Huangqi Ancient Temple

Huangqi Ancient Temple

Huangqi Ancient Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

There is a widely circulated local legend in Dongguan about the establishment of Huangqi Temple: Lai Buyi, a renowned feng shui master from Jiangxi Province, was commissioned to survey auspicious lands in Dongguan. During his time in Dongguan, Lai Buyi trekked over mountains and hills but failed to find even the land befitting an imperial scholar, a prime minister, or even a top imperial exam candidate.

One early morning, he arrived at the Huangqi area and, half-awake, sensed that this was the land destined to produce a top imperial exam candidate. But where exactly was the central feng shui point? He just couldn’t pinpoint it. Just as he was fretting, he suddenly spotted a woman not far away, dressed in white, kneeling on the ground and crying. Following the sound, Lai Buyi approached and saw that the very spot where the woman knelt was the mouth of the feng shui point meant for a top scholar.

Why was this woman lying precisely on the feng shui point? Could she understand feng shui? Just as Lai Buyi was about to go up and ask her, a gust of wind suddenly blew. Lai Buyi quickly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the woman had vanished. It then dawned on Lai Buyi that the woman must have been Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. When he reported back, the people learned that this was a blessed land revealed by Guanyin—no one dared to contest it. Thus, a Guanyin temple was built here. Huangqi Ancient Temple is believed to have been constructed during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Inside the temple hangs a stone plaque inscribed with the words “Auspicious Land of Bao’an.” The reason is that since the Sui Dynasty, the Dongguan region, which included Baoshan (located in Huangjiang), was named Bao’an County (encompassing today’s Shenzhen). This means that Huangqi Guanyin Temple is a blessed land for the people of both Dongguan and Shenzhen today. That’s why, during every festival and holiday, worshippers flock here in great numbers.

Having undergone renovations across dynasties, Huangqi Temple has been well-preserved from the Song Dynasty to the present and stands as one of Dongguan’s rare historical landmarks. In addition, the area around Huangqi Ancient Temple is home to other historical and cultural sites such as Huangling Taoist Temple, Lianquan Spring, Lianquan Pavilion, Lianquan Temple, Huangling Charity Tomb, He Renshan’s Memorial Tomb, Chen Yingchen and Qingzi Pavilion, and the Serpent Tomb.