Jixiang Temple in Wuzhi

Jixiang Temple in Wuzhi

Jixiang Temple in Wuzhi is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Henan Province.

Jixiang Temple in Wuzhi County, Jiaozuo, is located in Dongcaoting Village, Beiguo Township, Wuzhi County, Jiaozuo City. It currently has five main halls and three side halls on the east, covering an area of about 5 mu, and holds high cultural heritage value.

According to the inscription "Preface to the History of Buddhist Temples" embedded in the front wall of the Great Buddha Hall: "This locality received an imperial decree... and constructed several temple halls... (During the) Tang Dynasty through the Five Dynasties, the Song, Yuan, and up to our Yongle era, the monk Liang Dao chose this temple site. The nearby area was not serene, so he moved ten li south to Qingfeng Ridge, spanning 300 steps in length and 100 li in width, standing several zhang tall, facing mountains and overlooking water, with clean soil and clear water — an ideal place to enshrine a temple... In the Hongzhi era, the monk Huiming added another five rear halls, which were grander and more imposing than the front ones. All deities were adorned and installed, and the temple was named 'Qingfeng Temple'."

In ancient times, Qingfeng Ridge stood much higher than the surrounding plains, faced the surging Yellow River to the south, and offered distant views of the majestic Guangwu Mountain. The ridge was densely forested, and the main road in front of the temple was a key east-west thoroughfare. Legend has it that when Wu Song was exiled to Mengzhou, he passed by this temple. At the time, it was occupied by a group of evil monks who robbed and harmed local residents. Upon hearing of this, Wu Song, filled with righteous indignation, stormed into the temple and subdued the wicked monks one by one, sealing them under large jars and then suppressing them with a pagoda built above, thus ridding the people of a menace. The yellow fruit tree (a type of Chinese redbud or tung tree) in the temple today is said to be where Wu Song hung his sword. The scene in “Water Margin” where Wu Song battles the evil Taoist Iron Crane is derived from this legend.

After the liberation, the village used the old temple site to establish a primary school.

In 1961, the yellow fruit tree was approved as one of the first batch of cultural heritage protection sites in Wuzhi County due to its rarity.

In 1995, Jixiang Temple was approved as the third batch of cultural heritage protection sites in Wuzhi County.

In 2006, it was approved as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection site by the People’s Government of Henan Province.

Dongcaoting Village: Dongcaoting Village... More details about Dongcaoting Village++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Sites in Henan Province