Temple of the Dragon Horse Carrying the Diagram

Temple of the Dragon Horse Carrying the Diagram

The Temple of the Dragon Horse Carrying the Diagram is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural heritage site protected by Henan Province.

The Temple of the Diagram is located near Lehe Village in Huimeng Town, Mengjin County. It was first built in the fourth year of the Yonghe era (348 AD) during the reign of Emperor Mu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, making it over 1,600 years old.

The "Preface to the Book of Documents" states: "In ancient times, when the Yellow Emperor Fuxi ruled the world, he first created the Eight Trigrams and devised written symbols to replace the system of knotted cords, thus giving rise to written records." Fuxi based the Earlier Heaven Eight Trigrams on the Yellow River Diagram carried by the Dragon Horse. "When Fuxi ruled the land, the Dragon Horse emerged from the river carrying the Diagram" (Kong Yingda, "Commentary on the Thirteen Classics").

It is said that the "Yellow River Diagram" consists of 30 black circles and 25 white circles, totaling 55 circles. The black ones represent yin, and the white ones represent yang. Odd numbers symbolize celestial principles, while even numbers symbolize terrestrial principles—"this is how changes occur and spirits move." Scholars believe the numbers in the "Yellow River Diagram" originated from ancient people’s attempts to understand the cycles of the seasons and develop early calendars.

In the ancient steles of the Mengjin Temple of the Diagram, beneath the "Sacred Image of Fuxi," there is an engraving of the Dragon Horse carrying the Diagram, accompanied by an inscription titled "Record of the Dragon Horse" attributed to Kong Anguo. The final line reads: "When the sage was in power, the Diagram emerged from the Meng River." The Meng River is an ancient waterway that originates northeast of Guogou Village in Chaoyang Township, Mengjin County, flows through Shufang Village near the Temple of the Diagram, Shanghetu and Xiahetu Villages in Baihe Township, and joins the Yellow River at Lehe in Laocheng Township. It is known as the "Old Course of the Diagram River."

In the fourth year of the Yonghe era (348 AD) during the reign of Emperor Mu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the missionary Fotudeng, who came from the Western Regions, built a "Three-Bay Temple of Fuxi" at the site traditionally believed to be where the Dragon Horse carried the Diagram for Fuxi, naming it the "Yellow River Diagram Temple." Nearly 200 years later, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty renamed it the "Dragon Horse Temple." During the Tang Dynasty's Linde era, it was briefly renamed the "Prosperity Nation Temple." When Di Renjie was in power, a major renovation and expansion took place, and it was called the "Temple of the Diagram." During the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing era, it underwent reconstruction and new construction, still under the name "Dragon Horse Temple." In the 19th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1754), the worship halls were rearranged, and it was renamed the "Temple of Fuxi." Although the temple site has seen changes and renovations over the generations, it has always remained at the "site where the Dragon Horse emerged from the river carrying the Diagram." The "Henan Prefecture Records," "Mengjin County Records," and other texts contain numerous accounts. Nearby village names are also related to the emergence of the Diagram from the river and Fuxi’s creation of the Eight Trigrams.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the temple was long occupied by an elementary school. Only the single-eave hip-and-gable main hall built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty and the "Site Where the Dragon Horse Carried the Diagram" stele remain. The eastern and western side walls of the hall are inlaid with 24 medium-sized stone tablets, each recording the temple’s renovation history, historical materials, praise poems, and inscriptions. Notably, one pictorial stone tablet depicts the layout of the entire temple complex.

Address: Lehe Village, Huimeng Town, Mengjin County, Luoyang City

Type: Temple

Recommended visiting time: 2 hours

Phone: 0379-67833887

Opening Hours:

8:30-17:30

Transportation:

Take a bus from Luoyang Bus Station to Huimeng Town or take Bus 85 in Luoyang City to Lehe Station

Ticket Price:

30 RMB per person

Huimeng Town: Located in the northeastern part of Mengjin County, Huimeng Town borders Gongyi, Yanshi to the east, connects to the Xiaolangdi Tourist Scenic Area to the west, faces the Luoyang Jili Petrochemical Industrial Base across the river to the north, and is about 10 kilometers south of Luoyang City. The town covers a total area of 128.8 square kilometers, governs 20 administrative villages, and has a total population of 56,000. It is an industrial hub, agricultural center, and cultural landmark of Mengjin County. It has been designated by Henan Province as a "Famous Town of Central China," a "Demonstration Zone for East-West Cooperation of Township Enterprises," a "Key Town for Small Town Construction," an "Advanced Unit in Small Town Construction," an "Advanced Unit in Small Town Management," and an "Advanced Cultural Township..." More details about Huimeng Town++