Deqing Shuaxing Taoist Temple

　　Shuaxing Taoist Temple is situated on Nanshan of Shangcao in Baziqiao Village, Xiuzhu Lake, Deqing County, Zhejiang Province. It was initially constructed during the Southern Song Dynasty and was then called "Huji Nunnery." In the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed "Shuaxing Taoist Temple," a name that has been used ever since.

　　Shuaxing Taoist Temple was first built during the Southern Song Dynasty. Legend has it that when the Southern Song emperor resided in Hangzhou, he often visited the Yangfen area, which served as a summer retreat and leisure destination for the imperial family. One day, while the emperor was at Gewufen, he took a rest and enjoyed tea at an elderly farmer’s home. The farmer’s daughter, who had not received formal etiquette training, accidentally revealed her small bound feet when stepping out of the kitchen threshold to serve tea. Unfortunately, the emperor was in a bad mood that day, scolded her for being frivolous, and punished her by ordering her to become a Taoist nun as a form of repentance and spiritual practice. Seeing that the girl’s parents were elderly and had no one else to rely on, but unable to retract his imperial decree, the emperor ordered a nunnery to be built on Nanshan and bestowed upon it the name "Huji."

　　By the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, Huji Nunnery came under the administration of Shengxuan Guan on Jichou Mountain. Quanzhen Taoist priests were dispatched to renovate and manage the site, and it was renamed "Shuaxing Taoist Temple." The following year, a branch institution, "Shuaxing Nunnery," was built. Both the main and branch temples still housed Taoist priests after the liberation, but later they were used to accommodate educated youth and residents receiving the “Five Guarantees.” Only the temple buildings have been preserved to this day. The temple is currently overseen by Taoist priest Ding Luoqin.