Qingshui Ancient Building Complex

Ruiguang Temple is one of the Ming-dynasty ancient buildings in Qingshui and a protected cultural relic at the provincial level. First constructed in the 7th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty (1634), it ranks among the eight major temples in Yongsheng.

Boasting magnificent scale and solid primitive architectural structures, the temple had spotless walls decades after its completion, with painted murals remaining bright and fresh. According to legend, a precious "Dust-Repelling Pearl" was buried beneath the main hall, which brought the temple widespread fame.

Qian Bangyi, a senior minister of the Ming Dynasty, also known as Monk Dacuo and reputed to have been a prime minister, retreated to this temple and lived as a monk for three years after suffering political setbacks. During his stay, he composed the poem Staying in Ruiguang Temple, which fully expressed his frustrated mood. (The poem is recorded in the Annals of Yongbei Prefecture.)

It is said that the murals were painted by an Indian monk. Five Buddhist figure paintings still survive today. The portraits, birds and beasts are vividly rendered, while flowers and trees are exceptionally colourful. A pair of mynas in the painting seem to fly out of the scroll, often luring domestic pigeons and mynas to dart forward and peck at them.

During the Ming, Qing and Republican periods, numerous literati visited the temple. Enchanted by the lakes and mountains and the serene religious atmosphere, they wrote impromptu poems on the walls and composed couplets with one another. Gradually, these works formed the well-known "Wall Poems" far and wide.

When the temple was renovated in the late Qianlong reign, Liu Cao (1706–1767), courtesy name Jungu, a local scholar of the Qing period, inscribed a verse: No mist and cloud drift out of the valley mouth;

Cicadas linger by silver trees, guarding the meditation gate.

In 1974, the main hall of Ruiguang Temple was relocated and used as an office. Its main beams, brackets and wooden frames remained largely intact. During the relocation, a rectangular stone vat was unearthed (preserved to this day). Inside the vat was a poetry anthology titled Famous Verses of Ruiguang Temple, compiled by the presiding monk during the Daoguang renovation of the Qing Dynasty. The book contains more than fifty poems and has been kept intact. Several account books recording revenue and expenditure for Jizu Mountain were also found but have since been lost.

Dongyue Temple stands as one of the most important religious buildings in the ancient Qingshui settlement. Construction began in the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, and by the Daoguang period, it had developed into a large architectural complex dominated by Taoist halls. It is now listed as a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

The Confucian Temple of Qingshui was a place for traditional Confucian education in the Qing Dynasty, once equipped with a library building. Since the 1950s, the site has been occupied by Qingshui Primary School, which helped preserve the main hall, transitional hall and moon terrace. Traditional operas were staged on the terrace during festivals. Most Chinese temples adopt a central symmetrical layout. Audiences could watch performances of male, female, painted-face and elderly characters behind ancient trees through two courtyards, creating a unique viewing experience.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Qingshui earned great renown for its numerous grand temples with exquisite craftsmanship, comparable to those in the county seat. Local scholars then crafted an upper couplet using the names of southern temples to challenge literati in the county town: White clouds reveal radiance bright;

Though you have golden mountains and silver seas,

You cannot buy the pure treasure of enlightenment.

It was nearly a year before scholars in the county finally came up with a matching lower couplet using northern temple names: The Red God leads the way to Dongyue;

Passing celestial gods and the Big Dipper Goddess,

We hear hymns in the blissful fairyland.