Wudang Mountain's Dayue Taihe Palace

Wudang Mountain's Dayue Taihe Palace

A renowned Taoist temple. Located at the southern gate of Zijincheng (Purple Forbidden City), halfway up Tianzhu Peak on Wudang Mountain in Danjiangkou City, Hubei Province. Built in the 14th year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1416), it originally had 510 structures including halls and Taoist residences; today only the main hall, worship hall, bell and drum towers, and the Bronze Hall remain.

The main hall is inscribed with “Dayue Taihe Palace,” and inside, only the bronze statue of the True Warrior Emperor and statues of the Four Great Marshals, the Generals of Fire and Water, and the Golden Boy and Jade Girl remain. On both sides of the hall’s entrance stand two bronze steles: one is an imperial edict from the 29th year of the Jiajing reign (1550) commissioning the construction of a Thunder Altar on Canglong Ridge to enshrine a golden statue, and the other is a memorial stele from the 31st year of the Jiajing reign (1552) sent by Lu Shu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and others. In front of the hall is the worship hall, flanked by the bell and drum towers; the bell tower houses a bronze bell cast in the 14th year of the Yongle reign (1416). In front of the hall lies a rock formation shaped like a precious lotus, hence called “Little Lotus Peak,” inscribed with the words “One Pillar Supports the Sky,” and embedded with a stone tablet bearing a poem by Li Zongren during his visit to Wudang Mountain. Atop the rocky summit is a Bronze Hall, measuring 2.9 meters high, 2.7 meters wide, and 2.6 meters deep, cast in the 11th year of the Dade reign of the Yuan Dynasty (1307). Originally located at the summit of Tianzhu Peak, it was moved here in the 14th year of the Yongle reign (1416), hence also called the “Transferring Fortune Hall” or “Rotating Hall.”

To the right and below the worship hall is the Imperial Scripture Hall, rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty. The entire complex of this palace is situated atop isolated peaks and steep ridges, with its halls and towers built against the mountain and rock faces. The structure is exquisitely designed and ingeniously laid out, surrounded by continuous ranges of undulating peaks, misty forests, and sea-like clouds, presenting a spectacular scene. It is one of the famous Taoist temples on Wudang Mountain.

Taihe Palace is located on the southern side of Tianzhu Peak, covering an area of 80,000 square meters, with over 20 ancient buildings and a construction area of more than 1,600 square meters. Its main structures include the Golden Hall, the Purple Forbidden City, and the Ancient Bronze Hall.

Golden Hall: A Ming Dynasty bronze-cast, wood-structure imitation palace-style building, situated at the center of the stone platform atop the peak of Tianzhu. It covers an area of about 160 square meters, facing approximately 8° southeast. The hall is three bays wide and deep, 4.4 meters wide, 3.15 meters deep, and 5.54 meters high. Twelve pillars are erected around, with layers of beams, brackets, and upturned and multiple-eave brackets supporting the upper and lower eaves, forming a double-eave roof. The ends of the main ridge are adorned with facing dragons. The four walls have four-panelled lattice doors installed between the pillars. The interior ceiling features a flat-beam caisson design with shallow-relief carved cloud patterns in soft, flowing lines. The floor is paved with polished purple stone slabs. The roof employs the “pushed mountain” construction method. Behind the screen wall in the rear of the hall is a shrine where the seated statue of the True Warrior Emperor is enshrined, with the Golden Boy holding scriptures on the left and the Jade Girl presenting treasures on the right, while the Generals of Fire and Water guard the sides, holding flags and swords. Below the shrine is a dark green turtle figure, symbolizing the union of metal and water. In front of the shrine is an incense table with ritual vessels. Above the shrine hangs a gilded plaque inscribed with the characters “Golden Radiance and Wondrous Appearance,” handwritten by the Qing Emperor Kangxi (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye). Outside the hall, a plaque with a coiled dragon border hangs above the eaves, inscribed with the word “Golden Hall.” Various parts of the hall were cast using the lost-wax method, entirely gilded. Whether in tilework or wooden components, the structure is meticulous and precisely fitted. Despite over 500 years of harsh winters and hot summers, it remains as resplendent as ever, demonstrating the high level of development in China’s casting industry and is considered a brilliant jewel among ancient architecture and casting craftsmanship.

Ancient Bronze Hall: Located on Little Lotus Peak in front of Tianzhu Peak. Cast in the 11th year of the Dade reign of the Yuan Dynasty (1307), it is 3 meters high, 2.8 meters wide, and 2.4 meters deep, featuring a flush-gable roof. All components were cast separately and assembled using mortise-and-tenon joints, with inscriptions indicating installation positions on each casting. The lattice skirt board is inscribed with “This hall was cast in the 11th year of the Dade reign of the Yuan Dynasty at Wuchang Meiting Wan Family Workshop,” making it the earliest surviving bronze wood-structure building in China.

Purple Forbidden City: Constructed in the 17th year of the Yongle reign (1419), it encircles Tianzhu Peak with a perimeter of 345 meters. The wall foundation is 2.4 meters thick, the wall itself 1.8 meters thick, and the highest point reaches 10 meters. The walls were built with strip stones laid against the rock face, each weighing over 500 kilograms. Following the model of the Heavenly City in Chinese mythology, four stone-carved, wood-structure-style gate towers representing the Heavenly Gates were built on the east, south, west, and north sides. This stone-carved structure, situated on steep cliffs, features ingenious design and great construction difficulty, representing a product of the combination of science and art in the Ming Dynasty.

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