Jinzhi Temple

Jinzhi Temple

Jinzhi Temple is a cultural heritage protection unit of Hubei Province.

Jinzhi Temple is located in Jiangling County. It is among the first batch of cultural heritage protection units designated by Hubei Province.

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Jinzhi who fell ill and became bedridden. Despite taking many medicines, she showed no signs of recovery. The emperor was extremely worried and spent all his days fretting over his daughter’s condition. Just as the princess was on the verge of death, one day, a monk suddenly appeared, claiming he could cure all diseases under heaven. The emperor asked him to treat Princess Jinzhi. The monk gave the princess a pill to swallow, and before long, her complexion turned from pale to rosy, and she slowly opened her eyes and began to speak. The emperor was overjoyed and wanted to personally reward him. However, the monk was quite peculiar — he neither desired wealth nor sought an official position; all he asked was for the emperor to help him build a temple. The emperor agreed.

It turned out that the monk was actually Lu Ban in disguise. As he passed by Baima Temple, he noticed that the area was like a lotus leaf field — no matter how high the floodwaters rose, they would never submerge it. He decided this would be the perfect spot to build a temple. After curing Princess Jinzhi and receiving money from the emperor, he agreed to name the temple “Jinzhi Temple.”

When Lu Ban arrived at the site to build the temple, he noticed a patch of sesame plants that had just begun to bloom. He used a bit of magic and said to the landowner, “Sir, your sesame is turning yellow — why haven’t you harvested it yet?” The owner replied, “My sesame has only just bloomed — when did it turn yellow? Nonsense!” The next day, when the owner went to weed, he saw that the sesame really had turned yellow, so he hired people to harvest it.

With the land cleared, Lu Ban began constructing the temple. One night, while he was working enthusiastically, he suddenly heard a woman say, “Master, are you building the temple alone just to show off your skills?” Lu Ban looked up and saw that it was Guanyin Bodhisattva. He responded, “Bodhisattva, you are known for your compassion — are you perhaps also looking to display some skill?” Provoked by Lu Ban’s words, Guanyin Bodhisattva replied, “Very well, I’ll make a bet with you — within one night, I will spin a thousand spools of thread and turn them into a thousand sandalwood pillars to place here, and you will single-handedly complete this temple. We’ll see who finishes first, and we’ll stop when the rooster crows.” So the two set to work, each displaying their divine powers.

Guanyin Bodhisattva originally had a thousand arms, hence she was called the “Thousand-Armed Guanyin.” She extended all her arms and, before the third watch of the night, had spun a thousand spools of thread. She then transformed them into a thousand sandalwood pillars and placed them inside the hall. Then she imitated the crowing of a rooster.

Master Lu Ban, true to his reputation, worked alone to plaster walls, lay tiles, and carve dragons and phoenixes. The wooden beams were all drawn from a dried-up well behind the construction site. He worked with great vigor until he suddenly heard the crowing of a rooster. At that moment, only the central beam was left to be installed — but as soon as it was put in place, dawn broke.

Later, everyone who passed by Jinzhi Temple would stop in to rest and hear the story. It is said that those with ill intentions, upon seeing the central beam, even felt as if sawdust was falling into their eyes.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units Designated by Hubei Province