Bixia Temple (Temple of the Azure Clouds)碧霞祠
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- China · Shandong · Tai'an · Northeast of Nantian Gate at the summit of Mount Tai, at an elevation of about 1,500 meters
- Coordinates
- 36.2547, 117.1035 Map ↗
- School
- Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism
- First built
- 1009 · Zhaozhen Shrine built when Emperor Zhenzong of Song performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai; rebuilt and renamed Bixia Lingying Palace in the Hongzhi era of the Ming; given its present name, Bixia Temple, in the Qianlong era of the Qing
- Heritage status
- Ancient Architectural Complex of Mount Tai — Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (2006)Component of the Mount Tai UNESCO World Heritage Site (1987)
Overview
Bixia Temple, atop Mount Tai, is the ancestral shrine for the worship of Bixia Yuanjun (popularly known as the Lady of Mount Tai or Old Granny of Mount Tai), and one of the most flourishing sites of goddess worship in North Chinese folk religion. The temple began as "Zhaozhen Shrine," built in the second year of the Dazhongxiangfu era of the Song (1009) when Emperor Zhenzong performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices; it was expanded in the Ming into Bixia Lingying Palace, and after being rebuilt in the 35th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing (1770) took its present name. The temple is built to follow the mountain's contours, and to withstand the wind and snow at the summit, its main hall and side halls are roofed in bronze and iron tiles; in front of the halls stand bronze steles from the Wanli and Tianqi eras of the Ming and an imperial stele of the Qianlong Emperor, with bronze owl-tail ridge ornaments on the roofs. Every year, during the goddess's birthday on the fifteenth of the third lunar month and the spring pilgrimage season, pilgrims come in an unbroken stream. The temple belongs to the Longmen Quanzhen lineage and is today an important site of activity for the Shandong Taoist Association.
Highlights
- Bronze- and Iron-Tiled Halls
- Ming-Dynasty Bronze Steles
- Sacred Image of Bixia Yuanjun
- Pilgrimage Society Customs