Wanggong Temple

　　Wanggong Temple is located on Beishan, also known as Beichen Mountain, situated in the northeast of Tong’an, about 12.5 kilometers from the county town. Wanggong Temple on Beishan is also called Guangli Temple or “Zhonghui Zunwang Temple,” and it marks the birthplace of the Min Kingdom’s founding military uprising led by the Wang brothers during the Five Dynasties period.

　　At that time, this area was a bamboo forest under the jurisdiction of Nan’an County. In the late Tang Dynasty, amid social unrest and the rise of warlords, Huang Chao launched a rebellion. Wang Xu, originally from Shouzhou in Anhui, also gathered followers and started an uprising. After being defeated, he led his troops southeast through treacherous terrain. Military orders prohibited bringing along the elderly or children, with violators facing execution. He also wrongly trusted a fortune-teller who claimed there was “imperial aura within the army.” Fearing someone might seize his military power, Wang Xu executed all the tall and capable men in the army to assert his authority. Ironically, this only increased fear and instability among the troops. When the army reached the bamboo forest in Nan’an, Fujian, Wang Chao, the army’s officer, along with his brothers Wang Shenyou and Wang Shenzhi, ambushed them in the bamboo grove, attacked, and killed Wang Xu, seizing control of the army. Wang Chao thrust his sword into the ground and said, “The one before whom my sword rises thrice shall be our leader.” When Wang Shenzhi knelt before the sword, it rose three times after his three bows. The brothers wanted to make Shenzhi their leader, but out of respect for seniority, Shenzhi deferred leadership to Wang Chao.

　　In the second year of the Guangqi era (886 AD), Wang Chao captured Quanzhou, and in the second year of the Jingfu era (893 AD), he took Fuzhou. Emperor Zhaozong of Tang appointed Wang Chao as the Observer of Fujian and Military Governor of Weiwu Circuit. After Wang Chao’s death, Wang Shenzhi succeeded him. Following the fall of the Tang Dynasty, Shenzhi was granted the title of Prince of Min by Zhu Wen of the Later Liang, thereby establishing the Min Kingdom—one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Later, his son Wang Yanjun declared himself emperor and honored Wang Shenzhi as the Founding Ancestor of the Min Kingdom. Under the governance of Wang Chao and Wang Shenzhi, the Min Kingdom practiced light taxation and encouraged farming, leading to a period of peace and prosperity.

　　To commemorate Wang Shenzhi’s benevolent rule, the people built the Prince of Min Temple in Qingcheng Temple in Fuzhou, which still stands today. A dedicated shrine and a ceremonial tomb were also established in the bamboo forest where the uprising began—this is Guangli Temple. The temple gate displays a plaque inscribed with “Pioneer of Min,” referring to the three pivotal events: the uprising, the seizure of power, and the establishment of the Min region. Though the temple has experienced periods of decline and revival over the dynasties, its incense has never ceased to burn. Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, bestowed an imperial plaque reading “Ancestor of the Eight Min Regions.” During the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi, while serving as a local official in Tong’an, also visited to pay his respects. Guangli Temple was damaged during the Cultural Revolution but was rebuilt in 1982.

　　(No images available at the moment; contributions are welcome.)