Dragon Lady West Lake Temple (West Lake Goddess Temple)

Dragon Lady West Lake Temple (West Lake Goddess Temple)

Dragon Lady West Lake Temple (West Lake Goddess Temple) is a cultural tourism attraction.

Turning right off the Haikou Ring Expressway and heading toward the exit for Mission Hills Resort Area, you’ll find a picturesque cold spring wetland tucked away. This is the source of Haikou’s Meishe River and also the site of a historic relic — Dragon Lady West Lake Temple (also known as Dragon Lady Temple or West Lake Goddess Temple).

After exiting the expressway and driving a few dozen meters along the service road, you’ll see a piece of volcanic rock about half a person’s height on the right side of the road, engraved with the words “Dragon Lady West Lake Temple.”

The wetland on the left side of the intersection is West Lake, with crystal-clear water.

Dragon Lady West Lake Temple covers a total area of over 20 acres, slightly larger than a standard soccer field. It mainly consists of an independent temple, including the West Lake wetland in front of the temple; the temple square (parking lot); Jade Dragon Spring Well; a small stream; a volcanic rock bridge; and a “West Lake” memorial archway, among other relics and scenic spots. Though not large in size, the area thrives with lush, graceful, and spiritually rich vegetation, nourished year-round by the clear, sweet cold spring water from the volcanic rocks (locally called “dragon water”). Soaking in the “dragon water” can cleanse the dust of the city; drinking a sip can purify the soul, helping you momentarily forget the worries of the world. This is the “Shangri-La”-like experience that Haikou’s Yongxing West Lake and Jade Dragon Spring offer.

The Dragon Lady Temple is built on the north bank of the small stream formed by Jade Dragon Spring. To visit the temple, you must cross a small stone bridge with three arches. Like most stone bridges in northern Hainan, it is primarily constructed from volcanic rock. The bridge and the nearby shoreline are adorned with classic stone railings, and many visitors enjoy standing by the railing to gaze at the beautiful scenery of West Lake. The unique wetland landscape of Hainan’s volcanic rocks, though simple and cool, is not without grandeur.

The Dragon Lady Temple consists of a temple gate, a main two-courtyard hanging-roof structure, and two side rooms. The main deity is the West Lake Goddess, depicted holding a ceremonial tablet and wearing a phoenix crown, flanked by two water deities — one black and one white — each holding a green snake. In front of the central incense burner in the main hall, there is a stone pool about 3 square meters in size, inscribed with the characters “Jade Dragon Spring,” written by Ming Dynasty scholar-official Zheng Yanzhe. At the bottom of the pool are two stone dragons, with two streams of clear spring water gushing out from their mouths and then flowing back through hidden channels, exiting “retroactively” through the mouth of another stone dragon and into the West Lake in front of the temple.

Address:

Guanlan Lake Interchange, Longhua District, Haikou City, Hainan Province