Gushi Renzu Temple

Gushi Renzu Temple

Gushi Renzu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Renzu Temple covers an area of 15 mu and consists of a front hall, a middle hall, and a main hall. The front hall has seven bays, with a theater stage on top, and the central gate tower is adorned with a large plaque inscribed with “Renzu Temple.” The middle hall is yet to be built. The main hall is a two-story structure with three visible bays and five hidden ones, featuring upturned eaves and covered with glazed tiles. At the center of the main hall hangs a plaque inscribed with “Ancestor of Human Culture.” The total construction area of the Renzu Temple is 680 square meters.

Taihao Fuxi, of the Feng clan, is said to have been born in Chengji (today’s Tianshui) and buried in Wanqiu (today’s Huaiyang). Together with the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor, he is collectively referred to as the “Three Sovereigns” or the “Forefathers of All Kings.” He called himself the “Dragon Master,” and since he was the one who first used the “dragon” as a symbol of the Chinese nation's spirit and unity, later generations refer to him as the “Ancestor of Humanity.” Today, his temples and mausoleums can be found in Tianshui, Gansu; Huaiyang, Henan; and Gushi, respectively.

The exact year of the Renzu Temple’s founding in Gushi is unknown. Legend has it that when Nuwa went to the South Sea to refine stones to repair the sky, she was gone for a long time and did not return. Fuxi, missing her deeply, set out from Chen Capital (Huaiyang) to search for her in the south. Due to the long journey, when he reached the site of today’s Zhanglaobu Renzu Temple, he fell seriously ill and could go no further. He then built a platform (the “Southward-Gazing Platform,” which still exists about 50 meters behind the temple site) to look southward toward her, before returning north to Chen Capital, where he soon passed away and was buried. The local people of Zhanglaobu, in memory of the virtue of the Ancestor, built a temple at the place where he fell ill to worship him. Two temple fairs are held annually, on the 16th day of the first lunar month (the birthday of the Ancestor) and the 9th day of the ninth lunar month (the day the Ancestor ascended to heaven).

Administrative location: Renzu Village, Zhanglaobu Township, Gushi County

Geographic coordinates: 115°45′00″E, 32°3′40″N

Zhanglaobu Township: Located southeast of Gushi County, the seat of Zhanglaobu Township government is 25 kilometers from the county seat. It borders Shifo Dian Township and Liji Town across the Shih River to the east, neighbors Wumiaoji Township to the south, adjoins Zhaogang Township to the southwest, and shares boundaries with Nandaqiao Township to the west and northwest. The township covers a total area of 76.5 square kilometers, with higher terrain in the south and lower in the north, stretching in a long strip shape — 3.8 kilometers wide from east to west and 20 kilometers long from north to south. The southern half is a shallow mountainous area spanning 41.8 square kilometers, while the northern half is a lowland and plain region covering 34.7 square kilometers. The area includes Tuofu Mountain, which rises 85.5 meters above sea level, and Wangdashan, at 74.8 meters... More details about Zhanglaobu Township++