Temple of the South Sea God

Temple of the South Sea God

The Temple of the South Sea God is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, and a patriotic education base.

The Temple of the South Sea God, also known as the Temple of Poluo, is located in Miaotou Village, Nangang Town, Huangpu District, Guangzhou City, China. It was an ancient site where emperors worshipped the sea god and also served as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. Built during the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty, it has a history of over 1,400 years. It is the only remaining, most intact, and largest architectural complex among ancient sea god temples in China, and also an important testament to the origins of the Maritime Silk Road in Guangzhou since the Western Han Dynasty.

Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, emperors of various dynasties sent officials to hold sacrificial ceremonies at the temple. Through centuries of vicissitudes, the temple has preserved many precious stone inscriptions, earning it the title “Forest of Stone Tablets in the South.” Situated at the mouth of the Pearl River, the temple faces vast rolling waves. Both Chinese and foreign ships entering or leaving Guangzhou traditionally paid homage to the sea god Zhu Rong here, praying for safe and smooth voyages. Thus, the ancient temple is also an important historical site of maritime trade and transportation in ancient China.

The Temple of the South Sea God now covers an area of more than 30,000 square meters and is grand in scale. From south to north along the central axis, the structures include: the Stone Archway of “Calm Seas,” Stone Pillars, Stone Lions, the First Gate, the Ceremonial Gate (and Corridor), the Ritual Pavilion, the Main Hall, and the Zhaoling Palace. There are 45 stone tablets preserved in the temple, among which the more significant ones include the Tang Dynasty’s Han Yu Tablet, the Song Dynasty’s Kaibao Tablet, the Ming Dynasty’s Hongwu Tablet, and the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi Tablet. The temple also houses cultural relics such as a large bronze drum from the Eastern Han Dynasty, a jade seal and iron bell from the Ming Dynasty, as well as ancient trees like kapok and red bean trees.

The area has a subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by high temperatures and frequent thunderstorms. Throughout the year, the rainy season is from April to June, August and September are hot with frequent typhoons, while October to December have moderate temperatures, making it the best season for travel.

The Sunrise-Watching Pavilion has long been a favorite spot for tourists to watch the sunrise over the sea. One of the “Eight Scenic Spots of Yangcheng” in the Song Dynasty, “Fusui Sunrise Bathing,” refers to this place. Despite the gradual southward shift of the coastline over centuries and the transformation of the surrounding area into tidal flats, visitors can still enjoy panoramic views of the mountain and sea scenery from the pavilion. The current Sunrise-Watching Pavilion was rebuilt in 1953. It is octagonal in shape with two tiers of flying eaves, resembling an eagle spreading its wings. Inside the pavilion are a poem stele by the poet Su Shi titled “Sunrise-Watching Pavilion” and a stone carving of a poem by the renowned Ming Dynasty scholar Chen Baisha from Guangdong, who composed his verses in harmony with Su Shi’s original rhyme. The entire stele is written in cursive script with a brush made of thatch, exuding a bold, unrestrained, and natural charm.

Beyond the Stone Archway of “Calm Seas” lies the courtyard of the First Gate. On the east and west sides of the courtyard stand pairs of blue stone pillars and stone lions, showcasing the solemnity and extraordinary aura of the ancient temple. Flanking the First Gate are the deities “Thousand-Mile Eye” and “Favorable-Wind Ear,” while the black-painted doors are adorned with colorful paintings of the guardian deities Qin Qiong and Yu Chigong, two valiant generals from the early Tang Dynasty. These four divine figures vigilantly guard the temple day and night, their loyalty remaining unwavering through the centuries. On the east side of the First Gate is the Han Yu Tablet Pavilion, which houses the oldest preserved tablet in the Temple of the South Sea God.

The Han Yu Tablet stands 2.47 meters tall and is 1.13 meters wide. It was composed by Han Yu and calligraphed by Chen Jian. The Han Yu Tablet holds significant reference value for studying the origins and development of the Temple of the South Sea God, Tang Dynasty sea-worshipping customs, and maritime trade at the time. On the west side of the First Gate is the Northern Song Dynasty Kaibao Tablet Pavilion.

The second courtyard of the Temple of the South Sea God is called the Ceremonial Gate, the Gate of Rituals. The central gate was reserved for high-ranking officials and nobility, while those of lower ranks or common people could only use the side gates. At the entrance of the Ceremonial Gate, there is also a pair of stone drums. The bases of the drums are carved with four animals: birds, sika deer, bees, and monkeys, whose homophonic sounds suggest “attaining nobility and titles,” symbolizing the wish for those who come to worship the South Sea God to gain promotion and prosperity. Above the Ceremonial Gate hangs a horizontal plaque inscribed with “Blessings of Virtue Shared by All.”

From the courtyard of the Ceremonial Gate to the fourth courtyard, the Main Hall, there is a corridor on each side, east and west. The corridors display a total of 45 stone tablets from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. In addition to the Han Yu Tablet at the First Gate and the Song Kaibao Tablet, other famous tablets in the temple include the Ming Hongwu Tablet and the Qing Kangxi Tablet, among others. Hence, the Temple of the South Sea God is also honored as the “Forest of Stone Tablets in the South.”

The Ritual Pavilion was where ancient officials worshipped the South Sea God. It is a wooden structure with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, measuring three bays in both width and depth.

The most eye-catching feature in the third courtyard is the Kangxi Imperial Tablet Pavilion on the west side of the garden. The tablet bears four golden characters, “Wan Li Bo Cheng” (Ten Thousand Miles of Calm Waves), written in a bold and unrestrained style. Under the sunlight, they shine brilliantly. These characters were personally written by Emperor Kangxi in the 42nd year of his reign (1703), then carved onto a plaque and specially sent to the Temple of the South Sea God. A tablet was erected to commemorate the event. On the east side of the garden is the Ming Hongwu Imperial Tablet.

In front of these two imperial tablets are planted ancient kapok trees, said to be two to three hundred years old.

The Main Hall is the fourth courtyard of the Temple of the South Sea God. It is built in imitation of Ming Dynasty wooden structures with glazed tiles and a hip-and-gable roof. The roof is covered with green glazed tiles; the central ridge features glazed tile carvings such as flying double phoenixes and upside-down mythical ao fish, with two coiling dragons vying for a pearl at the top.

At the center of the Main Hall sits the 3.8-meter-tall statue of the South Sea God Zhu Rong, including its pedestal, flanked by six attendant deities. On the east side of the hall is a famous large bronze drum from the Eastern Han Dynasty and an iron bell from the Ming Dynasty. The bronze drum has a diameter of 138 cm, a height of 71.4 cm, and a thickness of 0.4–0.6 cm. It is an extremely precious cultural relic, ranking third among existing large bronze drums in China, only after those in Guangxi and Shanghai.

Behind the statue of Zhu Rong is a screen wall depicting a dragon soaring amid surging waves, with a couplet on either side: “A Thousand Ships Follow the Current to Pay Homage to the God of the South Seas; Calming Waves Across Ten Thousand Miles Reveal the True Dragon.”

The fifth courtyard is called the Zhaoling Palace, also known as the Rear Hall, serving as the sleeping quarters of the Goddess of the South Sea God. During the Song Dynasty, the Goddess was conferred the title of “Bright and Obedient Lady.”

China’s Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Lingqu Canal, which connects the Ting River and the Pearl River, are well-known. However, not many people know about an ancient canal on the shores of southern Guangdong, by the Fu Xu River.

In ancient times, the Pearl River was vast and resembled the sea, so locals in Guangzhou often referred to ferrying across the river as “crossing the sea” and called the long riverbanks “sea skins (edges).” The area at the mouth of the Pearl River in front of the Temple of the South Sea God, to the east of Guangzhou, was even referred to as the “great sea.” The sea was often rough here, and in bad weather, huge waves and raging tides created frightening scenes. Small boats traveling between the Dong River and the Pearl River could only do so safely on calm days.

To allow small boats to travel between the Dong River and the Pearl River without having to navigate the waters of the Pearl River estuary, someone during the Tang Dynasty dug an ancient Fu Xu Canal near the temple, now on the east side of the Huangpu Power Plant. The canal is over 10 zhang (approximately 33 meters) wide and stretches more than 10 kilometers through Zhichengwei and Suidong Lianwei to Hengli in the Dong River. The ancient Fu Xu Canal connected Huangmubay with the Dong River, shortening the journey from the Pearl River to the Dong River. Small ships under 100 tons could travel between the two rivers all year round, free from the dangers of the Pearl River’s waves.

After the canal was dug, both large and small ships preferred this route. As a result, the canal remained bustling year-round. Its function continues to this day, marking a wonderful chapter in the history of Guangzhou’s Maritime Silk Road.

Address: Miaotou Community, Suidong Street, Huangpu District, Guangzhou City

Type: Historical Site / Temple

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Phone: 020-82222210; 020-82067771

Official Website: http://www.hpnhsm.cn/

Opening Hours:

9:00-16:30

Temple of the South Sea God

Admission: 10 RMB

Transportation

Take bus routes 210, 214, 242, 242 Express, 292, 504, 506, 560, 561, 566, 568, 569, 570, 571A, or 883 to Nanhai Shengmiao Station

Address: No. 22, Xuri Street, Miaotou, Huangpu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province

Phone: 82067771

Miaotou Community: Miaotou Community is a restructured community under Shuidong Subdistrict, Huangpu District. In 2002, during the implementation of the "abolishing villages and establishing communities" policy, the former Miaotou Village of Nangang Town was reorganized as a "community." The name "Miaotou" comes from the thousand-year-old temple, the Temple of the South Sea God, making it one of the oldest villages in Guangzhou. Since the restructuring, with strong support from the district government, the level of urbanization has continuously improved, the economy and society have developed steadily, and grassroots Party building work has been reinforced and strengthened. The main details are as follows:

I. Basic Information About the Community

(I) Geographic Location and Population... More detailed information about Miaotou Community++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units