Xuchang Tianbao Palace

Xuchang Tianbao Palace

Tianbao Palace is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tianbao Palace is located 25 kilometers northwest of Xuchang City in Beizhuang Village, Aizhuang Township, Xuchang County, adjacent to Shigu Town of Changge City

Tianbao Palace is a grand Taoist palace complex. Originally built in 1240 during the Ji Si reign of Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty, it has been renovated in successive dynasties. The buildings and stone tablets within the palace hold significant historical and artistic value. Among them, the Grand Yuan Bao Yu Sheng Zhi Stele, inscribed in 'Phags-pa script, is a precious cultural relic for the study of Yuan Dynasty religion, writing, and language.

According to the inscription on the “Xuchang Changshe Establishment of Tianbao Palace” stele: Tianbao Guan (Taoist Temple) was established in 1240 during the Ji Si reign of Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty. In 1269, the sixth year of the Zhi Yuan reign of Kublai Khan, the temple was upgraded to a palace. Covering an area of 20,000 square meters, Tianbao Palace faces south with its back to the north. The original central axis structures were, in sequence: the Mountain Gate, Worship Pavilion, Yuewang Hall, Guan Sheng Hall, Laojun Hall, Jade Emperor Hall, Thunder Ancestor Hall, Three Sovereigns Hall, and Zhenwu Hall.

Nowadays, the Lao Laojun Hall and Three Sovereigns Hall no longer exist. On both sides are corridors and side gates. The Mountain Gate features three brick archways, with the central one being the largest—7 meters high and 6 meters deep, with a flat top. In 1998, antique-style renovations were added. The Worship Pavilion is supported by four stone pillars, with a square, four-cornered roof; the caisson panels are painted with landscapes and figures, and the four sides of the stone pillars are engraved with regular-script couplets. On the east and west sides of the pavilion are five-room-long corridors, each with a flush-gable roof covered in gray tiles. Passing through the side gates leads to the Guan Yu Hall, which has three bays, a flush-gable gray tile roof, and bracket sets under the eaves. The Jade Emperor Hall has five bays and a flush-gable gray tile roof. The Zhenwu Hall is the oldest and the most grandiose, standing 10 meters tall with nine bays in width and five in depth. Its roof is covered with green glazed tiles, featuring nine ridges and six mythical beasts, in a single-eave hip-and-gable style, with five-tiered bracket sets under the eaves. There are ten front-row coiled-dragon carved stone pillars, the central three bays have doors, and the interior has a five-beam frame supported by golden pillars. The warm pavilion inside the hall features a couplet: “The temple’s visage rivals the heavens; clouds come and go as the wind shifts unpredictably—truly a castle in the air; the artwork rises from the earth; flowers bloom and fade yet the scenery stays ever new—as if akin to the Penglai Isles.”

The palace houses multiple stone tablets from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Among them, the Great Yuan Xuan Yu Sheng Zhi Stele features bilingual inscriptions in 'Phags-pa script and Chinese, holding important historical value. Research articles by Mr. Chen Zhichao of the Institute of History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Mr. Zhaonasitu and Mr. Daobo of the Institute of Linguistics, were published in the 6th issue of Minority Languages of China (1984) and the 6th issue of China Historical Studies Newsletter (1986), with copies available at the Henan Provincial Library.

Admission: Free

Visiting Hours: 8:00–19:00 (summer), 18:00 (winter)

Route: Take bus 518 from the West Bus Station (Tianxing Road) directly to the site.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units