Great Shangqing Palace, Longhushan龙虎山大上清宫
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- China · Jiangxi · Guixi, Yingtan · East of Shangqing township, on the north bank of the Luxi River.
- Coordinates
- 28.098, 117.09 Map ↗
- School
- Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Daoism
- First built
- Eastern Han: tradition holds this was the thatched hall of the Celestial Master; the Zhenxian Temple was built during the Huichang era of the Tang · Named Shangqing Temple by imperial decree during the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song; granted the title Shangqing Zhengyi Gong during the Zhenghe era; one of the empire's ‘Three Great Daoist Palaces’ under the Yuan and Ming; destroyed by fire in 1930; the site was excavated archaeologically from 2014.
- Heritage status
- Ancient Building Complex of Mount Longhu, Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (2013)One of the Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China for 2017
Overview
Shangqing Palace is the principal palace of Zhengyi Daoism on Mount Longhu. Tradition holds that Zhang Daoling built a hermitage here to refine elixirs; the Zhenxian Temple was built during the Huichang era of the Tang, renamed Shangqing Temple in the fifth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Northern Song (1012), and granted the title ‘Shangqing Zhengyi Gong’ in the third year of the Zhenghe era (1113); it was elevated to ‘Great Shangqing Zhengyi Wanshou Gong’ during the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan, and expanded under the Ming into a complex of two palaces, twelve halls and twenty-four courtyards, ranking alongside the White Cloud Temple in Beijing and Yongle Palace in Shanxi as among the great Daoist establishments of the empire. The Hall of Subduing Demons described in the novel Water Margin — where ‘the Celestial Master Zhang prays to dispel plague, and Marshal Hong mistakenly releases the demons’ — was set here. The palace was destroyed by a great fire in 1930, leaving only the Eastern Hermitage Courtyard and ruined walls standing. Archaeological excavation beginning in 2014 has revealed building foundations from the Song through the Qing and yielded large quantities of glazed architectural components and stelae; the excavation was named one of China's Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries of 2017. A new hall has since been built beside the site.
Highlights
- Archaeological Excavation of the Shangqing Palace Site
- Eastern Hermitage Courtyard
- Song, Yuan and Ming Building Foundations
- Legend of the Hall of Subduing Demons