Xinchang Chunyang Temple, Yellow Crane Tower

Xinchang Chunyang Temple, Yellow Crane Tower

Xinchang Chunyang Temple and Yellow Crane Tower are classified as a National AA-level Tourist Attraction and a Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Chunyang Temple was built during the Republican era to commemorate Lü Chunyang (Lü Dongbin) and later evolved into the Hall of Loyalty and Filial Piety. Covering an area of 27,000 square meters, the temple is located close to the county town and can be reached on foot. The Hall of Great Loyalty houses statues of loyal Confucian officials throughout history, while the Hall of Supreme Filial Piety features traditional depictions of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars.

The statues at Chunyang Temple embody the later Confucian characteristic of harmonizing Buddhism and Taoism. As a grand-scale temple embodying Confucian spirit, it stands unique nationwide. The original plan for Chunyang Temple included the majestic Hall of Great Loyalty, Hall of Supreme Filial Piety, Tower of Chastity, Tower of Righteousness, Jade Emperor Tower, and the Hall of Great Achievement. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the latter three towers and the Hall of Great Achievement were never completed. The existing main structures, the Hall of Great Loyalty and the Hall of Supreme Filial Piety, stand facing each other like twin peaks, each covering an area of 814 square meters and standing 34.5 meters tall, earning them the title of the finest pavilions in Shu (Sichuan). Their architectural style is described as "triple-eaved, eight-sided, pyramidal roof with armored top," complemented by 44 small Qing-style auxiliary rooms surrounding each pavilion, which architectural experts praise as masterpieces of modern Chinese architectural history. The pavilions and auxiliary rooms once housed over 240 statues of loyal officials and filial exemplars from Confucian history—the largest collection of such figures in the country. The Hall of Great Loyalty features statues of loyal officials from the Xia Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, spanning over 4,000 years, such as Bi Gan, who was disemboweled and had his heart cut out, and Zhuge Liang, who devoted himself utterly to service... The Hall of Supreme Filial Piety displays scenes from the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, such as Meng Zong weeping by bamboo and Wang Xiang lying on ice... The temple also houses stone-carved scroll poems and palindrome poems known as the "Chinese Rubik’s Cube," along with various stone inscriptions and couplets all crafted by master calligraphers, featuring styles including clerical, regular, running, cursive, and seal scripts. The Yellow Crane Tower stands in visual harmony with the two pavilions of loyalty and filial piety within Chunyang Temple, forming a tripartite layout. The tower is 30 meters tall, covers 340 square meters, and is designed in a "triple-eaved, hip-and-gable roof" style, modeled after the original Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan.

Chunyang Temple is located 38 kilometers from Chengdu and was initially built during the Guangxu period. It uniquely combines Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, earning it the title "The World’s Foremost Hall of Loyalty and Filial Piety Through the Ages." Originally constructed as the Lü Xian Temple in honor of Lü Dongbin, it was expanded during the Republican era into a temple integrating Taoism and Confucianism. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Nationalist Government established the "Chinese Women’s Relief Association for Soldiers at the War Front" and the "Fourth Nursery of the Chengdu Branch of the Wartime Children’s Welfare Association" here between 1939 and 1945. Major attractions at Chunyang Temple today include the Lingzu Kuixing Hall, Sanfeng Lüzhu Hall, Wenchang Wusheng Hall, Guanyue Kongzi Hall, the Salvation Bell, and the Cool Water Well.

Protected Area: The entire enclosed grounds of Chunyang Temple.

Construction Control Zone: An additional 20-meter buffer beyond the protected area.

Address: No. 313, Chunyang Road, Wujin Town, Xinchang County, Chengdu City

Type: Historical Architecture

Recommended Visiting Time: About 1 hour

Phone: 028-82518230