Wuxian Temple, Guangzhou广州五仙观

Type

Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)

Location

China · Guangdong · Guangzhou · No. 233 Huifu West Road, Yuexiu District

Coordinates

23.123, 113.256 Map ↗

First built

Northern Song (according to one account, earlier) · Enshrines the legend of the 'Five Ram Immortals'; moved to its present site in the tenth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming (1377); the surviving Ming-dynasty rear hall and the 'Foremost Tower of Lingnan'

Heritage status

Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (2013)

Overview

The Wuxian Temple (Temple of the Five Immortals) enshrines the five immortals of the legend of the 'Five Rams Bearing Grain,' the origin of Guangzhou's names 'City of Rams' and 'City of Rice Ears.' The temple originated in the Northern Song and was moved to its present site at Poshan in the tenth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming (1377); the surviving Ming-dynasty rear hall (the Wuxian Hall) was built during the Hongwu era and is one of the oldest surviving timber structures in Guangzhou. Behind the temple, the 'Foremost Tower of Lingnan' (the Bell Tower, Ming dynasty) holds a bronze bell weighing ten thousand catties. The temple also contains ancient remains such as the 'Immortal's Thumbprint' (a natural depression in the red sandstone) and steles from successive dynasties. The temple was designated a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 2013, and is today a site of Daoist activity in Guangzhou as well as an open cultural heritage site.

Highlights

• The Ming-dynasty Wuxian Hall
• Bronze bell of the Foremost Tower of Lingnan
• The Immortal's Thumbprint