Wahuang Palace, Shexian涉县娲皇宫
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- China · Hebei · Shexian, Handan · Zhonghuang Mountain, Suobao Township, Shexian
- Coordinates
- 36.57, 113.59 Map ↗
- First built
- Tianbao era, Northern Qi (550–559) · Dedicated to Nüwa; cliff-carved scriptures cut in the Northern Qi; the pavilion rebuilt in the Ming and Qing; the 'Living Pavilion' and 'Suspended Temple' are an architectural marvel
- Heritage status
- Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (1996)Rites of Nüwa, National Intangible Cultural Heritage (2006)
Overview
Wahuang Palace is dedicated to Nüwa, the goddess of creation, and is the largest architectural complex in China dedicated to her worship. During the reign of Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi, caves were cut into the cliff face of Zhonghuang Mountain and Buddhist scriptures were carved there (six sets of Northern Qi cliff-carved scriptures totaling over 130,000 characters, the largest body of carved scriptures from the Northern Dynasties period); in later ages, Wahuang Pavilion was built on the cliff above, rebuilt as a four-story pavilion in the Ming and Qing and secured to the cliff face with iron chains, so that the pavilion sways slightly when crowded — popularly known as the 'Living Pavilion' or the 'Suspended Temple.' The complex is divided into Chaoyuan Palace and Tingcan Palace at the foot of the mountain and Wahuang Palace on the mountain above; the annual third-month Nüwa temple fair is a National Intangible Cultural Heritage item. Wahuang Palace was designated a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 1996; although the worship of Nüwa belongs to the popular religion and the sacrificial system of the Three Sovereigns, Daoism also venerates Nüwa as a deity, and the site is accordingly included here.
Highlights
- The 'Living Pavilion' of Wahuang Pavilion
- The Northern Qi cliff-carved scriptures
- The Nüwa sacrificial rites