Foshan Ancestral Temple佛山祖庙

Type

Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)

Location

China · Guangdong · Foshan · No. 21 Zumiao Road, Chancheng District

Coordinates

23.027, 113.117 Map ↗

School

Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Daoism

First built

During the Yuanfeng era of the Northern Song (1078–1085) · Rebuilt in the fifth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming (1372); enshrines Zhenwu (the Northern Emperor); expanded repeatedly through the Ming and Qing; the center of the cult of the Northern Emperor in Lingnan

Heritage status

Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (1996)

Overview

The Foshan Ancestral Temple was founded during the Yuanfeng era of the Northern Song, enshrining Zhenwu Xuantian Shangdi of the North (popularly called the Northern Emperor, Beidi, in Lingnan); after its reconstruction in the fifth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming (1372), it came to be honored by all the temples of Foshan as the 'Ancestral Temple,' and in the second year of the Jingtai era of the Ming (1451) it was granted by imperial decree the name 'Lingying Shrine.' The temple is a summation of Lingnan architecture and craftsmanship: it is filled with Shiwan ceramic ridge decorations, brick carvings, wood carvings, plaster reliefs, cast-iron deity statues and a cast-bronze statue of the Northern Emperor; the Wanfu Stage is the oldest surviving theatrical stage in South China, dating from the Shunzhi era of the Qing. The temple houses Ming- and Qing-dynasty bronze statues of the Northern Emperor and a great many cultural relics, and is an important physical resource for studying the cult of Zhenwu in Lingnan, lineage society, and the decorative arts. It is today the site of the Foshan Museum and continues to hold Daoist sacrificial rites; the 'Birthday of the Northern Emperor at the Foshan Ancestral Temple' is Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Highlights

• Bronze statue in the Hall of the Northern Emperor
• Shiwan ceramic ridge decorations
• Wanfu Stage
• Lingying Memorial Archway
• Birthday of the Northern Emperor