Pudu Zhen Palace

Pudu Zhen Palace

Beihai Pudu Zhen Palace is located on Chating Road in the city center and is also known as Pushantang. It was first built in the 24th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1898). At that time, Wu Jinquan, a Taoist priest from Qianyuan Cave on Luofu Mountain, gathered philanthropists from Beihai such as Liang Qizhen, Huang Rizhang, and Chen Jueyu to initiate its construction, raising funds from compatriots in Hong Kong and Macau. Beihai Pudu Zhen Palace faces north and is built with a brick-and-wood structure, covering an area of 6,400 square meters. The main structures consist of three temple halls: the Zhongtian Hall (demolished in 1987 due to the expansion of Chating Road), the Golden Mother Hall, and the Earth Mother Hall. These halls enshrine various deities and form an ancient temple that integrates Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The two remaining halls share similar layouts: each has side rooms flanking the main hall; the interiors are divided into a central chamber and smaller side chambers; the roof ridges feature glazed ceramic dragons playing with pearls; the main ridges are adorned with carvings of flowers and birds; and the front walls of the corridors are decorated with murals. The *Beihai Miscellany* by Liang Hongxu of the Qing Dynasty praises it as: “The temple is resplendent in appearance, surpassing all other temples in Beihai.” The current surviving Golden Mother and Earth Mother Halls have had the former site of the Zhongtian Hall repurposed into the Pudu Zhen Palace gateway. The palace grounds are landscaped into serene and elegant gardens.