Qingyang Palace is one of the most famous Taoist palaces in the country, enshrined in Lao Tzu, Taishang Laojun, Dou Mu and many other Taoist gods. Qingyang Palace is said to have been built in the Zhou Dynasty, repeatedly damaged and rebuilt one after another, the existing buildings are mostly built in the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, covering an area of about 120,000 square meters. Qingyang Palace has a high status in Taoism, and is known as "the first Taoist temple in western Sichuan" and "the first jungle in southwest China", and the incense is continuous.
Different from the layout of the general Taoist temple due south and north, Qingyang Palace is the pattern of "ugly mountains are not directional", which is consistent with the overall trend of "northeast-southwest" in the Chengdu Plain. From north to south, there are six main buildings of mountain gate, mixed yuan hall, gossip pavilion, Sanqing hall, doumu hall, Jade Emperor Palace, Tang Wang Palace, and there are three true halls, three palaces, dining halls, guest halls and other supporting halls and rooms on both sides. On one side, the temple is solemn and sacred, and the Taoist believers are pious and focused, while on the other side, the teahouse is full of people, and there are elderly people playing Tai Chi in the open space, and children often painting in the supporting rooms, and the sacred and secular coexist.
The Mixed Yuan Hall and the Sanqing Hall are the two major halls of the Qingyang Palace. The mixed yuan hall rebuilt in the Guangxu period has 26 stone pillars and 2 wooden pillars carved with exquisite patterns such as phoenix looking at the moon and double lions playing with beads, and is about 22 meters high. In the tall space, there are statues of the highest Taoist gods, the Mixed Yuan Patriarch (i.e., Taishang Laojun) and Cihang Zhenren. The Sanqing Palace is square, with an area of 1,600 square meters, and is the largest palace in the Qingyang Palace. In the middle of the hall is enshrined the holy image of the highest god of Taoism, Sanqing, and there are statues of twelve golden immortals on both sides. There are eight wooden pillars in the Sanqing Palace, representing the eight heavenly kings of Taoism, and there are twenty-eight wooden pillars representing the twenty-eight stars in the sky, and the building is magnificent and solemn. In front of the hall, there are Taoist holy relics such as the ghost bell and the one-horned bronze sheep, and there are precious Taoist cultural relics such as Lu Zu stele, Sanfeng stele, and Ming Dynasty money furnace.
The two bronze green sheep are the treasures of the Qingyang Palace, which are divided into two-horned green sheep and single-horned green sheep. The former was donated by Chengdu believers during the Daoguang period, and the latter was donated by Zhang Pengxi, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty, who specially moved from Beijing to Chengdu to donate in the name of Qingyang Palace. It is rumored that the one-horned bronze sheep is the embodiment of the zodiac, with rat ears, a bull's nose, tiger claws, etc. Believers believe that touching a certain part of the green sheep's body will heal the disease in that part of the body. The original green sheep has been treasured, and two imitation bronze cast green sheep are imitated in front of the Sanqing Palace, for believers and tourists to touch.
The Bagua Pavilion located between the Mixed Yuan Hall and the Sanqing Hall is the landmark building in the Qingyang Palace, which is well preserved and luxuriously shaped, and enshrines the image of Lao Tzu riding a bull out of the customs. The stone platform at the bottom of the Bagua Pavilion is square, and the top is round, symbolizing the doctrine of the round heaven and the earth. The pavilion body is octagonal, the base is engraved with the shape of the eight trigrams, and the main entrance is engraved with twelve phase reliefs, which fully embodies the Taoist teachings. There are 16 double-row eaves stone pillars in the pavilion, there are 81 dragons carved inside and outside, and the eaves are also carved with various beasts, the shape is elegant, very spectacular. It is recommended that customers take a closer look and feel the ingenious combination of Taoist culture and architectural aesthetics.
Dou Mu Hall is the only existing Ming Dynasty original building in Qingyang Palace, dedicated to the Taoist goddess Dou Mu. The statue of Dou Mu is three eyes, four heads and eight arms, with a lotus base and a gold plated body. The Jade Emperor Hall and the Dou Mu Hall are separated by a huge wall of "Fu Lu Shou", in which the Jade Emperor is enshrined. Visitors can see the Tang Dynasty Palace standing on the stone steps of Shuanglong at the end, which enshrines the holy images of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, Empress Dowager Dou, Tang Taizong Li Shimin and so on. Taoist temples that worship the emperors of the Tang Dynasty are quite rare, and a Taoist temple like Qingyang Palace, which was built and recognized by the Tang Dynasty royal family, is even more unique. It is rumored that this phenomenon is related to the experience of Tang Xuanzong and Tang Xuanzong Li Yi who temporarily lived in Qingyang Palace due to the war.
Nowadays, many temples and Taoist temples are driven by economic interests and engage in commercial activities in the name of faith. Such phenomena not only cost pilgrims and tourists, but also damaged the original sacred image of Taoist Buddhism. Different from many highly commercialized Taoist temples, Qingyang Palace is mainly a place for Taoist monks and believers to pray for blessings, and only then as a scenic spot for tourists to see. Therefore, the ticket price of Qingyang Palace is low, and there are few shouts to sell souvenirs and attract tourists to sign fortunes, without losing the tranquility and solemnity that the Taoist temple should have. At the same time, out of respect for the statues and the protection of cultural relics, many scenic spots in the temple are forbidden to take photos and videos. Tourists visiting the deep and quiet Qingyang Palace can feel that this is a serious Taoist temple, rather than a boring attraction with many consumption items.
On the other hand, Qingyang Palace is relatively simple in the construction of scenic spots, only a simple explanation of the palace, and it is not easy for tourists without relevant knowledge background to understand the architectural aesthetics and Taoist culture contained in Qingyang Palace. It is recommended that tourists who are interested in Taoism and feng shui architecture can ask a tour guide to explain, or learn more about Qingyang Palace on their own, and the travel experience will be more in-depth.
Suggested visiting time: half a day
Indicative fare:
The full ticket is 10 yuan/person
Half ticket: 7-18 years old teenagers and college students with a bachelor's degree or below
Free admission: Children under 6 years old or under 1.3 meters tall, seniors 60 years old or above
Opening hours: 08:00-18:00
Tips: 1. It is forbidden to bring flammable, explosive and corrosive materials and controlled knives into the museum; 2. Do not make loud noises and take pictures of the icon; 3. Tickets must be purchased in cash on site
