Zoufang Wen Temple

Zoufang Wen Temple

Zoufang Wen Temple is a cultural heritage site protected at the Guangdong Provincial level.

Zoufang Wen Temple, commonly known as the Octagonal Pavilion, is located at the entrance of Zoufang Village, Renju Town, Pingyuan County.

According to the Pingyuan County Annals compiled by Magistrate Lu Zhao’ao in the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty, this cultural relic was built in the 59th year of the Qianlong reign (1794 AD) under the initiative of local residents such as Liu Qixian. At that time, the area was called Sanfengshu. During the Qing Dynasty, it housed a private school where seasonal rituals were held in spring and autumn to worship heaven and earth, praying for peace and favorable weather. Also, because it is situated at the river outlet, it was said to have a role in “subduing the waters.”

During the Republican era, an elementary school was operated here, along with the Zouhuang Township Office and the Zoufang Township Office. After the liberation, it successively served as the Zouhuang Commune, the Zoufang Commune, a grain storage facility, the Zoufang Brigade, the Zoufang Management Area, and has been the site of the Zoufang Village Committee up to the present.

The main structure of the temple is a wooden frame with four stories, two halls, and sixteen rooms. It has a hexagonal floor plan, four main pillars, hexagonal stone column bases, three layers of double eaves, a pyramidal roof peak, a post-and-lintel beam framework, and a treasure gourd-shaped top. It is a rather rare four-story brick-and-wood pavilion-style ancestral hall building in Guangdong.

According to the Pingyuan County Annals compiled by Magistrate Lu Zhao’ao in the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty, this cultural relic was built in the 59th year of the Qianlong reign (1794 AD) under the initiative of local residents such as Liu Qixian. At that time, the area was called Sanfengshu. During the Qing Dynasty, it housed a private school where seasonal rituals were held in spring and autumn to worship heaven and earth, praying for peace and favorable weather. Also, because it is situated at the river outlet, it was said to have a role in “subduing the waters.” Due to varying oral accounts, some also claim it was first built in the 19th year of the Qianlong reign (1754 AD).

In 2008, it was announced by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province as part of the fifth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units.

Zoufang Village: Located in Pingyuan County, Meizhou City, Zoufang Village lies about 4 kilometers northwest of Renju Market. The village administers 9 villager groups, with 478 registered households and a population of 2,393. The total area of the village is 8.72 square kilometers, with cultivated land spanning 2,544 mu. Zoufang Village enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate characterized by mild temperatures, abundant rainfall, sufficient sunlight, low wind levels, and short frost periods, with an average annual temperature of 19.5°C and annual precipitation of about 1,693 mm. Key cash crops include navel oranges, sweet corn, hybrid rice, citrus fruits, and flue-cured tobacco. The village’s distinctive economic income amounts to 2.877 million yuan. Previous... More detailed information on Zoufang Village++

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units