Yanxian Temple

Yanxian Temple

Yanxian Temple, also known as Junping Manor, is located in Wudu Town, about 10 kilometers from Mianzhu City. It was the residence of Yan Junping, one of the founding figures of Taoism during the Western Han Dynasty. The temple was originally built by Yan Junping’s father, Yan Zixi, and has a history of over 2,000 years. The three large characters “Yanxian Temple” on the temple gate, along with the cursive scripts “Junping Manor” on the left eave and “Wudu Mountain” on the right eave, as well as the separately written regular script characters “Tranquility” and “Stillness,” and the couplet on the mountain gate that reads “A Confucian who ascended to immortality — this sacred mountain bears his name across the land; A hermit of the Han era — the foremost master of Yi studies in Shu,” are all said to be the calligraphic works of the Sage of Calligraphy, Wang Xizhi.

The current construction area exceeds 3,000 square meters. The temple complex features seven grand halls, including the Mountain Gate Hall, Lingxiao Hall, Doumu Hall, Medicine King Hall, Yanxian Hall, and City God Hall. These halls are arranged with thousands of hanging eaves like cranes in formation and myriad arches as if suspended among the stars, covering an area of over 40 acres. Among them, the plaque of the Doumu Hall bearing the three characters “Doumu Hall” was personally inscribed by the renowned calligrapher Mao Yuanding from Shaoshan. In front of the temple lies a 20-acre lotus pond, Wutipool, with rippling blue waters, surrounded by lush trees that create a verdant canopy against the sky, offering breathtaking scenery. It is said that the pond was formed when soil was taken from the area to bury the ancient Shu jade concubine in her hometown after her passing. Behind the temple, mountains stand in reverent embrace, while in front, the pond water is crystal clear. There are multiple scenic spots here, such as the House-Lifting Pool, Immortal-Connecting Well, Five-Dan Pool, and the Jade Concubine’s Tomb. Yanxian Temple is one of the early birthplaces of Taoism in China.