Daode Zhonggong, Bozhou (appendix)亳州道德中宫（附）
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- China · Anhui · Bozhou · Laozi Dian Street, Qiaocheng District
- Coordinates
- 33.86, 115.78 Map ↗
- First built
- Tang Dynasty · Also known as the Hall of the Old Ancestor or the Temple of Laozi; rebuilt in the Ming and Qing; one of the Laozi-culture heritage sites of Bozhou.
- Heritage status
- Anhui Provincial Cultural Heritage Site
Overview
Daode Zhonggong stands in the old town of Bozhou, and is also known as the Hall of the Old Ancestor; it was first built in the Tang dynasty as a temple for sacrifices to Laozi. Su Shi, while serving as prefect of Bozhou in the Song, once prayed for rain here and left behind a memorial stele inscription (a rubbing of which survives). It was rebuilt repeatedly through the Ming and Qing, and the surviving halls date to the Qing dynasty and to recent restoration. Bozhou lay within the ancient Qiao Commandery, and together with Luyi and Guoyang forms part of the same cultural sphere devoted to Laozi; the temple's steles and local place-names such as "Wenli Lane" ("Lane of Inquiring after Ritual") reflect local legends of Laozi. This entry serves as an appendix on sites related to Laozi's traditional birthplace.
Highlights
- Hall of the Old Ancestor
- rubbing of the Song-dynasty stele