Temple of Emperor Shun

Temple of Emperor Shun

The Temple of Emperor Shun is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

Temple of Emperor Shun

The time period is modern. It is located at the foot of Shunyuan Peak on Jiuyi Mountain in Ningyuan County, Hunan Province. This is a large structure dedicated to the worship of Emperor Shun.

The temple was originally located by Dayang Stream in Jiuyi, but was relocated in front of Yuguanyan Rock during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty (874–888), and moved to its current site in the fourth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1371). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, an annual minor sacrifice was held, and a major one every three years. For each major ceremony, imperial envoys would arrive bearing edicts. The temple has undergone multiple renovations. In his travel diary "Records of a Journey to Chu," the Ming Dynasty traveler Xu Xiake wrote: “There are two large trees lining the path to the mausoleum, resembling a pair of ceremonial gates, each as thick as four people could encircle. The monks called them ‘Pearl Trees’... Passing between the two Pearl Trees, there is a hall with three bays, and another bay above. The upper bay is inscribed with ‘Dancing in Legacy,’ housing the spirit tablet of Emperor Shun, while the lower three bays are labeled ‘Emperor Shun’s Bedroom Hall,’ displaying five or six stone tablets, all from the periods between the two Temples of the Ming Dynasty.” The existing structures were restored in the late Qing Dynasty and in the 31st year of the Republic of China (1942). A fire in 1962 destroyed the worship hall. Later, the main hall, bedroom hall, and stele pavilion collapsed. A large-scale renovation and expansion took place in the late 1990s, restoring the layout to that of the Ming and Qing eras. The temple complex covers an area of over 20,000 square meters, extending 244 meters from the mountain gate to the bedroom hall, with a width of 101 meters from east to west. The surrounding palace walls are 160 meters long and 60 meters wide, covering a total area of 9,600 square meters. Along the spirit way outside the mountain gate, there are 11 pairs of stone lions and stone figures, along with a pair of white marble dragon-topped ornamental columns standing on either side.

The main structures within the mausoleum temple include the Meridian Gate, Worship Hall, Main Hall, side rooms, and Stele Corridor. The Meridian Gate covers an area of 240 square meters, is 14.8 meters high, and has three arched gateways. The Worship Hall spans 232 square meters, features double eaves and flying corners, and is 14.4 meters high. In front of the Main Hall is a terrace of 120 square meters, and the hall itself covers 232 square meters, standing 16.68 meters tall. In front of the hall, there is a white marble carved dragon stairway and tall relief stone pillars depicting blue dragons. The structure uses a post-and-lintel system, features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles, and is adorned with a glazed double-dragon ridge decoration, presenting a grand and majestic appearance.

Inside the hall stands a bronze statue of Emperor Shun. The walls of the three sides of the hall feature large murals praising the achievements of Emperor Shun, as well as the heroic scenes of his two consorts joining him on his campaign and weeping by the mottled bamboo. Within the burial mausoleum stands a stone tablet inscribed with “The Tomb of Emperor Shun of the Yu Clan.” On the stele corridors to the left and right are tablets inscribed with sacrificial texts dedicated to Emperor Shun from the Ming and Qing dynasties onward.

On October 10, 1983, the People's Government of Hunan Province designated it as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit, with the designation number 97-40.

Source: An Overview of Cultural Relics in Hunan