Yuquan Taoist Temple, a famous large-scale Taoist temple, is located at the foot of Tianjing Mountain in the north of Tianshui City in Gansu Province, and covers an area of 41,500 square meters.
The temple was first established in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It was once called as the Chengbei Temple, Chongning Temple and Guashan Temple at that time. Subsequently, because there was a mountain spring named Yuquan Spring (Jade Spring) at the nearby mountain. A local official praised the landscape of the place as follows: The famous mountain has a spring which flows clean water of the color of a jade. When he submitted an application to the imperial court to ask for the construction for a temple, Yuquan Taoist Temple gradually got its name, and became the Taoist Holy Land in the Tianshui area.
The major buildings of Yuquan Taoist Temple include Yuhuang Pavilion and Sanqing Hall, which are centered by a grandiose temple complex around them. As a whole, the temple faces the south and lean against the mountain. Yuquan Taoist Temple is located on the hillside with a long flight of stone steps in front of the Temple Gate. Behind the Temple Gate, the small Taiyang Temple and small Taiyin Temple can be seen. Going through them, you will come across Qinglong Hall (the blue dragon hall) and Baihu Hall (the white tiger hall);QinglongandBaihuare the immortals in Taoist legends. Cross over these two halls, you can see the great gate of Yuhuang Pavilion in the style of memorial archway and a stele with the written words ofRen Jian TianShang(Fairyland on Earth) hanging over the gate. Two main halls that were constructed for the Taoist immortalsLeizu(Thunder Patriarch) andSanguangdadi(a god that assumes three responsibilities) are standing on the two sides of Yuhuang Pavilion. The principal building is Sanqing Palace, also called as Laojun Hall, in which the marvelous statues of Taoist main immortalsYuanshi Tianzun(Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning),Lingbao Tianzun(Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure) andDaode Tianzun(Celestial Worthy of the Tao and its Power) are enshrined. Yuquan Spring is in front of the main hall. It is said that the water of Yuquan Spring can treat eye diseases, so the spring is also called as Mingyan Spring (the spring for brightening eyes).
The local residents are accustomed to holding the temple fair around Yuquan Taoist Temple on the 9thday of the first lunar month every year.
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