The Xuandu Temple () is a

Taoist temple A Taoist temple (, also called ''dàoguàn'' and , is a place where the Tao is observed and cultivated it is a place of worship in Taoism. Structure and function can vary according to the Taoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guàn ...

located on the hillside of Mount Heng, in Hengshan County,

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is the site of Hunan Taoist Association.

History

The Xuandu Temple was first established in the Tongzhi period (1862-1874) of

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644–1911) by Taoist priest Tan Jiaoqing (). It formerly known as a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

named Xiyun'an (), which was built in the

Southern Qi dynasty Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succeede ...

(479–502). On November 3, 1985, the Hunan Taoist Association was set up here.

Architecture

The temple consists of more than 5 buildings, including shanmen, HalI of the God of Wealth, Hall of Medicine King, Main Hall, and Sanqing Hall (Hall of

Three Pure Ones The Three Pure Ones (), also translated as the Three Pure Pellucid Ones, the Three Pristine Ones, the Three Divine Teachers, the Three Clarities, or the Three Purities, are the three highest gods in the Taoist pantheon. They are regarded as pure ...

Main Hall

The Main Hall is the second hall in the temple for the worship of the

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...

Sanqing Hall

The Sanqing Hall or Hall of Three Pure Ones is the third hall in the temple. In the middle is Yuanshi Tianzun, statues of Daode Tianzun and Lingbao Tianzun stand on the left and right sides.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xuandu Temple Taoist temples in Hunan Hengshan County Tourist attractions in Hengyang