Songbao Temple

Songbao Temple

Songbao Temple: On a small hill behind Tuanjie Township stands a Taoist temple named Songbao Temple. The current abbot, Ma Shitai (who passed away in 2016 due to illness), rebuilt the temple on the site of an ancient shrine that had fallen into ruin. The temple enshrines several bodhisattvas and features numerous carved couplets that carry a distinct Zen spirit and literary refinement, such as “At the foot of Apricot Grove Mountain, a tiger seeks elixir; in the Spring of Tangerine Well, a dragon asks for healing,” “Heart is truly sincere, ever new when fresh; blessings are shared among people, benevolent as Buddha’s grace,” and others. According to villagers, Ma Shitai’s wife once — during the 1990s — had her — wide open, and locals who suffered from various ailments could find a cure by simply picking herbs she gathered from the mountain. She became famous for a time. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the — was later closed, and she returned to an ordinary life. The temple also holds a beautiful legend about Granny Wei. In the late years of the Republic of China, Wei, an eight-generation military officer’s daughter from Guangxi, was both talented and beautiful. She discussed with her father the idea of holding a poetry-duel marriage contest and composed the line “From Phoenix Mountain emerges the phoenix, not a common bird.” Scholars from all directions came full of hope but left disappointed year after year. Granny Wei sat alone in her chamber, year after year, and eventually died with resentment unfulfilled. Abbot Ma Shitai, having learned of this story in the early years after the liberation, composed a matching line: “The bright moon pairs with bright moon, clearly the sun and moon.” He sent a letter proposing marriage, only to find that “the verse remains, but the maiden’s boudoir is gone,” leaving behind a tale of eternal regret.