Suzhou Xuanmiao Temple

Author: Dong Shouqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The Xuanmiao Temple, located in the heart of Suzhou's ancient city, is a renowned millennium-old Taoist temple both at home and abroad. Every year, millions of tourists and followers from all over the world visit to explore its wonders. After a brief stop in their busy travels, they are often amazed by the magnificence of the ancient temple, with many hoping to learn more about it. This book is written for that purpose. It focuses on the historical evolution, architectural layout, cultural relics, religious activities, and connections with local customs and traditions of the Xuanmiao Temple, presented with illustrations and easy-to-understand text, making you feel as if you are traveling through this millennium-old temple.
With the spread of Taoism, Taoist deities not only established "caves and abodes in famous mountains" but also extended their preaching activities to densely populated urban areas. The Xuanmiao Temple in Suzhou is a typical urban Taoist temple. From the earliest extant urban map of China, the Pingjiang Map from the Southern Song Dynasty, it is clearly visible in the center of Suzhou's ancient city. Here, there are no green mountains in the distance or the sound of pine groves and springs, yet the sacred realm and mortal world merge as one, thriving for over 1,700 years—a phenomenon rarely seen in both Taoist history and the history of Chinese cities. Compared to other famous urban Taoist temples, the Xuanmiao Temple stands out. In terms of history, it was built 463 years earlier than Beijing's Baiyun Temple, and in terms of scale, it is larger than Nanjing's Tianchiang Palace. For thousands of years, the Xuanmiao Temple has been renowned for its long history, magnificent architecture, and numerous cultural relics. This book, rich in illustrations, introduces the historical evolution, religious activities, architectural layout, commercial transactions, folk customs, and cultural relics of the Xuanmiao Temple in Suzhou. The language is accessible, making it a valuable read for avid travelers.
Side Halls: Like large Buddhist temples, large Taoist temples not only have main halls but also numerous side halls. A large Buddhist temple typically features the main hall, the Daxiongbu Hall, along with the Tianwang Hall and four major Taoist halls: the Wenshu Hall, the Puhuan Hall, the Guanyin Hall, and the Dizang Hall. Taoism worships a vast number of deities, and accordingly, it has many side halls. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Xuanmiao Temple had over 30 halls, housing dozens of deities. However, since the late Qing Dynasty, as Suzhou's commercial center shifted eastward to Guanqian Street, people began to see the immense commercial opportunities within and around the temple. Merchants started setting up dozens of shops along the alleys and green spaces flanking the temple's courtyards, with pomegranate and willow trees in bloom. Gradually, some even opened shops directly within the halls. For example, the Huangtianyuan pastry shop was located in the Shenzhou Hall and the Taiyang Palace, while the Sanwanchang and Pinfang tea houses were set up in the Lei Zun Hall.