Jiyuan Pangu Temple

　　　    Pangu Temple is situated at the mouth of Pangu Valley, 12 kilometers north of Jiyuan’s urban area, on the southern slopes of the Taihang Mountains. The temple derives its name from the valley. It was founded in the third year of the Taihe era of the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 479). During the first year of the Tang Dynasty's Zhenyuan era (AD 801), Li Yuan retired to Pangu Valley, and the place gained fame thanks to Han Yu’s preface written to see him off. During the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, when Monk Gu Feng served as head monk, the temple was rebuilt and came to be known as the “Great Ten Directions Pangu Temple.” It enjoyed great prosperity with flourishing incense offerings, and became widely renowned. Its affiliate temples numbered over 30, spread across Henan, Shanxi, and Anhui provinces. After the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, the temple underwent multiple renovations. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty composed the “Pangu Investigation” and personally inscribed Han Yu’s “Preface to See Li Yuan Off to Pangu Valley,” designating Pangu Valley as a “famous mountain and scenic site.”

　　　　     The temple is built against the mountain and features an elegant and exquisite courtyard complex. Existing ancient structures include the Official Reception Hall, the Mountain Gate, the Mahavira Hall, the Bell and Drum Towers, and the East and West Corridors—all built during the Qing Dynasty. In front of the temple stands the Imperial Stele Pavilion, which houses stone tablets engraved with Emperor Qianlong’s own calligraphy of Han Yu’s “Preface to See Li Yuan Off to Pangu Valley” and a seven-character regulated verse he wrote in the style of Han Yu. The brushwork flows like clouds and water, free yet dignified. To the northwest stands a five-story, square-based, dense-eave-style reliquary pagoda made of brick, constructed in the early Ming Dynasty. About 500 meters to the northeast atop Teapot Niche, cliff inscriptions include Emperor Qianlong’s own writing of the “Pangu Investigation” and the four large characters “Famous Mountain and Scenic Site.” Within the valley behind the temple lies a flat rock suitable for carving inkstones. The resulting Tian Tan inkstones (also called Pangu inkstones), carved from this stone, are among China’s renowned inkstones.

　　　　    In the winter of 1951, the provincial government allocated funds for renovation work. In 1989, the Official Reception Hall was restored.