Yongchang Ancient Temple

Yongchang Ancient Temple

Yongchang Ancient Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yongchang Ancient Temple

Yongchang Ancient Temple is located at Beiyemen in Mianhu Town and is a temple complex consisting of Xuantian Ancient Temple, Yunhu Nunnery, and Yunjing Nunnery, covering an area of 1,321 square meters. The ancient temple was built during the Song Dynasty and enshrines the Beiji Zhenwu Xuantian God, while the nunneries enshrine the Saha Trinity. The walls are embedded with 60 exquisitely crafted three-dimensional stone reliefs from the Qing Dynasty. The ceiling features an inverted caisson adorned with three layers of openwork gold-lacquered wood carvings both inside and out, intricately carved and delicate in design—rare wooden carving masterpieces in the province. This temple is a millennia-old site, also known as the "Buddhist Light of the North Gate."

At the center of the entrance is the Xuan Emperor Ancient Temple, also known as Beiyé Temple, Buddha Temple, or Yongchang Ancient Temple, with the Tin Hau Temple, also called Mazu Temple, on the left. These two temples were both renovated in the 30th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1883), and though not large in size, they are delicately built and each has its own charm. The wooden carvings on the pillars inside the Buddha Temple are extremely fine, and the exterior stone walls have been polished to a smooth, gleaming finish. This temple has been recently renovated, with its roof ridges decorated with colorful ceramic figurines depicting vivid birds and beasts. The Mazu Temple, on the other hand, attracts visitors with its finely crafted stone carvings.

Outside the Yongchang Gate, to the left stands an old-fashioned pavilion named “Liufang,” with the four characters “Yishuang Yinghui” inscribed on its inner wall. The railings outside the pavilion are adorned with potted plants, overlooking the lake waves below, creating a delightful scene. To the right stands an ancient banyan tree, lush and dense, shading the area and offering a serene, otherworldly atmosphere.

From the Yongchang Gate to the opposite side of the lake, there is a unique zigzag bridge shaped like the Chinese character “之.” With ten twists and turns, it is built solidly from pounded lime. The hundred-meter-long bridge has only three arches. On the downstream side of the bridge, a row of stone pillars is erected, each with stone holes that were originally used to tie ancient bridge cables (in the past, the bridge was often submerged, and the iron cables served as path markers for pedestrians to ensure safety). Although the bridge is winding, if you look from the first stone hole to the last, it aligns perfectly with the center of the ancient temple, where it was said one could see the Buddhist light—an attraction known as the “Northern Gate Buddhist Light.” This showcases the ingenuity of the designers.

Mianhu Town: Mianhu Town is located on the eastern bank of the middle reaches of the Rong River, a historic town on the eastern plain of western Guangdong. Established during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, it boasts a history of over 1,000 years. The town covers a total area of 33 square kilometers, including a built-up area of 5.5 square kilometers. It administers 10 neighborhood committees and 14 village committees (encompassing 30 natural villages). The town has one secondary specialized school, five middle schools (one under construction), and nineteen primary schools (one under construction). In the year 2000, the total population of the town was 97,884, including 55,435 non-agricultural residents and 42,449 agricultural residents... More details about Mianhu Town++