In Xiangtang Village, Yunling Town, Yunxiao County, there is a Kaizhangzu Temple - Weihui Temple, known as "General Chen Temple" in ancient times. The temple has a long history and a grand scale, with a history of more than 1,300 years.
Yunxiao Weihui Temple was built in the first year of the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (684 AD), and in the third year of the Northern Song Dynasty Hui Zongzhenghe (1113 AD), the imperial court issued an edict to give the name "Weihui Temple" and a plaque, which gave the name Weihui Temple. The existing temple was rebuilt by Wu Yongsui of Yunxiao during the Ming Chenghua period (1465-1487), and has been rebuilt many times in successive dynasties, and is revered as the ancestral temple of Weihui at home and abroad. In the Song Dynasty, Zhangpu County Ling (Yunxiao belonged to Zhangpu County at that time), Lv Xuan's poem "Guwei Hui Temple" has the famous sentence "No one in the history of Tang has cultivated the legend, and there is a temple to worship the general in Zhangjiang", and the Yunxiao Weihui Temple is the oldest temple of the Holy King. On January 15, 1985, it was announced as the first batch of county-level cultural relics protection units in Yunxiao County. In May 2005, Yunxiao Weihui Temple was announced by the Fujian Provincial People's Government as the fifth batch of provincial key cultural relics protection units.
Weihui Temple is about 60 meters long from north to south and 18 meters wide from east to west, covering an area of nearly 1,500 square meters, with three parts: Zhaobi, Dacheng and temple body. The main building is divided into two entrances, consisting of entrance hall, patio, cloister, hall and other parts, with a construction area of 500 square meters.
The temple originally enshrined the father of Chen Yuanguang, the holy king of Kaizhang, the general Chen Zheng of Guide, and Chen Yuanguang and other major generals were also enshrined in this temple after their deaths, and Chen Yuanguang, the holy king of Kaizhang, was honored as the main deity. There is a wooden shrine in the middle of the main hall to enshrine the statues of Chen Yuanguang and his wife; The statue of Chen Zheng is placed in front of the seat. The right side of the temple is dedicated to Chen Yuanguang's grandmother Wei Jing. There are two side halls on both sides of the hall, the left side is the "Prince" Chen Jue Hall, and the right side is the "Royal Daughter" and "Lady Rouyi" Chen Huaiyu Hall.
Why is the temple dedicated to these gods? It is recalled that General Chen Yuanguang led troops south with his father from a young age, and until his death, he always held the southern Fujian Province for 42 years. During this period, he established counties, established education, united ethnic minorities, and developed production, making significant contributions to the country and the people. Successive emperors highly praised his pioneering deeds and repeatedly presented him with titles. The people were grateful for his kindness, and worshipped him as a god, and the temple was fragrant. Chen Yuanguang's evolution from a hero to a god is integrated into the deep national feelings of the Yunxiao people.
Come to Weihui Temple for sightseeing pilgrimage, in addition to admiring the statues of Chen Shengwang and other gods, you can also carefully read the unique art decoration of traditional palace and temple architecture in southern Fujian, and appreciate the decorative art of carved beams and pillars and the culture of Yinglian. The temple is inscribed with beautifully crafted plaques such as "Zhangtai Shengzong", "Shengde Qinen" and "Huize the Four Seas", which are all cultural gifts given by Taiwan's "Kaizhang Shengwang Temple" on Baodao Island, and are also a vivid carrier of cross-strait cultural exchanges.
Kaizhang Shengwang Temple worship culture is an important part of Chinese culture, embodying the pioneering spirit, hard work, courage and indomitable entrepreneurial spirit, and is the common precious wealth of all Chinese sons and daughters.
In the past 10 years, Taiwan's Kaizhang Shengwang Temple Regiment Friendship Association has organized dozens of delegations to visit the Weihui Temple in Yunxiao, and frequently presented plaques and flags, conveying the good demeanor of these Kaizhang descendants to pay homage to the sect and report to the book, and the statue of Chen Shengwang in the Yunxiao Weihui Temple has also served as a friendly envoy of the people on both sides of the strait, twice visiting Taiwan for exchanges and twice touring Singapore.
Today, the cultural ancestral land of the Shengwang of Yunxiao Kaizhang has been approved by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council as a cross-strait exchange base. Yunxiao Weihui Temple has become an important window for cultural exchanges between Fujian and Taiwan, and tourists at home and abroad who come to seek their roots and ancestors are attracting one after another.
Especially during the Lantern Festival every year, the Holy King's Parade Day, Weihui Temple King Jian, King Walking and City Tour and other festivals have a strong atmosphere, this special and ancient folk activity has been listed as one of the "provincial intangible cultural heritage" protection items. (Xie Rong, some literary and historical materials come from the Internet)