King of Medicine Temple

The King of Medicine Temple stands on the north side outside Yingchun Bridge. In 2004, the People’s Government of Rugao City designated it a Cultural Relic Protection Unit at the Rugao Municipal Level.

First built in the Tang Dynasty, the temple enshrines the medical ancestors Huangdi, Shennong, Qi Bo and Bian Que. In the 36th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1772), Taoist priest Zhu Hejing renovated the halls. He built quiet meditation chambers, laid out a medicinal herb garden and cultivated hundreds of varieties of medicinal plants. Folklore holds that the mugwort growing in the garden descended from seeds left by Sun Simiao, the Divine King of Medicine.

Surviving relics of the temple today include a two-story hall, originally the scripture depository of the King of Medicine Temple, two ancient ginkgo trees, and the site of the medicinal herb garden. Besides the easternmost scripture depository, there are two grand halls to the west, each consisting of three bays, which now fall under the jurisdiction of Dinghui Temple.

The buildings feature wooden beam frames carved with decorative patterns, wooden partition panels and stone column bases. The roof ridges are covered with cylindrical tiles. Obvious traces of later reconstruction can be seen throughout the structures.