Ze Zhou Jade Emperor Temple

Ze Zhou Jade Emperor Temple

The Ze Zhou Jade Emperor Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jade Emperor Temple

Jade Emperor Temple (Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: Song to Qing Dynasties

Address: Fucheng Village, 13 km southeast of Ze Zhou County

The temple’s founding date is unknown. According to a Ming Dynasty stele preserved in the temple: “During the Sui Dynasty, residents gathered on the northern hill and built a three-bay temple, inside which were painted statues of the Three Pure Ones.” In the ninth year of the Xining era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1076), it was rebuilt on the original site and named “Jade Emperor Temporary Palace.” In the seventh year of the Taihe era of the Jin Dynasty (1207), most of the temple structures collapsed, but were later repaired through public fundraising. During the Zhenzong years of the Jin Dynasty (1214–1216), part of the temple was destroyed in warfare. In the first year of the Yuanshi era of the Yuan Dynasty (1335), it was rebuilt again, and underwent multiple renovations during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, eventually taking its current form. The existing main hall, the Jade Emperor Hall, was built during the Song Dynasty; the Tangdi Hall was built in the Jin Dynasty; the rear courtyard’s left and right wing halls and the east and west side halls were built in the Yuan Dynasty, while the rest were constructed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The temple faces south and features a three-courtyard architectural layout, with over 100 halls, pavilions, towers, and side rooms covering an area of more than 4,000 square meters. Along the central axis from south to north are the First Mountain Gate, the Ceremonial Gate, the Tangdi Hall, the Offering Pavilion, the Jade Emperor Hall, and the east and west side halls; flanking corridors include the Twenty-Eight Mansions Hall, the Twelve Earthly Branches Hall, the Thirteen Luminaries Hall, the Guan Di Hall, the Silkworm Goddess Hall, as well as side rooms and the Bell and Drum Towers. The buildings are densely arranged yet well proportioned.

The front courtyard is the first courtyard of the Jade Emperor Temple, featuring two layers of gate halls. The first mountain gate was built during the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1465–1487), and the second ceremonial gate is a remnant from the Yuan Dynasty. On either side of the gates are the Wenchang Hall, the Throat Shrine, the Six Plague Hall, the Ksitigarbha Hall, and the Bell and Drum Towers. The central courtyard’s main hall, the Tangdi Hall, is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a single-eave hanging hip roof. Its architectural features date back to the Song and Jin periods. The rear courtyard’s main hall, the Haotian Jade Emperor Hall, was built in the ninth year of the Xining era of the Song Dynasty (1076), is three bays wide and three bays deep, square in plan, with a single-eave hanging hip roof. Both the architecture and the polychrome sculptures, as well as the carved brick reliefs on the altar platform, retain the style of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Within the various halls are preserved over 300 sculptures from the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties, among which the Yuan Dynasty Twenty-Eight Mansions Deity sculptures are considered the finest in the entire temple.

Outside the temple, in the stele corridor, there are over ten steles from the Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, serving as valuable historical materials for the study of Taoist history and Taoist art.

Jin Cun Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Ze Zhou County. Established as the Jin Cun People's Commune in 1962 and became a town in 1989. Located in the eastern part of the city, 8 km from the municipal government. Covers an area of 44.8 square kilometers with a population of 25,000. National Highway 207 passes through the town. Administers 25 village committees including Jin Cun, Huo Xiu, Long Hua, Zhan Jia, Hou Jiang, Meng Jiang, Zao Yuan, Xiao Liu Jia Chuan, Da Ling Tou, Wu Zhuang, Yue Jiang, Bei Yin, Cui Zhuang, Huang Tou, Di Cheng, Zhao Zhuang, Dong Xia Zhuang, Dong Bei Cun, Dong Nan Cun, Ling Xi, Liu Quan, Shan Tou, Fu Shan Jie, Dong Yu, and Shen Nan. The town’s enterprises are mainly engaged in coal, smelting, casting, transportation, and building materials. Agriculture is primarily... More detailed information on Jin Cun Town ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units