Yuanmiao Temple, Quanzhou泉州元妙观

Type

Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)

Location

China · Fujian · Quanzhou · Xinfukou, Dongjie, Licheng District

Coordinates

24.913, 118.59 Map ↗

School

Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Daoism

First built

During the Taikang era of the Western Jin (280–289) · Originally named Baiyun Temple; called Longxing Temple in the Tang; renamed Tianqing Temple in the Song; changed to Xuanmiao Temple in the Yuan; renamed Yuanmiao Temple in the Qing to avoid a naming taboo; the earliest Daoist temple in Fujian; rebuilt in the 1990s

Heritage status

Quanzhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Site

Overview

Yuanmiao Temple in Quanzhou is traditionally said to have been founded during the Taikang era of the Western Jin and to have borne the name Baiyun Temple at first; in the first year of the Shenlong era of the Tang (705) it was renamed Zhongxing Temple, in the second year of Jingyun (711) Longxing Temple, in the second year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song (1009) Tianqing Temple, in the first year of the Yuanzhen era of the Yuan (1295) Xuanmiao Temple, and in the Kangxi reign of the Qing it became Yuanmiao Temple in order to avoid the taboo on the personal name of Emperor Shengzu, Xuanye. It is the oldest Daoist temple in Fujian and is styled “the foremost Daoist temple of the Eight Min.” In the Song and Yuan, when Quanzhou was one of the great ports of the world, Yuanmiao Temple was the centre of Zhengyi Daoism in southern Fujian; it was repeatedly repaired under the Ming and Qing, its halls were demolished in the mid-twentieth century, and in the 1990s the Sanqing Hall, the Yuhuang Hall and other structures were rebuilt on the original site and religious activity resumed. The temple preserves some Ming and Qing stone components and steles. It is today the seat of the Quanzhou Taoist Association.

Highlights

• Sanqing Hall
• Ming and Qing stone components
• Centre of Zhengyi Daoism in southern Fujian