Xiyue Temple

Xiyue Temple
西岳庙
Xiyue Temple
Religion
Affiliation	Taoist
Deity	Emperor Xiyue
Location
Location	Huayin, Shaanxi
Country	China
Shown within China
Geographic coordinates	34°34′48″N 110°06′08″E
Architecture
Style	Chinese architecture
Founder	Emperor Wu
Completed	134 BC

The Xiyue Temple (西岳庙) is a Chinese Taoist temple located at the foot of Mount Hua of the city of Huayin in the northwest of the Shaanxi Province.^[1] Here the emperor sacrificed to the god of Mount Hua. Its magnificence is compared to that of the Imperial Palace in Beijing and it is called the "Forbidden City of Shaanxi".^[2]

History

Entrance to the Xiyue Temple

The temple was built in 134 BC by Emperor Wu of the Western Han dynasty. Emperor Wu built the first worship temple of Emperor Xiyue, the god of Mount Hua, at the foot of the mountain. He named the temple Jilinggong Palace. In the following East Han dynasty, the temple was moved to the present location and its name was changed to Xiyue Temple.^[3]

The temple was renovated several times in subsequent dynasties. The current buildings date from the Ming and Qing dynasties.^[4] The Xiyue Temple has been on the list of monuments of the People's Republic of China (3–126) since 1988.^[5]

References

1. "Xiyue Temple – 高清图片". SNRTV.
2. "The Xiyue Temple: The Forbidden City of Shaanxi". German.china. 21 March 2008.
3. "Peak attraction". www.chinadaily.com.cn. 6 December 2012.
4. Shi, Li. History of Customs in the Ming Dynasty. DeepLogic.
5. The Land Within the Passes: A History of Xian. Viking. 1991. ISBN 978-0-670-82391-8.

External links

• Xiyue Temple