During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, there were at least three documented Zhenwu Temples around present-day Jinxiang County seat. The first stood outside the northern city gate, erected in the Zhiyuan reign of the Yuan Dynasty. The second was built north of the county government compound in the seventh year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty. The third was constructed at Wulihou, five li north of the city, in the third year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Geographically, all three temples lay to the north of the old walled city of Jinxiang. Why were Zhenwu Temples always built on the northern side of a city? The answer lies in the temple’s principal deity, Emperor Zhenwu. Zhenwu was originally known as Xuanwu, one of the Four Spiritual Beings of Taoism. These four spirits include the Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger. The well-known geomantic maxim Vermilion Bird ahead, Xuanwu behind, Azure Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right refers exactly to these four divine creatures. Xuanwu was depicted as a divine beast combining a tortoise and a snake. He was the God of the North, revered by Taoist priests as the Northern Sovereign, Emperor Zhenwu.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Wudang Taoist sect founded by Zhang Sanfeng flourished, with Emperor Zhenwu as its principal object of worship. Among Taoist divinities, Emperor Zhenwu occupied an exalted rank, second only to the Three Pure Ones and the Jade Emperor. The Three Pure Ones refer to three supreme Taoist gods: Yuanshi Tianzun (Primordial Lord), Lingbao Tianzun (Jewel Lord), and Daode Tianzun (Lord Laozi, Li Er). Immediately below them came the Jade Emperor, followed by Emperor Xuanwu (Emperor Zhenwu). As the God of the North, Xuanwu dictated that Zhenwu Temples should invariably be erected in the northern quarter of cities.

The present Zhenwu Temple originated from the Wulihou Zhenwu Temple, also known as the Grand Temple of Wulihou. It stands five li north of the city centre, on the left side of the Jinan-Shangqiu Highway.

The character hou denotes an earthen milestone, also called a road mound or distance marker. These mounds were piled up alongside ancient official highways: a single mound was set every five li, and a double mound every ten li. This evidence confirms that an ancient official road ran through the greater Jinxiang Delta, passing five li from the county seat.

The temple was privately funded and completed in the third year of the Chongzhen reign (1630). Distinguished scholars of Jinxiang composed commemorative inscriptions upon its completion, which were recorded in the Chronicles of Jinxiang County. The temple underwent numerous renovations afterwards, with five reconstruction projects merely during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. The Tongzhi edition of the Chronicles of Jinxiang County records: “The main hall of Wulihou Zhenwu Temple stands particularly magnificent.”

The final restoration began in 1940 and lasted five full years. Even amid the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, local villagers threw themselves enthusiastically into the project. Residents from neighbouring villages each donated a sheng of wheat; some gave one or two silver dollars, while others contributed eighty to a hundred dollars. The abbot at that time was Master Heling, secular name Chen Qingchuan, who had visited eminent Taoist masters in Beijing, Huaiyin and other regions.

Severe floods swept Jinxiang in 1957, damaging nearly all the temple statues. The temple was demolished during the Cultural Revolution. In 2010, to fully explore Jinxiang’s profound cultural heritage and carry forward its historical traditions, the CPC Jinxiang County Committee and the county government rebuilt Zhenwu Temple on its original site. Today, it has become a popular destination for tourists to burn incense, offer sacrifices and pray for blessings.