Houpu Yuliang Temple

Houpu Yuliang Temple

Houpu Yuliang Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Xiangyuan County.

Houpu Yuliang Temple is located to the south of Houpu Village, Houpu Town, Xiangyuan County. It faces south with a width of 29 meters from east to west and a length of 44 meters from north to south, covering an area of 1,276 square meters. The exact date of its establishment is unknown, but the existing main structure dates back to the Qing Dynasty. The temple has a single-courtyard layout, with a mountain gate and the main hall situated along the central axis, flanked by east and west dressing towers, east and west corridors, east and west side halls, and east and west wing halls. The main hall is built on a 1.2-meter-high bluestone platform, featuring a single-eave flush-gable roof, a width of three bays, a seven-rafter front porch style, three-curved single-knuckle bracket sets, and sandstone front porch columns. In 1981, it was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Xiangyuan County.

Legend has it that beneath the main hall of Yuliang Temple lies the Luocheng Cave, which contains the armor of Luo Cheng and a stone door inscribed with the words: “The stone door will only open for the one who comes in person.” It is said that during Japan’s invasion of China, they attempted to loot the cave. When the stone door was opened, a puff of green smoke emerged, and the cave proved to be unfathomably deep. The Japanese found nothing and eventually gave up. Later generations sealed the cave to protect it. According to legend, Luo Cheng was the seventh greatest hero of the Sui Dynasty before joining the Tang Dynasty. He died in battle against Liu Heita, the King of the Later Han, and his general Su Dingfang, falling into the muddy Qu River and being fatally shot by arrows. To commemorate him, locals built a temple at the “Turtle Probing the Water” site by the muddy river. Since it was constructed using surplus funds from the construction of Longjian Temple, it came to be known as Yuliang Temple.