Tiangai Temple

Tiangai Temple

Tiangai Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by Sichuan Province.

Tiangai Temple is located at the foot of the Five Peaks of Mengshan Mountain and enshrines the statue of Master Ganlu. The *Sichuan General Gazetteer* records: “The Taoist Master Ganlu first built a hut here. It was rebuilt during the Chunxi era of the Song Dynasty and underwent multiple restorations in the Hongwu and Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty. Among all temples in the county, this one is the oldest.” In the early years of the Republic of China, additional stories were added to the temple, making its layered towers rise above the treetops. From afar, visitors could gaze over a vast expanse of diverse scenery. A winding path behind the temple leads to the Immortal Tea Garden and the Ganlu Well. In front of the temple, “the road hangs like a swaddling cloth, dense woods darken the sky, and there stands a giant nanmu tree with a trunk gall as big as a wheel, called the ‘Tree’; also present is an alsophila tree with various flowers growing parasitically in midair, called the Eight-Treasure Tree. These are said to have been planted by Master Ganlu himself” (*Mingshan County Annals*, Volume 7). This temple features many inscriptions by notable figures. According to the *Mingshan County Annals*: “A stone tablet inscribed with the poem ‘Inscription Left at Zhiju Temple’ by Song Dynasty’s Sun Jian is located in front of this temple.”

The temple has now been renovated and restored. A new statue of Wu Lizhen is enshrined in the main hall, and thirteen ancient ginkgo trees, towering and shading the sunlight, stand in front of the temple.

Tiangai Temple was originally built during the Han Dynasty and renovated in the Song Dynasty. It faces the mountain range from afar and is surrounded by twelve ancient thousand-year-old ginkgo trees. At its center lies the Stone Pillar Hall—the Tea God Hall—a Ming Dynasty structure that served as the place where Wu Lizhen, the progenitor of Meng tea, built his hut and planted tea. The hall enshrines a full-body statue of Wu Lizhen, the Tea Ancestor.

On June 1, 2007, Tiangai Temple was designated as a cultural heritage site protected by Sichuan Province, announced by the People's Government of Sichuan Province.