “First Shangqiu Mulan Cultural Festival and Economic & Technological Trade Fair” was successfully convened. The Shangqiu Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government decided that the “Mulan Cultural Festival” would be held biennially.

Address: Dazhouzhuang Village, Yingkuo Town, 35 kilometers south of Yucheng County

Type: Monument / Sculpture / Memorial Temple

Recommended Visit Duration: About 1 hour

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 10.0 RMB

Mulan Town: Mulan Town is located in the southern part of Yucheng County, bordering Huangjia Township to the east, Anhui Province’s Bozhou City to the south, Qiaoyang District to the west, and Shaji Town to the north, covering a total area of 43 square kilometers. It has 39,000 mu of arable land, a total population of 26,000, and governs 20 administrative villages. The town has fertile soil, mostly loamy and sandy soils, making it a well-known grain production hub in the county. With a long history, it is the hometown of China’s heroine Hua Mulan. Mulan Temple is located in Zhouzhuang Village of the town, and currently features two attractions: Mulan Temple and Mulan Mausoleum. Inside Mulan Temple, there are a main hall and stone steles from the Yuan and Qing Dynasties. It has been listed as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit and included in the... (Mulan Town detailed information++)