Mingdao Palace and Laojun Terrace, Luyi鹿邑明道宫（老君台）
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- China · Henan · Luyi, Zhoukou · Northeast corner of Luyi county town
- Coordinates
- 33.864, 115.49 Map ↗
- First built
- Tang, second year of Tianbao (743); the Taiqing Altar was built · Tradition holds this is where Laozi lectured and ascended to immortality; renamed Mingdao Palace under the Song; the Laojun Terrace is a high rammed-earth platform, restored in the Ming and Qing and expanded in the 2000s.
- Heritage status
- Laojun Terrace: Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (jointly listed with Taiqing Gong, 2001)
Overview
Mingdao Palace stands within the town of Luyi County, centered on the Laojun Terrace (Ascension Terrace). Tradition holds that Laozi lectured here and ascended to immortality on this spot; in the second year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang (743) the Taiqing Altar was built there, renamed Mingdao Palace under the Song, and repeatedly restored through the Yuan, Ming and Qing. The Laojun Terrace is a round rammed-earth platform some 13 meters high, on which stand the Hall of Lord Lao, a mountain gate and various steles; its body is faced with brick and was enlarged over successive dynasties. In 1938 Japanese forces reportedly fired thirteen shells at the Laojun Terrace without a single one exploding, an episode that became a local legend. In the 2000s, Mingdao Palace was expanded according to Song-dynasty specifications, with the new Hongdao Garden, Yingxi Hall, Youlong Embankment and other structures added; together with Taiqing Palace it forms one of the two great sites of Laozi culture in Luyi. The Laojun Terrace is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (combined with the Taiqing Palace site).
Highlights
- Laojun Terrace
- Hall of Lord Lao
- Tang- and Song-dynasty steles
- legend of the thirteen shells