Temple of the Eldest Maiden

Temple of the Eldest Maiden

The Temple of the Eldest Maiden is a cultural tourism attraction.

Temple of the Eldest Maiden

The Temple of the Eldest Maiden is located at the confluence of the Lishan Gorge and Huaping Gorge in Dapeng Town, where a striking peak rises abruptly, and a temple sits right on this unique peak, named “Temple of the Eldest Maiden.” It is puzzling to see a temple built in such a high mountain and deep gorge, especially with such an unusual name.

Folklore says: long ago, the area around the Lishan Gorge was full of primeval forests, with Yao people living scattered throughout. Most Yao villages in the Lishan area were inhabited by those with the surname Jin, who were said to be descendants of eight Jin-surnamed Yao families who first settled in Penghua. Among them was an old man named Jin, whose wife was over fifty when they finally had a daughter. Having a child so late in life, she naturally became the apple of their eye, doted on greatly. The daughter was also clever and kind, and by the time she was under twenty, she had blossomed into a beauty as radiant as a peony. Because she was hardworking, capable, tall, and pretty, everyone simply called her “Eldest Maiden,” and the name stuck. In truth, she was the only one in the mountain village who truly earned that title.

As the only child of Old Man Jin, the Eldest Maiden accompanied him into the mountains and rivers, gathering firewood and herbs from a young age. Though she had no chance to attend school, she remembered many “Yao herbal remedies,” all passed down through generations as secret formulas. Even in her youth, she would travel from village to village treating Yao villagers with her medicines. She often treated poor families free of charge. She became a busybody and benefactor in the village.

One day, which the Eldest Maiden would never forget, was the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. A traveling peddler from outside the village came to the mountain settlement. He was a young man who went from village to village selling daily necessities like needles, thread, and matches. The Eldest Maiden also joined in the excitement and bought some needles, thread, and small medicines. As the saying goes, “Ambitious people head to the capital, while the aimless wander among the Yao,” but in the eyes of the Eldest Maiden, this outsider was handsome, sensible, and polite—someone not to be underestimated. Her first impression of him was quite good.

When night fell, someone knocked on Old Man Jin’s door asking to stay the night. The Eldest Maiden recognized the voice—it was the peddler with the shoulder pole—but Old Man Jin refused to open the door.

He said outsiders from the Han regions couldn’t be trusted and might bully the Yao people. Once, they had hosted a Han man who actually had the audacity to ask Old Man Jin, “Can I sleep with your daughter?” He was promptly thrown out. The Eldest Maiden said there was no need to worry, that she knew the man, he was very honest, and she opened the door. That evening, the young man and Old Man Jin got along famously and also won the favor of the Eldest Maiden. The young man even became sworn brothers (“lao tong”) with Old Man Jin, addressing him as “lao tong father,” and the Eldest Maiden called him her “lao tong brother.” From then on, the young man became a frequent visitor to their home. He often said, “A good son is found in the capital, a good woman among the Yao”—and he meant it. He often brought her things she loved from faraway places, and the Eldest Maiden, behind Old Man Jin’s back, gave him valuable herbs like musk she had hunted. Before they knew it, they had fallen in love. They even made a pact: every seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the young man would come to the Yao village to meet the Eldest Maiden. “The Qixi Meeting” became an unbreakable tryst for the Yao-Han couple.

The village chief eventually found out about the Eldest Maiden’s affair, which became a major scandal in the Yao village. In those days, Yao tribal rules were strict, and it was absolutely forbidden for a Yao girl to marry a Han man. Although most villagers sympathized with the Eldest Maiden in their hearts, no one dared to oppose the village chief or the tribal rules. Yet, the Yao-Han couple, bound by deep love and unable to bear being apart, ultimately chose death over separation. On their final “Qixi Meeting” night, they held hands and leapt off the cliff together.

After the tragedy, the Yao villagers were heartbroken over the Eldest Maiden’s cruel death and the loss of such a kind soul. For a long time, rumors swirled in the village: some claimed to dream of the Eldest Maiden returning from the cliffs, her face and hair covered in blood; others said they heard her weeping sadly around the village late at night. No one dared confirm whether these stories were true. Later, to honor her memory, the villagers built the “Temple of the Eldest Maiden” in this high mountain gorge. Every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, villagers would come to worship her. The “Temple of the Eldest Maiden” still stands alone in the desolate heights of the mountain gorge.