Baidong Temple in Zhongxian

Baidong Temple in Zhongxian

Baidong Temple in Zhongxian is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural relics protection unit of Chongqing Municipality.

The ancient architectural complex of Baidong Temple includes Baidong Temple, Taibao Temple, Guan Di Temple, Laoguan Temple, and the Feng Family Memorial Archway.

Baidong Temple, located west of Zhongzhou Town, was first built in the third year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty and expanded in the tenth year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty. It is a memorial hall dedicated to Bai Juyi, the eminent Tang Dynasty poet and former Prefect of Zhongzhou (Bai Juyi served as Prefect of Zhongzhou in 818 AD), and is one of only two temples commemorating Bai Juyi that are as renowned as the “Tang Shaochuan Bai Gong Tomb Temple” on Xiangshan Mountain in Luoyang. Bai Juyi, courtesy name Letian, also known by his late-stage pseudonym Xiangshan Jushi, was a great Tang Dynasty poet who rose to the position of Hanlin Academician. He holds a distinguished and far-reaching place in the history of Chinese literature, earning titles such as the “Poetry Devil” and “Poetry King.” Bai Juyi held enlightened political views and sharply exposed and criticized the debauchery and corruption of bureaucrats in his poetry and essays, which led to his suppression and ostracism. In 818 AD, he was demoted and appointed Prefect of Zhongzhou. During his tenure, he devoted himself to national affairs and the welfare of the people, promoting agriculture and sericulture, leading by example, simplifying governance, showing leniency in punishment, and caring for the elderly and children. He opened mountain roads, planted trees and flowers, shared weal and woe with the people, and composed over a hundred poems and lyrics during his time in office—many of which were highly influential works noted for their profound thought and artistic merit. On his very first night in Zhongzhou, the poet wrote: “Luckily met Magistrate Li at the river’s edge, / At dusk our greeting came with no repressed heed. / The clerks are stubborn as deer, wild and sly, / The town so sparse, it scarce outdoes a shire. / A single orchid boat blocks the courier’s way, / A hundred stone steps climb to the prefect’s bay. / No level ground is found where one could tread, / I wrong the red-wheeled chariot and five-horse stead.” Upon leaving Zhongzhou, he wrote another poem: “Two years detained in riverside town I’ve stayed, / Where grass and trees, birds, fish, all my love have paid. / Where shall I turn my longing eyes anew? / The peaches and plums just planted on the hillside view.” These verses reflect his deep affection for Zhongzhou and its people. The people of Zhongzhou revered him, honoring him alongside Liu Yan, Lu Zhi, and Li Jifu as one of the “Four Sages,” and built the Four Sages Pavilion in the Song Dynasty in his memory.

In the third year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, Ma Yicong, the Prefect of Zhongzhou, greatly respected Bai Juyi and was well aware of the deep affection the local people had for him during his service in Zhongzhou. Thus, he initiated the construction of a temple in his honor. The townspeople all readily supported the idea, and Wu Bieji was ordered to “clear the land and begin construction in the summer of the year Jisi, supervising the craftsmen daily, and by autumn’s end, three main halls and two wing rooms including the Drunken Chant Pavilion were completed,” followed by further expansion of the structures. When advocating for the establishment of Baidong Temple, Ma Yicong expressed the hope that “future gentlemen will further expand it, so that it may endure as long as the mountains and rivers of Bashan and Shushui.” In the tenth year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, Baidong Temple was further expanded.

The present-day Baidong Temple is built across two terraces against the mountains and along the river, presenting a magnificent sight. In front of the temple lies a large stone stairway over two zhang high. To the left are towering ancient trees, and to the right, a lofty stilted building. At the top of the stairs is the main gate of Baidong Temple, a three-bay, four-pillar, three-section memorial archway inscribed with the characters “Baidong Temple.” The gate couplet reads: “Boundless grace spread over mountains and rivers, the people forever remember their virtuous prefect; / Grand writings shining with sun and moon, poets of all ages alike revere the great bard,” voicing the heartfelt sentiments of the populace. A pair of majestic stone lions on either side adds dignity to the entrance. Entering the gate, one sees a semi-circular lotus pond filled with emerald water, teeming with life and complementing the garden’s flora. Bai Juyi once visited this spot and composed “Lotus Pond at Longchang Temple”: “Cool green water of early autumn, / Faded red lotus petals half-shed. / Always feeling solitary, / Never like by this pond’s bed.” This small lotus pond adds a touch of scenic charm to Baidong Temple.

At the western end of Baidong Temple lies a grove of rare Mu Lian (Manglietia fordiana) trees. The Mu Lian tree grows in mountain valleys and is also called the yellow-heart tree by the locals. The larger ones reach a height of five zhang, remain evergreen through winter, have trunks resembling green poplars marked with white streaks, leaves like those of osmanthus—thick, large, and veinless—and flowers fragrant like lotus, blooming from early April until just twenty days later. This was the tree species most beloved by Bai Juyi during his time as Prefect of Zhongzhou. Through the Mu Lian tree, he saw reflections of his own fate, and thus composed three quatrains: “Like transplanting a lotus in parched land, / Like hanging peonies on a tall branch. / Hidden by clouds and separated by waters, unknown to all, / Only the magistrate of Nanbin knows. / Red as rouge, smooth as powder, / Heartbreaking beauty does not last. / When mountain winds rise unpredictably, / Will it still be here when I return tomorrow? / Already sorrowful that flowers fall to barren cliffs, / Also grieve that roots grow among jagged rocks. / Many times I wished to transplant them but couldn’t, / Heaven decreed their abandonment in deep hills.” Bai Juyi lamented how the Mu Lian tree, beautiful yet sorrowful, mirrored his own state: “Hidden by clouds and separated by waters, unknown to all,” “Heaven decreed their abandonment in deep hills,” expressing his mindset at the time.

Turning right after entering the gate leads to “Bai Garden,” with a gate couplet that reads: “Floating clouds do not bind the name Letian, / Nature acts without effort, the character is Joy-heaven,” cleverly embedding Bai Juyi’s given name and pseudonym. These lines are taken from two verses in the elegiac poem composed by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang upon Bai Juyi’s passing. The garden houses an Ink-Washing Pool and a bronze statue of Bai Juyi. The eastern and western sides are partitioned by floral walls, with the terrain sloping from east to west. The southern section features buildings built along the slope in the style of boat houses, among which the Bai Juyi Life Exhibition Room displays Bai Juyi’s genealogy, chronology of his life, achievements during his tenure as Prefect of Zhongzhou, and more. The Drunken Chant Pavilion is a four-pillar, three-story structure where visitors can lean on the railing to gaze into the distance. This intricately structured pavilion is supported by 16 pillars holding up one main building and four gate towers, allowing access for visitors to climb and enjoy the view. Directly beneath the pavilion lies the site of the Longchang Temple from the Tang Dynasty. With its towering mountains, it is the first to catch the moonlight, overlooking the Yangtze River as if it were a jade ribbon, with lush green hills and clear bamboo groves on the opposite bank. Sitting in the corridor built along the slope, one enjoys the cool, refreshing river breeze.

Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir, the “national treasures”—Han Dynasty stone memorial archways, which were previously scattered across the region, have all been relocated within Baidong Temple. The “Han Que” (Han Dynasty memorial archways) are the only surviving above-ground structures from the Han Dynasty, with only 29 existing nationwide, five of which are in Zhongxian—accounting for over one-sixth of the total, truly making it the rightful “Hometown of Han Que in China.”

Ascending via the Que Garden steps, one can see the Ming and Qing Dynasty ancient architecture of Guan Di Temple, Laoguan Temple, and Taibao Temple, currently under restoration and nearing completion. These three ancient buildings are part of the Zhongxian Reservoir Cultural Relics Relocation and Protection Project, representing some of the larger and better-preserved temple structures within Zhongxian County. They provide visitors with a platform to explore Zhongxian’s culture of loyalty and its long history.

Bai Juyi (772–846), a renowned realist poet of the Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Letian, and his pseudonym was Xiangshan Jushi. Originally of Kucha descent, with ancestral roots in Taiyuan (present-day Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province), his family later moved to Xiagui (present-day Weinan City, Shaanxi Province), and he was born in Xinzheng County, Henan. His father served as a Prefectural Consultant in Xiangzhou but died early. Bai Juyi was exceptionally intelligent in his childhood, beginning to study poetry at the age of five or six. At ten, several regional military governors in Hebei and Huainan launched rebellions, sparking sudden warfare. To protect her son, his father sent him to what is now Zhejiang to seek refuge. He thus left his hometown with his mother, wandering through the south of the Yangtze… More detailed information about Bai Juyi ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units of Chongqing Municipality