Hua Tuo Temple

　　Hua Tuo Temple is situated 8 kilometers southeast of Zhengguo Town. It was originally a temple spontaneously built by the people living dozens of miles east of Zhengguo Town in honor of Hua Tuo, the divine physician of the Three Kingdoms. The temple once covered an area of 48 mu, with three courtyards front and back, but it no longer exists. Nowadays, three temple rooms have been built on the original site, covering an area of 200 square meters. The surrounding area has been planted with trees, creating a shady grove. On ordinary days, worshippers come in an endless stream to burn incense, offer prayers, and pray for peace. The temple fair held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month sees even more bustling activity. The site of Hua Tuo’s tomb is located 0.5 kilometers north of the temple. According to legend, during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, an epidemic broke out in the Xiangcheng area. By coincidence, Hua Tuo, along with his disciples Fan A and Wu Pu, was traveling through the region to provide medical care. They used folk remedies to cure the patients in Dongxiaolou and Xixiaolou villages and brought the epidemic under control. People hailed Hua Tuo as the “divine physician.” Later, Hua Tuo was summoned by Cao Cao to treat his “headache” but was eventually killed by him.

　　After Hua Tuo’s death, his disciples prepared to transport his remains back to his hometown, Qiao Commandery (present-day Bozhou, Anhui), for burial. When the funeral procession reached what is now Hua Tuo Temple Village in Xiangcheng County, persistent heavy rain poured down for several days, making it impossible to continue the journey. They had no choice but to halt temporarily. When news reached Dongxiaolou and Xixiaolou, those who had once been saved by Hua Tuo quickly gathered in groups and came to the site, requesting that Hua Tuo be buried there. At first, disciples like Fan A and Wu Pu were reluctant, but considering that the weather might not clear up anytime soon, the high temperatures, and the long journey ahead, they agreed that it would not be appropriate to keep the remains unburied for too long. So, they agreed to the request. Everyone pitched in to bury the legendary divine physician Hua Tuo on a highland on the southern bank of the Sha River. On the day of the burial, men and women from nearby villages came to pay their respects. Some carried earth in baskets, others in buckets, and some in their clothes. Over the course of three days and nights, they built a large tomb mound. People called it the “Hua Tuo Tomb.” Later generations built a temple for Hua Tuo to the south of the tomb, which eventually evolved into Hua Tuo Temple. The village where the temple is located was also named “Hua Tuo Temple Village.”