Qishan Shao Gong Ancestral Temple

　　The Shao Gong Ancestral Temple was originally situated in Liujia Yuan Village, eight li southwest of the county, which is now the location of Liujia Yuan Middle School in Xiaoziling Township. The temple gate faces south. In the central courtyard of the temple are the five-bay main hall and offering hall of Shao Gong, both featuring a five-ridged flush-gable roof. The scale is grand, the architecture magnificent and resplendent, making for an impressive sight. The western courtyard houses a Shao Gong Pavilion with a double-eaved pyramidal roof, standing approximately 8 meters tall.

　　This ancestral temple was built between the 26th and 28th years of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Empress Dowager Cixi had fled to Xi’an to escape the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, and local officials and gentry from Qishan, including Wu Jingting, took the opportunity to petition for the construction of a temple for Shao Gong in Liujia Yuan Village (historical texts such as the Commentary on the Water Classic and Records of Terrains indicate this area was the fief of Shao Gong). Perhaps due to her refuge in Shaanxi, Empress Dowager Cixi had no choice but to approve the request and allocated 5,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury to support the construction. Hence, an imperial plaque inscribed with “Imperially Commissioned Shao Gong Ancestral Temple” once hung above the temple’s gate. All the aforementioned ancient structures have long been demolished. Only the golden plaque inscribed with “Sweet Tangerel Legacy of Love” and the words “Commissioned by Emperor Guangxu, Year of Guimao” still hangs in the main hall, currently preserved in the county museum. (The demolished ancient buildings)