Pingtan Ma Wang Temple

Pingtan Ma Wang Temple

Pingtan Ma Wang Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Situated beside Pingtan Street-District, Pingtan Ma Wang Temple is the only shrine dedicated to an upper deity that was once part of an ancient post station in the territory of ancient Pingding. It was first built during the Sui Dynasty. According to the *Yangquan Cultural Chronicles*, it was renovated in the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1564) and the 21st year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1756), with further repairs carried out during the Daoguang and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty. The temple also suffered damage from imperialist forces. In 1941 (the 30th year of the Republic of China), when Wang Buqing served as village head, craftsmen from Weibo Village were hired to recast the statues inside the temple. The temple courtyard is built on a stone platform, faces south, and features layered construction, covering an area of over 2,000 square meters. The upper courtyard of the temple houses a row of four shrines, with the Ma Wang Shrine as the main hall. It stands 6.6 meters tall, has a five-bay width, and a four-bay depth of eaves. It features colorful bracket sets, painted partitioned windows and doors, and a double-eaved flush-gable roof covered with green tiles. The brickwork on the eaves is intricately carved with patterns. At the center of the shrine sits a golden-faced Ma Wang, wearing a marshal’s helmet, a dragon robe over armor, a jade belt around his waist, and battle boots on his feet. His vertical third eye is round and lustrous, while his horizontal eyes are sharp and piercing. He has four arms growing from his sides, holding a sword, a gold ingot, a seal, and a golden wheel, while his other two hands rest on his knees. His protective heart mirror shines brilliantly, enhancing his majestic, resolute, and awe-inspiring presence. To his left is a statue of the Taoist guardian deity Chenghuang, who eliminates evil, protects the nation, and oversees the souls of the dead. To his right is a statue of Tu Di Gong, one of the Four Heavenly Emperors in Taoism, depicted as a kind-faced, long-bearded figure in a long robe and black hat. Below the shrine are standing statues of two ghostly attendants—Niu Mian and Ma Mian—armed with steel forks and broadswords, serving Ma Wang and tasked with capturing and punishing those who harm the people. The atmosphere inside the hall is eerie and chilling. In front of the hall is a worship pavilion used for rituals and educational purposes for students.

Ma Wang, also known as the Spirit Official (or Immortal Official) Ma Yuan Shuai, the Three-Eyed Spirit Light, Ling Yao, Huaguang Tian Wang, or Huaguang Dadi (Great Emperor Huaguang), has a long and storied history. Before the Yuan Dynasty, tales of his righteousness and punishment of evil were widely popular across China and deeply rooted in people's hearts. Ma Wang, along with Zhao Gongming, Wen Qiong, and Guan Yu, is revered as one of the Four Great Marshals of Taoism. The *Chinese Mythology Dictionary* states that Ma Wang, along with the Monkey King Yang Jian and Tu Bo, all have three eyes. The *Search for the Divine: A Comprehensive Account* describes Ma Wang as Jiumiao Jixiang, a celestial being near the Buddha, who was banished to Earth for destroying the "Scorching Fire Ghost Tomb" in violation of Buddhist compassion. He was bestowed with three eyes and reincarnated in the womb of Lady Ma’er Mountain. Born as "Three-Eyed Ma Lingguang," he could fight by the age of three, killed the Dragon King of the East Sea to eliminate a water disaster, and died after being trapped for stealing the Golden Flower Spear of the Purple Star Emperor. He later became the son of the Fire Demon Princess. Because he had the character “Ling” (spirit) on his left hand and “Yao” (radiance) on his right at birth, he was named Lingyao. He studied under the Miao Le Tian Zun and mastered techniques to “subdue ghosts and calm the people with wind, thunder, dragons, and snakes,” obtaining triangular golden bricks. After causing chaos at the Qionghua Banquet and setting the Southern Heavenly Gate on fire, he was forced to reincarnate as the son of the Goddess of Mothers and Ghosts. To save his mother, he ventured into hell, walked the Spirit Terrace, passed through Fengdu, entered the Ghost Cave, and caused havoc in the Three Realms. The Jade Emperor, recognizing his divine manifestations and ability to discern good and evil in the Three Realms, appointed him as a permanent Marshal of Taoism to govern the Middle Realm and punish evil on Earth. As the saying goes, “Let him know how many eyes Marshal Ma has,” serving as a warning to wrongdoers. Setting up post stations and temples along ancient routes to protect nobles, officials, scholars, merchants, and travelers was none other than the role of Ma Wang. Thus, the people hold him in deep reverence, even praying to him for blessings related to “prosperity in family, wealth, sons, and official rank.” The temple currently houses three inscribed steles recording donations from devout worshippers—both locals and visitors—as well as merchants, with nearly a thousand names recorded.

To the east of the main hall is the Goddess Shrine, commonly known as the Children’s Shrine. Standing 4 meters tall with a hip-and-gable roof adorned with five ridges and six mythical creatures, the shrine has a five-bay width and is built on a 2.6-meter-high platform, making it as prominent as the main hall. Visitors climb 11 steps to worship here. It is a popular site for those praying for children, bustling with incense and activity.

Between the two main halls lies a “Zangshan King” shrine covering over ten square meters. Originally a nunnery, it is the oldest structure in the temple complex. In ancient times, with limited understanding of meteorology, people relied on divine blessings. During droughts, they would come here to pray for rain, and occasional rainfall would strengthen their faith. The village even prepared ceremonial items such as imperial palanquins, life umbrellas, and golden melons, reflecting the deep-rooted hope for favorable weather. Over time, this became a local custom. A clay statue of the “Zangshan King” from Pingtan was once stolen by another village during a drought prayer ritual and never returned. In August 1947, during another drought, villagers traveled to Baijing in Pingding to retrieve the “Dai Wang” (King Dai). Led by Village Head Cai Wannian as the “village chief,” they prayed and burned incense in the shrine. Then, a man known as “Scarface Ji” from the Caiwa residential area acted as the “horse demon” to lead the procession to “Jiujingkou” (the village’s inn courtyard well), where water was drawn using a wooden measuring vessel. By afternoon, light rain began to fall, gradually easing the drought. The ritual tools were later stored in the eastern courtyard of the temple at the home of the Wang family and were never used again.

In the temple courtyard stands an ancient locust tree, over 17 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 4.4 meters. Planted during the Tang Dynasty, it is over a thousand years old and remains lush and green year-round, with a sprawling canopy that shades the entire courtyard. A poem reads: “The ancient Tang locust stands alone, fragrant through the ages, accompanying Pingtan through the seasons. Though countless changes have passed, it smiles through the cold and heat, greeting spring once more.”

Pingtan Ma Wang Temple once had a bell tower and a drum tower, both built during the Sui Dynasty and renovated multiple times since. Constructed with a wood-and-stone structure, the towers feature double-eaved, cross-shaped, upturned eaves and stand at a certain height. Climbing sixteen steps leads to the platforms where bells were rung and drums beaten. Originally part of the Taoist temple complex, they were used for morning bells, evening drums, and chanting scriptures during ceremonies. The eastern bell tower housed a large iron bell cast in the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1564). Standing 2 meters tall with a mouth diameter of 1.2 meters and a thickness of 0.1 meters, the bell’s high phosphorus content and strategically placed holes produced a pure, resonant, mellow, and far-reaching sound that could be heard over twenty li away. According to village rules, the bell served as a means of announcing events and the time, making it a treasured relic of Pingtan. Unfortunately, due to changing times, the bell was sadly destroyed by human hands in 1958.

The current bell was cast and donated on March 28, 2008, by Gong Junqiang, Chairman of Yangquan Dazheng Engineering Construction Co., Ltd. and a member of the Mining District Political Consultative Conference. It was produced by Xinghuo Foundry in Zhaoxian County, Lin County, Shanxi Province (Factory Director: Li Shunyou, Master Founder: Gao Zerong).