Qionglong Mountain, Gusu's First Peak (4)
★ Tourist Spot: Shangzhen Temple on Qionglong Mountain, Suzhou
Just ahead lay a large complex of buildings. I figured we had probably entered through the back door again; the mountain slope spread downward, so the main gate should be at the foot.
The Golden Bell Tower was a two-story wooden structure. Downstairs, nine auspicious beasts resembling qilin sat in rows, each with its right paw playing with a ball, as if they were carved from the same mold.
Beside it stood a stone archway inscribed 'Qionglong Blessed Land,' with couplets on the pillars. The beams were finely carved with patterns, topped with two dragons, and the capitals were adorned with intricate designs. Well, we had come in through the back, so we were looking at the reverse side of the arch; its front face was actually named 'Chaotianmen' (Gate Toward Heaven).
"Is this a Daoist temple? Ah, it must be Shangzhen Temple, the one older even than Xuanmiao Temple," I said sheepishly. "I thought it was Qionglong Monastery! The scale is really quite large..."
The Sanqing Pavilion was seven bays wide, a three-story structure. From top to bottom hung three plaques: Sanqing Pavilion, Miluo Upper Palace, and Jade Emperor Hall. It appeared to be a combined layout of three halls. On both sides of the lower two floors were plaques inscribed with auspicious phrases like "Heaven and Earth Primordial," "Sun and Moon Shine Together," "Golden Bell and Jade Sound," and "Harmony and Peace."
The main hall enshrined a seated statue of the Jade Emperor, wearing a crown, holding a jade tablet, and robed in yellow, exuding the majesty of a human emperor. To his sides stood a golden boy and a jade maiden, both looking rather mature, not at all the innocent and lively figures I had imagined.
Standing along the sides were twelve guardian heavenly generals, a number corresponding to the twelve zodiac constellations. I wondered if these generals matched the names of the stellar mansions.
The second floor enshrined the sixty Daoist Tai Sui deities of the sexagenary cycle, who are both stars and folk gods in China. All sixty deities lined the four walls of the entire floor, packed tightly. The Tai Sui Hall we had seen in Linwu Cave was dedicated solely to these gods.
The third floor was the Sanqing Pavilion, housing the highest Daoist deities, the Three Pure Ones: Yuanshi Tianzun (Primeval Lord of Heaven), Lingbao Tianzun (Lord of the Numinous Treasure), and Daode Tianzun (Lord of the Way and its Virtue).
With both the Jade Emperor Hall and the Sanqing Pavilion, this grand edifice was undoubtedly the most magnificent and stunning structure in the entire Shangzhen Temple. Looking up from below, the impression was even more overwhelming.
The God of Wealth Hall enshrined the five wealth gods: Zhao Gongming, Xiao Sheng, Cao Bao, Chen Jiugong, and Miao Shaosi. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, a traditional Chinese day to welcome the God of Wealth, Shangzhen Temple holds a grand "Wealth God Welcoming and Blessing Ceremony."
When I saw the Chariot God Hall, I was a bit confused—which deity is this? After reading the introduction, I learned that it enshrines Xi Zhong, the ancestor of chariot making. Xi Zhong was a non-royal feudal lord of the Xia Dynasty, a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, and due to his skill in chariot building, he served as the Imperial Chariot Master, was enfeoffed at Xue, and became the founding ancestor of the Xue State. Originally, this was the Medicine King Hall, but it was later changed to the Chariot God Hall—perhaps because for the Wu State during the Spring and Autumn period, war chariots were of greater importance.
The Guanyin Hall enshrines the Child-Sending Guanyin, Purple Bamboo Guanyin, and Water-Droplet Guanyin. In Daoism, Guanyin is revered as Cihang Daoren (the Merciful Voyager). On the 19th day of the 2nd, 6th, and 9th lunar months each year, Shangzhen Temple hosts grand Guanyin temple fairs.
Inside the hall, three Guanyin statues are enshrined, sculpted in pale milky white and blue, each draped in a peach-pink cape, representing the Child-Sending, Purple Bamboo, and Water-Droplet Guanyin respectively.
The Sanmao Hall is one of the main halls of Shangzhen Temple, enshrining the three brothers Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong of the Western Han Dynasty. They once practiced Daoist cultivation on Qionglong Mountain and later moved to Maoshan in Juqu to attain immortality, becoming the patriarchs of the Daoist Maoshan sect. They were bestowed the title "Three Mao True Lords of the Nine Heavens, Rulers of Destiny and Transformation." It's a great story in the cultivation world that all three brothers achieved fruition.
In front of the hall, a tiger-shaped divine beast is enshrined, said to be called "mountain cat." In folklore, the mountain cat is the teacher of the tiger, which explains its tiger-like appearance. A local saying goes, "Touch the mountain cat's head, good luck all year ahead." So of course, I touched the cat's head.
Looking down from the hall, the vantage point was excellent. Shangzhen Temple's buildings were built along the mountain slope. In the distance lay the cityscape, with mountain ranges serving as a backdrop on the horizon. Blue sky, white clouds, green hills, blue waters, red houses, black tiles—the color combination was truly exquisite.
The Wenchang Hall enshrines the god Wenchang Zitong Xingjun. Wenchang is the patron deity of scholarship, literature, and civil service examinations in ancient China. Which scholar wouldn't hope for success? After the imperial examinations were implemented in the Sui and Tang dynasties, worship of Wenchang became increasingly popular. Even today, before major exams, parents who believe in Wenchang come to the hall to make wishes.
On either side stand two deities, Tiānlóng (Heavenly Deaf) and Dìyǎ (Earthly Mute), who are in charge of recording the registers of scholarly achievements. Because those who know should not speak, and those who speak should not know, it is most fitting that one is deaf and the other mute.
The Heavenly Master Hall enshrines Zhang Daoling, founder of the Tianshi (Heavenly Master) sect of Daoism, one of the Four Great Heavenly Masters in Chinese Daoism. Originally named Zhang Ling, he was said to be the eighth-generation descendant of Zhang Liang, a founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty. In the first year of the Han'an era of Emperor Shun of Han, Taishang Laojun (the Supreme Lord Lao) descended to Shu (modern Sichuan). At that time, Zhang Ling had moved to Heming Mountain in Shu, where Taishang Laojun imparted the "Way of Orthodox Unity" to him, and he subsequently founded Daoism, honoring Laozi as the patriarch. The originally established Way of the Five Pecks of Rice was also called the Way of the Heavenly Masters, hence Zhang became known as Zhang Tianshi.
Nearby, the Thunder Ancestor and Dragon King are also enshrined. The Thunder God is the commander of the 36 official deities of the Thunder Department in Daoism. Every year on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, Shangzhen Temple holds a grand Thunder Ancestor temple fair. The Dragon King is the deity of rivers, lakes, and seas, in charge of clouds and rain.
The Patriarch Hall enshrines Shi Daoyuan, the founding patriarch of Shangzhen Temple, a notable scholar of the Jiangnan region during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He once taught the regent Dorgon the art of health preservation. In the 17th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court bestowed a plaque inscribed "Imperial Decree to Build Shangzhen Temple" and conferred upon Shi Liangsheng the honorific title "Master of Nourishing Vitality, Embracing Oneness, Propagating the Doctrine, and Transforming All." However, the hall contains three statues; presumably the one in the middle is Shi Daoyuan, and the two on the sides are his disciples? But all are seated, with no distinction of rank.
The main gate enshrines Wang Lingguan, a deity with three faces and crimson eyes, holding a golden whip, who settles disputes both in heaven and on earth. Flanking it are the Golden Bell and Jade Chime Towers, symbolizing "Golden Bell and Jade Chime, Harmony and Peace"—the same plaques hung on the sides of the Sanqing Pavilion.
Leaving Shangzhen Temple, on the left is an ancient well, hewn out of the mountain rock. The ancients, lacking modern technology, must have put a great deal of effort into excavating this stone well. It is covered by a huge boulder over three meters wide, with three holes carved in the shape of the Chinese character "品" (meaning "product" or "taste"), hence named "Pin Spring", commonly known as the Three-Eyed Well. So the "pin" in Pin Spring refers to its shape, not to the taste of the water being particularly worthy of savoring.
The Cave Heaven has two levels. The lower level is built from stone, resembling a city gate. Above the gate sits a temple to Guan Yu (Lord Guan), who is a protective deity in Daoism. This was actually the main entrance gate of Shangzhen Temple. "Cave Heaven" refers to a paradise within a cave—another heaven beyond heaven.
The Tudigong (Earth God) Shrine stems from beliefs in community sacrifices and land worship, built in the form of shrines wherever needed. This Earth God Temple is located far from Shangzhen Temple, even outside the main gate, showing that the earth god is only considered a local deity, unable to enter the central sanctum.
Beside the shrine lies Banshan Spring, originally named Mingzhu Spring. It is said that no matter how severe the drought, this spring never dries up. The water is clear and cold, drinkable directly. Above the spring stands the Immortality Bridge; legend has it that crossing this bridge allows one to attain Dao and become an immortal.
Nearby stands a Cixiao (Filial Piety) Pavilion, connected to a long corridor, inside which is the Two-Knee Spring. Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong traveled to Jiangnan to search for his biological father, he heard that Qionglong was the premier mountain in Suzhou and a Daoist holy site in Jiangnan. Learning that his father might have lived incognito among the people in Suzhou after leaving the capital, he knelt here praying for a reunion, and his kneeling left two knee impressions from which two clear springs gushed forth. Hence the spring is called Two-Knee Spring and the pavilion Cixiao Pavilion. Honestly, I don't quite believe this legend. The imperial family placed utmost importance on bloodlines—Emperor Yongzheng, who emerged victorious from the fierce power struggle among nine princes, was too astute to confuse his own son.
The Qianlong Imperial Path is 1.5 meters wide, paved with Yanhua stones. Normally, imperial paths were specially built for emperors, often laid with blue bricks arranged vertically in a "人" (person) pattern, symbolizing that the passerby was the emperor "above all people." However, this path was originally paved with mountain stones, and it was called the Imperial Path simply because Emperor Qianlong used it six times to ascend Qionglong Mountain. It was not laid specifically to welcome him, so it lacks the "人" pattern.
