Dayou Temple

Dayou Temple

Dayou Temple is situated on the southern bank of the Yuan River, the northern bank of the Chen River, at the foot of Dayou Mountain, facing the county town and Dakou Intersection across the water. Beneath Dayou Mountain lies Dayou Cave, one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Caves of Taoism in China. It is said to be where King Mu of Zhou once hid his books, and also believed to have been a hiding place for Confucian scholars’ books when Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of texts. Hence, it has been referred to as the “Dayou Book Repository” or the “Qin Scholars’ Study.” Dayou Temple was originally built during the Tang Dynasty and was reconstructed in the 36th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1608 AD), making it the only surviving ancient Taoist temple in the county.