Tian Shui Taihao Palace

Tianshui Taihao Palace, a Taoist temple. Located in Xiguan, Tianshui City, Gansu Province, it is commonly known as the Fuxi Temple. Built during the Ming Dynasty, it underwent several repairs during the Qing Dynasty. According to legend, the Fuxi and Shen Nong tribes once gathered in the Tianshui area along the Wei River, and later generations built the temple to worship them.

The palace faces south, with its front overlooking the main street. The main structures include a牌坊 (archway), main gate, ceremonial gate, Tai Chi Hall, Xiantian Hall, ceremonial rooms, stele hall, wing halls, and a drum and music pavilion. The main building, the Tai Chi Hall, is seven bays wide and five bays deep, with a double-eaved gabled roof covered in glazed tiles.

The back is adorned with intertwined peony and dragon motifs, while the door panels feature perforated gold-threaded mugwort leaf patterns. The ceiling of the hall is divided into sixty-four sections, each painted with one of the sixty-four hexagrams, with a colored clay statue of Fuxi enshrined at the center; The Xiantian Hall originally housed the deity Shen Nong.

On either side of the palace are pools, with bridges spanning them, and pavilions along the banks named “Seeing the Changes.” The layout of the halls, pavilions, and terraces within the palace is meticulously arranged, with ancient cypress and locust trees standing tall and majestic. It is said that the ninth day of the third lunar month is the birthday of Fuxi. On this day each year, thousands of pilgrims and tourists come to pay homage to Fuxi and explore the temple fair, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

《Daoist Encyclopedia》