Binyang Cannon Dragon Old Temple

Binyang Cannon Dragon Old Temple

The Binyang Cannon Dragon Old Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Cannon Dragon Old Temple is a temple located in the center of the old town area of Luxu Town, Binyang County, covering an area of over ten acres. It was traditionally used as a place of worship in ancient times. Nowadays, it serves as a gathering spot for people from all over the county who come here on the 15th day of the first lunar month each year to pray for blessings and a bountiful harvest in the coming year. The temple houses statues of deities such as the God of Wealth and the Eight Immortals.

The Binyang Cannon Dragon Old Temple has a history of over 400 years. Originally named the Three Sovereigns Temple, it was renovated in the 13th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign. The temple enshrines statues of the Yellow Emperor, Shennong, and Fuxi. Due to various reasons, the classic old temple shrank from its original over 2,000 square meters to just a 200-square-meter brick-and-tile structure. Every year on the 11th evening of the first lunar month, Binyang holds the Cannon Dragon dance. Because of its long history, the Three Sovereigns Temple holds a sacred place in the hearts of the people. For centuries, the cannon dragons from seven or eight streets in the old southern part of Binyang City have gathered at this temple for the “eye-dotting” ceremony, increasing in number from seven or eight to over twenty. As a result, thousands of spectators flock here every year to watch the “eye-dotting,” and media outlets also rush here to capture the grand event.

Due to the small size of the old temple, it could no longer accommodate the large eye-dotting procession, numerous journalists, and visitors. To promote Cannon Dragon culture, develop tourism, and address potential safety hazards caused by overcrowding in the cramped old temple, in 2007, the Binyang County Folk Cannon Dragon Art Association took the lead in initiating a fundraising campaign among the public and began the reconstruction of the Cannon Dragon Old Temple. Construction officially started on November 17, 2007, and was completed with an “eye-dotting” ceremony on October 30, 2008. Because so many cannon dragons gathered here for “eye-dotting,” the Three Sovereigns Temple became widely known among the people as the Cannon Dragon Old Temple. In 2008, after its reconstruction and the first “eye-dotting” ceremony, the plaque bearing the name “Cannon Dragon Old Temple” was hung for the first time, making it a symbolic and landmark building of Binyang’s Cannon Dragon culture. The temple is a steel-concrete structure, three stories high with a floor area of 630 square meters, and features a front plaza spanning 1,500 square meters. The total construction cost exceeded 1.4 million yuan. In 2009, the Cannon Dragon Old Temple was designated as a “Binyang County Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Protection Base.”

Address: Zhonghe Road, Luxu Town, Binyang County, Nanning City