Manshui Panhu Temple

Manshui Panhu Temple

Manshui Panhu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Manshui Panhu Temple in Mayang is located in Manshui Village near the county seat of Mayang Miao Autonomous County, Hunan Province. Built in the second year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1404), it has a history of over 590 years. Inside the temple, there are three stone tablets inscribed with “Tribute to the Great King Panhu,” “Tribute to the Great King Siguang,” and “Tribute to the Great King Xinxi.” At the beginning and end of each year, the Miao people from Mayang and other areas come to the Panhu Temple to perform various worship rituals. On the flags they offer to King Panhu, phrases such as “Bless us with safety,” “Protect us from illness and disaster,” “Grant us long life and prosperity,” and “Help our children grow up healthy” are written.

The Miao people in Mayang widely practice ancestor worship, primarily dedicated to Panhu. They believe that Panhu is the founding ancestor of the Miao people and that they are his descendants. For many years, the Miao have spared no effort or resources to build temples and erect steles in honor of Panhu across the region. To date, there are 18 sites in Mayang County where Panhu Temples or their ruins remain. Among them, the temples in Manshui of Gao Village Township, Xinying of Lanli Township, and Chenjiapo of Guogongping Township are the most well-preserved. Along with the Miao people in western Hunan, they also integrate the worship of Panhu, the ox-sacrificing ancestral ritual, and the dragon-welcoming ceremony. They not only venerate their “dog father” (also called the “dragon dog”), but also remember the teachings of their divine mother (“nai gun”): sacrificing an ox to atone to their father. This is because, according to legend, it was an ox that killed Panhu. Therefore, this forms a unique form of ancestor worship among the Miao people. The pattern of an ox head, cut off during the “ox-eating” ritual, left above the gate of the Manshui Panhu Temple, stands as the best historical testament to this ox sacrifice ritual. It is now a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit in Hunan Province.

The Manshui Panhu Cultural Folk Village has established a core area for Panhu folk activities. The Panhu Grand Hall stands behind the Panhu Temple. Inside the main hall, a giant statue of the Great King Panhu is enshrined, flanked by lifelike human-sized statues of Panhu’s six sons and six daughters. The second floor houses a Panhu Culture Image Exhibition Hall and a Physical Relics Exhibition Room. Outside the hall is a 300-square-meter ceremonial plaza, serving as a gathering space for worship events. Below the ceremonial plaza, a stone staircase leads to nearly 3,000 square meters of folk activity grounds, used for both daily and large-scale folk events. Surrounding the folk activity grounds is the riverside boulevard, and beyond that lies the flood-prevention stone embankment along the river. The steps of the embankment are neatly arranged, with pavilions facing each other, forming the “Dragon Boat Grandstand.” Every Dragon Boat Festival, tens of thousands of people sit or stand on the stone steps, cheering in unison with the lively boat races on the Jin River.