Baopu Daoist Temple, Hangzhou杭州抱朴道院
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- China · Zhejiang · Hangzhou · Midway up Geling, Xihu District
- Coordinates
- 30.256, 120.14 Map ↗
- School
- Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism
- First built
- Eastern Jin (site of Ge Hong's alchemical practice) · The Tang built the Ge Immortal Hermitage; from the Song onward it was known as Baopu Hut and then Baopu Daoist Temple; rebuilt repeatedly through the Yuan, Ming and Qing; the surviving buildings date to the Qing dynasty and to 1980s restoration.
- Heritage status
- Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage SiteWithin the West Lake Cultural Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site (2011)
Overview
Baopu Daoist Temple stands on Geling (Ge Ridge) on the northern shore of West Lake; tradition holds that Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin built a thatched hut here to refine elixirs, hence the ridge's name Geling ("Ge's Ridge") and the hut's name Baopu ("Embracing Simplicity"). The Tang built the Ge Immortal Hermitage on the site; under Emperor Gaozong of the Song a Shrine to Immortal Elder Ge was established there; it was expanded over successive dynasties, and by the Ming and Qing it was known as Baopu Daoist Temple, beside Agate Temple — one of the three great Daoist temples of West Lake. It suffered damage during the War of Resistance against Japan and the Cultural Revolution, and was restored and reopened in the 1980s. It now comprises the mountain gate, the Hall of Immortal Ge, the Red Plum Pavilion, Banxian Hall, the Baopu Hermitage and other structures; within its precincts are remains such as the Elixir-Refining Terrace, the Elixir-Refining Well and the Chuyang (First Light) Terrace, from which one may watch the sunrise over West Lake. Baopu Daoist Temple is the seat of the Hangzhou Taoist Association and the principal site of Daoist activity within the West Lake scenic area.
Highlights
- Hall of Immortal Ge
- Elixir-Refining Well
- Chuyang Terrace
- Red Plum Pavilion