Yangsheng Taoist Temple

Located in Yangshengguan Village, Liangjiang Township of You County, the temple sits 4 kilometers away from Sikong Mountain. Nestled between mountains and rivers, it is enveloped in lush green woods. Originally built as a shrine for Zhang Bayu, Minister of Works of the Southern Qi Dynasty, records in the You County Annals compiled during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty state that the temple was first constructed in the 7th year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty under the name "Zhuyang Guan". It was reconstructed in the 3rd year of the Zhenghe reign of the Song Dynasty and bestowed the official title "Yangsheng Guan" by the imperial court.

There used to be an old and a new temple complex here. The new one is long gone, while the ancient temple remains intact. Stretching 86.5 meters long and 34.5 meters wide, it covers an area of around 3,000 square meters. Its compound encompasses the Main Hall, Rear Hall, Yushu Palace and Ruizhu Palace. The architectural complex stands magnificent with exquisite, ingenious carvings throughout.

Surrounded by encircling peaks and a winding stream, Yangsheng Taoist Temple radiates gentle brightness without glare and rises tall without being imposing. The entire compound consists of East and West Stream Gates, an opera stage, courtyard plazas, shops, the Front Gate, Front Hall, Main Hall, Rear Hall, Yuxu Palace, Ruizhu Palace, Master Hall and Lady’s Shrine. Visitors ascend in sequence from the courtyard plaza to the Front Gate, then the Front Hall and finally the Main Hall along the mountain slope via three flights of steps: thirty-one and a half steps, seven steps, and three steps respectively. These numbers symbolize the thirty-one and a half administrative divisions of You County, as well as the seven neighboring counties and three surrounding provinces within its sphere of influence.

Preserved inside the temple is an iron lamp tree with a hundred oil lamps. This square, four-tiered iron structure is adorned with intricate patterns including the God of Literature holding a writing brush, twin phoenixes facing the sun, the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, and Tang Monk’s journey to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. It takes 11 jin of oil to fill all the lamps at once. When lit, the hundred lamps shimmer brilliantly, resembling a tree covered in silver blossoms of flame, presenting a spectacular sight.