Visit the Sanqing Hall of the Yuanmiao Temple in Putian to see the flower of ancient architecture in the south of the Yangtze River

The Sanqing Hall of Yuanmiao Temple, located on Meiyuan East Road in Licheng District, Putian City, was founded in the second year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (628). It is the first Taoist temple in Putian and the largest existing Taoist architectural complex from the Song Dynasty in Fujian. It is one of the three major wooden structures from the Song Dynasty in southern China and is known as the 'flower of ancient architecture in the south of the Yangtze River.' It is now a key national cultural heritage site. The Sanqing Hall of Yuanmiao Temple currently covers an area of 6,182 square meters, with a building area of 3,587 square meters. It retains the Sanqing Hall, the mountain gate, the Dongyue Hall, the Wudi Temple, the Xiyue Hall, the Wuxian Temple, the Wenchang Shrine, and other buildings. It preserves the 'Shenxiao Yuqing Wanshou Palace Edict Stele' in the thin gold script of Emperor Huizong of Song, the 'Imperial Edict Stele for Chen Junqing' of Emperor Xiaozong of Song, the 'Xiangying Temple Record Stele' inscribed by the Left Minister of the Song Dynasty, and the inscriptions and steles of historical figures such as Wang Yucheng, Su Dongpo, Wen Tianxiang, Wen Zhengming, Zhou Ying, and Zhu Jizuo. The Sanqing Hall is the main hall of Yuanmiao Temple, with a double-eaved hipped-gable roof, maintaining its original Song Dynasty structure. The crisscrossing grid-like main beam frame structure, which is both rigid and flexible, provides shock absorption and resistance, allowing it to stand for a thousand years without falling. The brackets, beams, partition doors, and carvings in the hall are decorated with bats, lotuses, peonies, qilins, carps, and Taoist-related stories. Each beam and pillar is intricately decorated, classical and exquisite.