Temple of the Sacred King Who Opened Zhangzhou

　　The Temple of the Sacred King Who Opened Zhangzhou was built to commemorate Chen Yuanguang, revered as the "Sacred King Who Opened Zhangzhou." Chen Yuanguang (675–711 AD), courtesy name Tingju, style name Longhu, was a native of Gushi County, Guangzhou Prefecture, Henan Province. He was the son of Chen Zheng, a Tang Dynasty general ennobled as Duke of Guiding. Highly learned in classical texts, military strategy, and statecraft, he even authored his own military treatise. In the second year of the Chuigong era (686 AD) during the Tang Dynasty, he was granted permission to establish the Zhangzhou prefectural seat between Quanzhou and Chaoshan, becoming its first prefect, a role he held for 26 years. He rigorously enforced laws, promoted land reclamation, developed water conservancy projects, and made outstanding contributions to the development of Zhangzhou. In 711 AD, Chen Yuanguang died in battle and was later revered as the "Sacred King Who Opened Zhangzhou."

　　The Chenghui Temple in Zhangpu has a long history and preserves a wealth of cultural relics. The temple grounds still house a large number of architectural components, stone carvings, steles, door wheels, stone lions, column bases, porcelain ware, roof tiles, and an ancient well from various dynasties, all of which hold high historical and cultural research value. In June 1991, the county government drafted a proposal to develop the Weihui Temple tourist area, which was subsequently approved by the county people's congress. The planned tourist area spans 450 acres and consists of three parts: a complex of ancient buildings, a villa resort, and a forest park. The ancient building section of the temple area covers approximately 10,000 square meters and was designed under the direction of Wang Zhongyi, a renowned ancient architecture designer from the Fujian-based "Oriental Art Architecture Design Engineering Company." The main structures within the temple area are planned to include front, middle, and rear halls, bell and drum towers, side chambers, enclosing walls, a memorial archway, a plaza, and a temple garden. The surrounding areas are also slated for development, including: Xichen Villa, Yuanguang Garden, Tanghua Li, Longhu Lake, Guanyin Pavilion, Qingfeng Pavilion, Lotus Pond, Yingxian Tower, Historical Stele Gallery Tower, Ancestral Memorial Wall, Ancient Well Pavilion, Homesickness Pavilion, Zigzag Bridge, Exhibition Hall, Friendship Building, and a statue of Chen Yuanguang. The plans are ambitious, grand in scale, rich in traditional character, and exquisitely refined. The total investment is estimated at around 50 million RMB. Once completed, the entire project will become one of the larger-scale sacred pilgrimage tourism destinations in southern Fujian that blends classical Chinese architectural style with modern layout, catering to those seeking ancestral heritage.