Erwang Temple, Dujiangyan都江堰二王庙

Type

Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)

Location

China · Sichuan · Dujiangyan, Chengdu · At the foot of Yulei Mountain outside the west gate of Dujiangyan City, on the east bank of the Min River

Coordinates

31.005, 103.606 Map ↗

School

Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism

First built

Northern and Southern Dynasties (Wangdi Shrine) · Rededicated to Li Bing and his son as the Chongde Temple during the Jianwu era of the Qi; called the Erwang Temple from the Song onward; rebuilt in the Qing; restored after damage in the 2008 earthquake

Heritage status

Dujiangyan — Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (1982)Component of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2000)

Overview

The Erwang Temple (Temple of the Two Kings) stands at the foot of Yulei Mountain at the head of the Dujiangyan irrigation system, enshrining Li Bing, governor of Shu under Qin during the Warring States period, and his son (popularly called Erlang). It was originally the Wangdi Shrine, dedicated to Du Yu, king of Shu; during the Jianwu era of the Southern Qi, the Wangdi Shrine was moved to Pi County, and the temple here was rededicated to Li Bing and his son under the name Chongde Temple; in the Song dynasty, Li Bing and Erlang were successively granted the title of king, and the temple thereafter became known as the Erwang Temple. Built in tiers against the hillside, the temple has a mountain gate, the Hall of the Two Kings, the Hall of Li Bing, the Hall of Divine Officer Wang Lingguan, the Hall of Laojun and other structures; it is a Daoist temple rebuilt in the Qing, presided over by Quanzhen priests, and also serves as a site for irrigation-related sacrifice. Its hall walls bear the six-character formula of Li Bing's flood-control methods — 'dredge the channel deep, build the weir low' — as well as maxims on water control from successive dynasties. It was severely damaged in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and restoration was completed in 2011. The Erwang Temple, together with the Fulong Temple, are both sacrificial structures of the Dujiangyan irrigation project, and were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 as part of 'Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System.'

Highlights

• Hall of the Two Kings
• Stone inscription of the six-character flood-control formula
• View overlooking the Fish Mouth water divider
• The Qingming Water-Release Festival