Xuanmiao Temple () is a prominent

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...

temple with a long history, located at the center of old Suzhou City. The street along the east–west direction in front of the temple is called Guanqian Street, a famed business pedestrian street in Suzhou. A lane called Gong Xiang () along north–south direction leads directly to the gate.

History

Xuanmiao Temple was founded in Xianning 2nd year (AD 276),

Western Jin dynasty Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

, and was initially named "Zhenqing Daoyuan" (). It was destroyed by wars in Southern Song dynasty. It was rebuilt in the Chunxi era (1174–1189) of the reign of

Emperor Xiaozong of Song Emperor Xiaozong of Song (27 November 1127 – 28 June 1194), personal name Zhao Shen, courtesy name Yuanyong, was the 11th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the second emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He started his reign in 1 ...

, and was renamed Xuanmiao Guan in 1264. During the reign of the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

in the

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 ...

, the temple was renamed Yuanmiao Guan () to avoid naming taboo because the emperor's personal name, Xuanye (), contained the Chinese character ''xuan'' (). The first structure of the temple that visitors see is the Zheng Shan Men. It is built entirely from wood. The Zheng Shan Men is aligned south to north, with the main entrance facing south. It has two side entrances, in the east and west. The temple dates back to the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. It suffered some damages in the eighteenth century and had to be rebuilt in 1775. The temple houses six statues of Taoist gods. There are also idols of four marshals and two generals. The temple's flank has a tablet commemorating the restoration of the temple.

Gallery

Image:San Qing Dian.jpg, San Qing Hall File:Xuanmiao Guan (Temple of Mystery), Suzhou.jpg, Xuanmiao Temple at night

References

External links

Xuanmiao Temple, Architectura Sinica Site Archive
{{coord, 31, 18, 52, N, 120, 37, 19, E, region:CN-32_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Taoist temples in China Religious buildings and structures in Suzhou Song dynasty architecture Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Jiangsu