Foshan Ancestral Temple aka. Foshan Zumiao is a

Daoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in Foshan,

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, China. It is a national AAAA tourist attraction approved by the

China National Tourism Administration The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA; ) was a Chinese government authority responsible for the development of tourism in the country. The CNTA was subordinate to the State Council. Its headquarters are in Beijing, with regional branch ...

, covering an area of . Foshan Ancestral Temple captures a million visitors at home and abroad every year with its well preserved ancient construction complex and its luxuriant folk culture. Foreign leaders and celebrities of various counties are frequent visitors to the temple.

History

It was first built in the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

during the reign of

Emperor Zhezong Emperor Zhezong of Song (4 January 1077 – 23 February 1100), personal name Zhao Xu, was the seventh emperor of the Song dynasty of China. His original personal name was Zhao Yong but he changed it to "Zhao Xu" after his coronation. He reig ...

, in the Yuanfeng Era (1078-1085), but was ruined towards the end of the

Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fift ...

. It was rebuilt in the 5th year of the

Hongwu Era The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts i ...

of the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

(1372). The temple is dedicated to

Beidi The Di or Beidi (Northern Di) were various ethnic groups who lived north of the Chinese (''Huaxia'') realms during the Zhou dynasty. Although initially described as nomadic, they seem to have practiced a mixed pastoral, agricultural, and huntin ...

(the "Northern God"), a

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

form of the "Dark Warrior" Xuanwu, who is said to have power over the waters of Guangdong. After the foundation of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 1949, the temple was converted into Foshan Municipal Museum and listed as one of the main cultural relics under the preservation by the Guangdong provincial government.

Architecture

Foshan Ancestral Temple consists of Ancestral Temple, Confucius Temple (), Huang Feihong Memorial Hall () and Ip Man Hall (). The Ancestral Temple worships the Taoist deity Xuan Wu, known as the Northern Emperor. The ancient building was built in 11 century, and now is a key cultural relic protected by the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...

. It opened for a visit in the year 1956. The Confucius Temple was constructed in 1911. It is an important place for people to admire the eminent ancient Chinese educator

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

. The historic site is protected by the Foshan Municipal Government and received visitors since 1981. Huang Feihong Memorial Hall and Ip Man Hall were newly founded in the first year of the 21 century to commemorate two Foshan born martial art masters

Huang Feihong Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 9 July 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. His recent fame was due to becoming the subject of numerous martial arts films and televis ...

and

Ip Man Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, ( / 叶问; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972) was a Hong Kong-based Cantonese people, Cantonese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later ...

Culture

Foshan Ancestral Temple culture includes

Taoism culture Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

, and folk art. Moreover, different kinds of folk culture activities are held every year, for instance, Spring Blessing Ceremony, Temple Fair, Community Drinking Rituals and Mid-Autumn Festival. There are also other interactive folk-custom activities such as the Preschool Children Enlightening Ceremony,

Lion Dance F Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Y ...

, Cantonese Opera, Foshan Martial Art Performance and

Cantonese Opera Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Guangdong Province. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Like all versions of Ch ...

. Such activities are held all year-round. File:Foshan Zu Miao 2012.11.20 15-42-04.jpg File:Foshan Zu Miao 2012.11.20 15-48-04.jpg File:Foshan Zu Miao 2012.11.20 15-46-21.jpg File:Foshan Zu Miao 2012.11.20 15-52-03.jpg File:Foshan Zu Miao 2012.11.20 16-19-23.jpg, Confucius Temple

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foshan Ancestral Temple Taoist temples in China Museums in Foshan Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Guangdong