Changzhi Jade Emperor Temple

Changzhi Jade Emperor Temple

Changzhi Jade Emperor Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

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

Era: Yuan to Qing Dynasties

Address: Changchun Village, Yincheng Town, Changzhi County

The Changchun Jade Emperor Temple is located in Changchun Village, Yincheng Town. It faces south and measures 31.4 meters from east to west and 88.15 meters from north to south, covering an area of 2,786.75 square meters. The exact date of its construction is unknown. According to inscriptions on tablets within the temple, it was extensively renovated in the ninth year of the Ming Dynasty’s Chenghua era (1473), and further repaired in the fifty-first year of the Kangxi era (1712) and the thirty-fifth year of the Qianlong era (1770) of the Qing Dynasty. The existing main hall dates back to the Yuan Dynasty, the Grand Buddha Hall to the Ming Dynasty, while the rest of the structures are from the Qing Dynasty. The temple follows a two-courtyard layout, with a central axis running from south to north that includes, in sequence, a theater stage, mountain gate, main hall, and Grand Buddha Hall. On both sides, only the bell and drum towers and the western side hall remain. There are five steles and one inscribed stone tablet within the temple, all from various Ming and Qing Dynasty renovation efforts.

The date of its establishment is uncertain. According to inscriptions on the main ridge decoration and door panels of the main hall, renovations were carried out in the forty-first year of the Ming Wanli era (1613) and the thirty-eighth year of the Qing Qianlong era (1773). The existing Five Phoenix Tower and eastern side hall are structures from the Yuan Dynasty, while the rest were built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The temple faces south, with structures along the central axis including, in order, the mountain gate (Five Phoenix Tower), worship hall, and rear hall. On both sides are side halls and bell and drum towers. The site covers an area of 3,500 square meters. The Five Phoenix Tower is a Yuan Dynasty structure, with a three-bay width and depth, square floor plan, two-story four-eave hip-and-gable roof with five tiers of drainage, and a total height of 20 meters.

The Hall of the Heavenly King is a Ming and Qing Dynasty structure, five bays wide and six rafters deep, with a hanging hip roof. The offering pavilion is one bay wide and deep, also with a hip roof. The interior of the hall features an eight-trigram caisson ceiling, with square stone pillars featuring carved ridges and decorations such as dragons and flowers.

Address: Nansongshu, Changzhi City

Type: Taoist Temple

Recommended visiting time: About 1 hour

Ticket information:

Gate price: 8.0 RMB

The ticket costs 8 RMB. Sometimes there is no staff selling tickets, and you can enter directly.

Yincheng Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Changzhi County. Established as Mengcheng Town Commune in 1962 and officially became a town in 1984. Located in the southern part of the county, 15 kilometers from the county seat. It covers an area of 42 square kilometers and has a population of 30,000. The Changling and Nanyin highways intersect here. The town administers 23 village committees: Yincheng, Hexia, Henghe, Xingma, Huocun, Dayu, Mupo, Guoliang, Beiyu, Changchun, Jishan, Xishan, Neiwang, Beitou, Juzhai, Anzhai Shang, Shujiatou, Jinjiazhuang, Jinggedao, Beizhanggou, Shitan Yu, Sangzi One, and Sangzi Two. The main agricultural products are wheat, corn, and millet. The Zhangbashita Pagoda in Sangzi is a provincial-level key cultural relics protection site... More detailed information about Yincheng Town++

Further reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units