Shangqing Temple in Zitong

Shangqing Temple in Zitong

Shangqing Temple in Zitong is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

Shangqing Temple in Zitong County, also known as Guangou Temple or Guangu Temple, is located in Groups 1 and 4 of Youping Village, Dongshi Township. It faces east and was originally established during the Sui Kaihuang era, rebuilt in the Ming Chenghua era, destroyed after the Chongzhen era, and gradually flourished again during the Qing Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Daoguang periods. The surviving historical structures mainly consist of a Qing-era quadrangle courtyard complex, along with scenic spots such as the Bauhinia trees, Mengquan Spring, and Ming dynasty cliff carvings. In November 1990, it was designated as a county-level protected site; in July 2009, as a city-level protected site; and in July 2012, as a provincial-level protected site.

The Zitong County Annals from the Xianfeng era recorded: “Shangqing Temple is located twenty-five li south of the county. It was built during the Ming Chenghua period. In the Qing Yongzheng era, the county magistrate Liu Yingding rebuilt it. Next to the temple is Mengquan Spring, which irrigates several acres of farmland. A stone stele is inscribed with the two large characters ‘Meng Quan’ (Dream Spring). When County Magistrate Liang Jide took office, there was a severe drought. After praying here, abundant rain fell for three days.” It also states: “Mengquan Spring, located twenty-five li south of the county, responds immediately when prayed to during droughts.”

I. The Mountain Gate of Shangqing Temple

The Shangqing Temple quadrangle courtyard consists of the main hall, theater stage, and left and right wing rooms, with a construction area of 666 square meters and a site area of 923 square meters.

The lower level of the theater stage opens outward as the mountain gate, with a horizontal plaque hanging above inscribed with “Shangqing Temple,” written by Zhang Wei of Zitong in the year Bingxu.

The facade has nine bays, with a corridor, each bay being 2.31 meters wide. The lower part of the wall is constructed with three layers of strip stones, 0.9 meters high. There are ten wooden columns, including two square stone pillars that run the full height in the center, inscribed with three couplets. The first: “A mountain is beautiful with water; listen to the murmuring springs flowing, echoing through the long night under the celestial moon; a place becomes spiritual because of its people, remembering the vast virtues of the Emperor, shining upon the literary star in the heavens.” The second: “Here there are slender bamboos and tall phoenix trees; may we be moved by the scenery and share the serene feeling; this place neighbors the springs of integrity and yielding waters; happily, reflecting on their names, we cleanse all worldly dust.” The third: “Among mortals, filial piety and friendship are epitomized by Zhang Zhong; in the world, literary talent is admired in the Star of Blessing. Daoguang Year of the Metal Ox; respectfully offered by disciples of all surnames.”

II. The Theater Stage of Shangqing Temple

The theater stage faces west and is two stories high, with three bays in width and a depth of 11 rafters. It has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof and a protruding floor plan, covering a construction area of 118.36 square meters. The lower level is 2.15 meters high and supported by 18 square stone pillars. It has a gourd-shaped finial, mythical beast ridge decorations, upturned wing corners, and ridge ornaments featuring auspicious beasts, flowers, theatrical figures, immortals, as well as three rams and plowing oxen. Two hanging couplets are inscribed: the inner one reads: “Lofty hermits need not hide in famous mountains; why not seek longevity here?” The outer one reads: “To dispel worries, one must let go of the self; to seek peace, one must not be greedy.” The central screen depicts a qilin, and above the horse gate are small plaques inscribed “Exit General” and “Enter Minister.” At the back, a small pavilion called the “Kuixing Tower” has been added, furnished with “flying chairs.”

Rafter inscription: The 30th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1850), the fifth month of autumn, the 15th day of the full moon.

Beam inscription: Overall construction supervisor: Song Yin, Sun Zhengrong, scholar Song Lüqian, Chen Guolong, Chen Guoti, clerk Chen Yushu, Chen Jin, Song Yingxiu, Song Yao, Bai Yonggui, Song Zhongxiu, Sun Wen, Song Yongzhen, Yin Mingzhong; master craftsman Wu Huiyuan; Chen Dewan, Chen Guofu, Chen Guofu, Song Wenying, Sun Zhirong, Song Wanchuan, Song Wanzhen, scribe Sun Jian, Gao Dengdi, Song Xueshi, Sun Zhu, Li Fang, clerk Song Jiaxiu. Construction and management of the theater stage: Ding Heng, Jingxiu. Ritual performer Yue Xiuxiang.

Also inscribed: Disciples of Monk Ding Wu, head of the Monastic Affairs Office of Tianfeng Temple—Ben Shan, Sun Yuanqing, Yuan Hui, Yuan Cheng—each pray for the flourishing of Buddhist teachings; great monk and fully ordained bhikkhu of Tianfeng Temple, Monk Zongxian, disciple and manager Ding Heng, disciples Sun Benling, Benyu, Yuan Cheng—Yuanzhi, Ben--, Jingxiu’s disciple Lingxing, Sun Benchong—all hope for the tranquility of the mountain gate. Respectfully inscribed.

On both sides of the theater stage are connected gable-and-hip roof structures, front-facing outside and interior-facing inside, forming a protruding façade, with a total width of 30.7 meters and a total depth of 12.6 meters.

According to the “Shangqing Temple Renovation Donation Stele” by Yue Kaixiang in the 11th year of the Daoguang reign, the theater stage was built in the 11th year of Daoguang. According to the ink inscription on the ridge rafter, it was constructed in the 30th year of Daoguang. According to a modern temple history stele, it was repaired in the 26th year of the Republic of China (1937), and renovated again in 2005.

III. The Three Pure Ones Main Hall and North-South Wing Rooms of Shangqing Temple

The main hall of Shangqing Temple is the Three Pure Ones Hall, facing west and east, with a total width of five bays (26 meters) and a total depth of three bays (9.1 meters). It has a front corridor. The Three Pure Ones Hall occupies the central three bays, connected to the Martial Saint Palace on the right and the Wenchang Hall on the left. It stands on a plain platform with a nine-step staircase, a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, a fire jewel finial, and an iron-cast “longevity” character at the top, flanked by four ridge beasts, all dragon-shaped.

The Three Pure Ones Hall has a construction area of 175.5 square meters. Three sides are rammed earth walls. Inside the hall, there are two sets of beam frames, using the post-and-lintel system: five bays over four steps, followed by two more steps, with the front corridor extending one step out, supported by three columns in the front and rear. The column bases under the eaves are drum-shaped stone pedestals, while the others are high pedestals about 0.98 meters tall. The eave and interior columns are painted with spiral-patterned colored drawings. Rafter inscription: Established in the 12th year of the Yongzheng reign, in the first month of the Tai Zu calendar; renovated in an unclear month. Some characters and ink inscriptions on the beams are missing or smeared, requiring further study.

In front of the hall stands a Bauhinia tree with a trunk circumference of 1.68 meters, a height of 3.7 meters, and branches splitting into three, then further dividing into over ten, towering over the hall. A stele nearby claims the tree is “approximately 1,100 years old,” and it is said someone once offered a million to buy it but was refused.

According to Qing dynasty steles in the temple and county annals, Shangqing Temple was established in the Sui Kaihuang era, rebuilt in the Ming Chenghua era, and destroyed during the wars of the Chongzhen era. In the 55th year of the Qing Kangxi reign, Zitong County Magistrate Liu Yingding initiated its reconstruction, led by Messrs. Song and Chen, completed in the 12th year of the Yongzheng reign, and underwent multiple renovations during the Daoguang era.

The north and south wing rooms of the Three Pure Ones Hall each have five bays, a total width of 19.3 meters, two bays in depth, and a total depth of 8.5 meters. They feature a single-eave gable-and-hip roof, wooden structure, and suspended corridors below the eaves.

Rafter and beam inscriptions: 1. Constructed on the 15th day of the 10th month of the 31st year of the Qianlong reign (1766); renovated on the 14th day of the 2nd month of the 16th year of the Guangxu reign (1890). 2. Chief supervisors: ... (illegible); assistant supervisors: Sun Zhu, Sun Wenxuan, Li Wanfu, Chen Deti, Chen Fu, Song Dengdi, Song Chengquan, Song Rong--, Song Xuetai, Song Xuefa. 3. Chief supervisors: Sun Zhu, Sun Wenhua, Sun Wenxuan, Song Gaofu, Chen Deti, Chen Fu...

IV. Ming Dynasty Cliff Carvings

On the rugged cliffs behind Shangqing Temple, at inaccessible heights, there are three sections totaling 13 niches of Taoist cliff carvings and one inscription. Excluding empty niches, there are nine niches and 24 statues (not counting six niches near Mengquan Spring). Both cultural relic documentation and inscriptions in the temple identify these as Ming dynasty Taoist carvings, created during the reconstruction of the temple in the mid-Ming Chenghua era.

Section 1 carvings are located beside Leopard Cave, with seven niches and 19 statues. Most have been repainted. Except for a single statue on the left, the rest each feature a main deity flanked by two attendants. The main deities sit cross-legged on plain square pedestals, without hair buns, with round halos, wearing inner robes with right lapels and outer robes with double-layered, hanging collars. Four hold fans beside armrest tables, and two clasp their hands in front of their abdomens. The attendants are all standing, with beaded halos, and a censer is placed beneath the pedestal, with lions crouching on both sides. Below the niche are large characters reading “囗卫毛泽东思” (partially illegible), and nearby are the characters “Li Gong,” possibly from the Cultural Revolution era.

Section 2 carvings consist of only one damaged niche, unpainted, but the stone texture is appreciable. The niche lintel is beaded, the head is intact, wearing a Taoist cap, with kind features, but the head and below are missing. The right attendant has largely collapsed. The surrounding rock has largely fallen away.

Section 3 carvings are near Mengquan Spring, with five niches. Niches 1, 3, and 4 on the right are vertical, square, and empty. Niche 5 has an incised square frame—it is unclear whether it is an unfinished niche or an inscription niche. Only Niche 2 on the right is well-preserved and includes an inscription.

Niche 2 is horizontally rectangular, with carvings on the right and the inscription on the left. The right side is divided into an outer and inner niche. The outer niche is horizontally rectangular, and the inner niche is centered. The niche lintel is beaded. The style of the carvings inside resembles those in Section 1. One main deity and two attendants: the main deity sits cross-legged on a square pedestal, with a full face, large ears, smiling eyes and lips, a round halo, wearing an inner robe with right lapels and an outer robe with hanging shoulders, the hem covering the knees and draping over the edge of the pedestal. The right hand holds a fan diagonally toward the left shoulder, leaning on an armrest table, while the left hand strokes the fan. The attendants stand, wearing scarves, with beaded halos, outer robes with double-layered, hanging collars, sleeves folded at the chest, wide sleeves drooping to the knees, with heads tilted upward and visible. Beneath the pedestal is a censer, with lions crouching on both sides. On the left is an inscription in five columns totaling nearly 100 characters. The inscribed characters are still clear and may reveal secrets about the Taoist cliff carvings of Shangqing Temple, but unfortunately, they are not easily readable up close.

Inside Mengquan Tea House, there are also six grotto niches with carved statues, which have been repainted and cannot be viewed up close.

The Taoist statues at Shangqing Temple are considerably inferior compared to those of the Tang and Song dynasties, and even among their contemporaries, they rank among the least impressive. As Ming dynasty Taoist carvings and as part of Mianyang’s cave grotto heritage, they merit more authoritative investigation.

V. Mengquan

There are two sources of Mengquan. One is located behind Tianlin Temple, forty li to the north of Mianyang, which was inscribed in the 14th year of the Chunxi era of the Song dynasty by Qian Shaoqian, an official serving as Vice Magistrate of Yizhou and a native of Kunming, who named it “Mengquan.” The other is situated twenty-five li to the south of Zitong, near Shangqing Temple. It irrigates several acres of farmland. In the 13th year of the Yongzheng era, when County Magistrate Liang Jide took office during a severe drought, he prayed here and was rewarded with three days of heavy rain.

Today, the site of Mengquan features a Guanyin Hall and Mengquan Tea House. The inscription "Mengquan" in large characters is engraved on a stele. The upper inscription reads: "Original stele from the 8th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty, supplemented in calligraphy by Xie Hanjie of the county." The lower inscription reads: "Erected in September of the Wuchen year, 1988, by Youping Village."

Record of the Restoration of the Mengquan Stele

By the shores of the Tong River lies Mengquan, whose waters are clear and sweet. The tea of Mengshan is fragrant and rich, and when brewed, it is mellow and delightful, refreshing the body and mind — thus it is praised as Meng Tea and recorded in history. The extraordinary shape of the rocky spring grotto captivates the eye, and the scenic beauty of the mountains and rivers makes it a perfect summer retreat. It was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, much to the sorrow of local residents... Inscribed by Zixi, the Woodcutter of Tong River. Material compiled by Qiu Shizeng.

VI. The Legend of Zhang Yazi and Yao Chang

In front of Shangqing Temple lies Youping Dam, whose pronunciation resembles “Youbing Dam” (Camp of Soldiers Dam), hence it is also called Youbing Dam. A stone tablet erected in 1998 states: “During the Eastern Jin dynasty, the God of Literature, Zhang Yazi, taught Yao Chang military formations and conducted drills here, which is why it is named so.”

Several Qing-era steles make no mention of this event, but newer plaques elaborate extensively. They recount that in the 8th year of the Jianyuan era of the Former Qin dynasty, Fu Jian sent General Yao Chang, styled Dragon Soaring, to conquer Shu. When Yao passed through Zitong, he invited Zhang Yazi there. Zhang pretended to hand over an iron ruyi scepter and said: “Wield it, and you can command armies.” Yao did not believe it, but when Zhang wielded it, weapons filled the land. After Yao conquered Shu, he fought his way back to Chang’an, toppled Fu Jian, and declared himself emperor — historically known as the Later Qin. The late Tang poet Li Shangyin wrote about this: "Dismounted, I held pepper wine, / Welcoming the deity in a jade hall white. / But how comes the iron ruyi alone / Was given to Yao Chang?" Nowadays, Youping Dam is filled with orchards and stretches of farmland.

To make it fitting, modern visitors have engraved the three large characters “Zhuma Slope” (Horse-Dismounting Slope) at the back of the temple. The inscription reads: “Qin Jianyuan Year 8, Zhang Yazi, Yao Chang.”

Protected area: The site extends 26 meters eastward, 40 meters southward, 30 meters westward, and 30 meters northward from the boundary of the occupied land.

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units