Tianshui Yiquan Temple

Tianshui Yuquan Temple is a famous Taoist temple located at the foot of Mount Tianjing in Tianshui City, Gansu Province. There is a clear spring inside the temple, whose water is clear and sweet. According to legend, washing one’s eyes with the spring water can cure eye diseases, so it is called “Yuquan” (Jade Spring) or “Mingyanquan” (Clear Eye Spring).

The temple is named after the spring, and the spring is honored because of the temple. It is said that in the third year of the Dade era of the Yuan Dynasty (1299), Liang Zhitong, a disciple of Qiu Chuji, the founder of the Quanzhen Longmen School of Daoism, traveled westward to this place. Impressed by its picturesque landscapes of hills, valleys, and springs, he raised funds and materials to build the temple, where he practiced spiritual cultivation and spread Daoism.

However, the temple’s structures were later destroyed in wars; most of the existing buildings were rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty. The entire temple complex is built in harmony with the natural terrain, with the central axis featuring the Mountain Gate, the Encountering Immortals Bridge, the Main Gate, the Communicating with Immortals Bridge, the Sun Temple, the Moon Temple, the Azure Dragon Hall, the Heavenly Pavilion, the Jade Emperor Pavilion, and the Upper Clear Palace. On either side are the Thunder Ancestor Hall, the Three Officials Hall, the Li Du Shrine, Cangjie Palace, Wenshu Hall, Wenchang Palace, Beidou Palace, Yuquan Pavilion, Jingguan Pavilion, Er Gong Shrine, and Tianjing Tower.

The Divine Cave beside Shangqing Palace is said to be the site where two high-ranking Daoist monks of the Quanzhen School attained enlightenment during the Yuan Dynasty. The cave is shaded by dense cypress trees, and a pavilion housing four stone tablets inscribed with the cursive script of Yuan Dynasty calligrapher Zhao Mengfu stands to the west of the cave.

The entire Taoist temple complex features pavilions and terraces of varying heights, with steles scattered throughout. Surrounded by lush forests and winding paths leading to secluded areas, it is one of Gansu Province’s most famous Taoist temples and a scenic tourist area in Tianshui City.

《Taoist Encyclopedia》