Ancient Tortoise Peak Temple

Ancient Tortoise Peak Temple

The Ancient Tortoise Peak Temple was built during the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty (nearly 900 years ago) at the same time as the Tortoise Peak Pagoda. Towering at the confluence of the Dong River and the Xinfeng River, the Tortoise Peak Pagoda is one of the iconic landmarks of Heyuan city. Known as the “No.1 Pagoda of the Dong River,” this pagoda has withstood over 880 years of wind and rain, standing majestically and gracefully. Climbing to the top and leaning on the railings, one can enjoy an unobstructed view of downtown Heyuan.

Located beneath the pagoda, the Tortoise Peak Temple—also known as Tortoise Peak Nunnery or Golden Flower Temple—is the only ancient temple preserved in the city area. Historical records indicate that the temple was renovated during the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era and the Qing Dynasty's Guangxu era. The earliest extant county gazetteer of Heyuan, the Kangxi-era "Heyuan County Annals," contains entries about the temple, including information on its founding date.

Regarding the founding date of Tortoise Peak Nunnery, during its 1998 renovation, Huang Dong, then director of the city museum, analyzed excavated plaques and wall foundations and concluded that the nunnery was likely built around the same time as the Tortoise Peak Pagoda during the Southern Song Dynasty’s Shaoxing era or during one of its renovations. Huang Dong wrote “The Record of the Renovation of the Golden Flower Temple,” which provides a detailed account of his findings from that year.

In 1998, relics unearthed at the Golden Flower Temple included: a horizontal stone plaque inscribed with “Ancient Temple of Tortoise Peak”; a vertically inscribed stone couplet with the text “Boundless Realms of the Heavens” (only the upper line was found, the lower line remains undiscovered); a fragmentary stele; and several bluestone slabs.

The horizontal stone plaque inscribed with “Ancient Temple of Tortoise Peak” is made of granite, measuring 193 cm in length and 40 cm in width, with characters written in regular script. According to historical materials from Shishi Liwu in Yuancheng and the accounts of 90-year-old Cai Qiqing, whom Huang Dong interviewed at the time, it was determined that this plaque was inscribed in 1568 (the second year of the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty) by Li Tao (also known as Li Douye), a scholar of the Wu Chen examination class who held the reputation as the “Foremost Scholar of Chacheng.”

The vertical stone couplet reading “Boundless Realms of the Heavens” is believed to be the upper line, although the lower line has not been found.

During this renovation, based on recollections from some elderly locals, the “Ancient Temple of Tortoise Peak” plaque was reinstalled above the north-facing side gate, and the aforementioned upper line of the couplet was also embedded back in its original position—also on the north-facing side gate.

At the renovation site, Huang Dong analyzed an ancient wall foundation located at the front section of the Golden Flower Temple. The wall foundation, located about one meter below the surface, was made of a lime-mixed soil construction. He identified it as having been built during the Ming Dynasty’s renovation. Beneath this mixed-soil wall lay another wall constructed with blue bricks and lime mortar. Based on the size, color, texture, and craftsmanship of the blue bricks, they were found to be consistent with those used in the body of the Tortoise Peak Pagoda.

Therefore, Huang Dong concluded that the Golden Flower Temple was built at the same time as the Tortoise Peak Pagoda during the Southern Song Dynasty’s Shaoxing era.

Shangcheng Subdistrict: Shangcheng Subdistrict Office was established in March 1997 when the former Yuancheng Town was divided into subdistrict offices. Located in the old city area, it borders the Dong River to the east, Yuannan Town to the south, Xinjiang Subdistrict Office to the west, and the Xinfeng River to the north. The subdistrict office is located at No. 74 Huancheng East Road. It currently serves as the political, economic, and cultural center of Yuancheng District, covering a total area of 3.5 square kilometers, with a registered population of 39,292 and 7,590 resident households. It administers six community neighborhood committees: Shangcheng, Xiacheng, Xiajiao, Gongyuan, Xinxing, and Nanhu. The office houses internal departments including the Party-Government Office, Subdistrict Affairs Office, Economic Development Office, Family Planning Office, and Social Affairs Office... For more details on Shangcheng Subdistrict ++