Jiutian Temple

Jiutian Temple

Jiutian Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Boluo County.

Jiutian Temple is located within the Luofu Mountain scenic area. Also known as Mingfu Temple, it was originally built during the Southern Han Dynasty. In the late Ming Dynasty, Kuang Lu studied here and styled himself the “Master of Mingfu Cave.” It was rebuilt during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty by Mo Mingxing and renamed Jiutian Temple. The existing structures were constructed during the Republican era. The temple features a brick-and-wood structure with a courtyard-style layout, measuring 26.4 meters in depth, 20.4 meters in width, covering an area of 2,245 square meters, with a construction area of 532 square meters. The buildings all have gray-tiled, flush-gable roofs and employ a mixed post-and-lintel and pier-and-bracket beam structure. Above the main gate hangs a wooden plaque inscribed with “Jiutian Temple,” and the couplet on the gate reads: “Through nine alchemical turns, the elixir takes form as the sun rises; nature’s wondrous realm delights its visiting guests.”

The main hall, known as the “Golden Canopy Treasure Hall,” enshrines the Northern True Martial Emperor. Its couplet reads: “All streams pay homage to the law established in the southern heavens, opening the Imperial Throne; five-colored clouds uphold the holy teachings as the divine aura rises to the northern pole, sanctifying the celestial abode.” The side halls include the Merit Tablet Hall, Eight Immortals Hall, and Lüzu Hall. Inside the temple, there is a well-preserved stone incense burner with the characters “Precious Incense Burner Before the Hall” engraved in the center, and below that: “Respectfully offered and devoutly erected by the grateful disciple Deng Xinhe on the first day of the Xinyou year in the 11th year of the Xianfeng reign.” In front of the temple is a liberation pond adorned with carvings of a turtle and snake, and beside the pond stand seven water-dreaming pine trees with peculiar, ancient roots—likely relics of a thousand years or more. Jiutian Temple underwent restoration in 1985, resuming religious activities. It was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Boluo County in 1978.