Guzhenren Ancient Temple in Humen

Guzhenren Ancient Temple in Humen

Guzhenren Ancient Temple in Humen is a protected cultural heritage site of Dongguan City.

Guzhenren Ancient Temple is located within Zhen Shanwei Zhenren Park, Shandoufang, Baisha Community, Humen Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. Originally built in the seventh year of the Xuande era of the Ming Dynasty (1432) and renovated in the nineteenth year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty (1839), it faces southwest from a northeast orientation. The temple features a traditional courtyard layout with three bays, two courtyards, and two corridors, measuring 7 meters in width and 14 meters in depth, covering an area of 98 square meters. It has a brick, stone, and timber structure with a flush-gable roof, a post-and-lintel beam system, gray-glazed barrel tiles, and blue brick walls. A red sandstone plaque inscribed with “Guzhenren Ancient Temple” hangs above the entrance, accompanied by a matching pair of red sandstone couplets. The site currently preserves one main hall of Guzhenren Temple, one Hall of the Three Saints, and one Temple of the Earth God. The current abbot is Taoist Master Chen Xuanzhen of the Wudang Xuanwu Sect.

Guzhenren, whose given name was Ran and courtesy name Zi’ran, was a native of Xingyuan Prefecture in Shaanxi Province and well-versed in the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism). During the reign of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty, he traveled to Dongguan with his father, who served as an imperial inspector in Guangdong. He was captivated by the scenic beauty of Shenxi Longtan (near today’s Xinlian Village in Humen Town) and chose to live in seclusion there, building a hermitage. In the eighth year of the Chunyou era (1248), amid a prolonged drought, Gu Ran prayed for rain by setting a firewood pyre ablaze, and his plea was answered. The local villagers later converted his former residence into a shrine in his honor. On June 22, 1993, Guzhenren Ancient Temple was designated as a cultural heritage site of Dongguan City. The temple serves as a tangible resource for studying ancient Lingnan architecture and folk religious practices.