🌿 Yuquan Temple — A Thousand-Year-Old Taoist Temple at the Foot of Mount Hua and a Holy Place of Seclusion Culture

“Among the famous mountains of the world, many have Buddhist temples, but Mount Hua is known for its Taoist temples; the Yuquan Temple in front of the mountain is actually the first gate to climbing Mount Hua.”
—— Qing Dynasty “Record of Mount Hua”

📍 Basic Information

• Address: South section of Yuquan Road, Huaian City, Shaanxi Province, at the northern foot of Mount Hua Scenic Area (adjacent to the Mount Hua Visitor Center, the starting point of the main climbing route)
• Opening Hours: Open all year round | 06:30–18:00 (can be extended to 19:00 during peak season)
• Tickets: Free admission (included in the Mount Hua scenic area ticket, no additional ticket needed for separate visit to Yuquan Temple)
• Transportation:
  • ✅ After getting off at Hua Shan North Station/Hua Shan Station, take the scenic area special line bus (about 10 minutes) directly to the destination
  • ✅ Self-driving can park at the ecological parking lot of Yuquan Temple (plenty of spaces, reasonable fees)
  • ✅ A must-pass place for hikers, it takes about 2.5–3 hours to climb up from here along the Qianchi Tower and Baizhi Gorge

⏳ Historical Origin: Originated in the Northern Song Dynasty, flourished in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Yuquan Temple was built in the Northern Song Dynasty during the years of Huangyou (1049–1054), by the disciple of the famous Taoist master and the great master of Taoist internal alchemy of the Northern Song Dynasty, Chen Tuan (Xibi Master), Jia Desheng, who was ordered to build it. It was originally named “Xibi Shrine”, used to worship Chen Tuan and transmit his “sleeping exercise” and thoughts of先天易学.

• 📜 Jin and Yuan Period: Qiu Chuji, one of the seven great masters of Quanzhen Taoism, once stayed and preached here, making Yuquan Temple an important propagation base of Quanzhen Taoism in Guanzhong; it was repaired and renamed “Yuquan Temple” in the Yuan Dynasty, meaning “mountains have jade spring, clear and never exhausted”.
• 🏯 Ming Dynasty at its peak: Large-scale expansion during the Jiajing and Wanli dynasties, forming the雏形 of today's layout; at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the great Taoist master He Yuanyi built a garden-style Taoist temple, creating a model of integration of “mountains, water, stones, caves, halls, corridors, pavilions, and bridges” eight scenes.
• 🛠️ Qing Dynasty to modern times: Repeated repairs, especially the reconstruction in the reign of Emperor Qianlong was the most complete; it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in Shaanxi Province in 1957; in 2006, it was included in the overall list of national scenic areas with the Mount Hua Scenic Area; in 2021, the comprehensive cultural relic protection and environmental improvement project was completed.

🏯 Architectural Layout: A three-dimensional garden integrating Taoist principles with nature

Yuquan Temple covers an area of about 10 acres, facing south with its back against the residual脉 of Yun Tai Peak, facing the clear stream at the mouth of the valley, and is a rare example of a mountain palace garden in China that embodies the Taoist space philosophy of “unity of heaven and man”:

Main architectural groups (from south to north):

• Gates: Brick archway, hanging the Qing Dynasty plaque “Yuquan Temple”, with brick carvings of “Purple Gas from the East” and “Black Bull from the West” on both sides, symbolizing the story of Laozi transforming into a Hui.
• Wuyou Pavilion → Wujian Hall → Tongtian Gate: Central axis sequence, Wujian Hall is a Qing Dynasty relic, with a hard-slope grey tile roof, inside供 Chen Tuan's lying image (copper cast, recast according to the Ming Dynasty old style in 1985).
• Xibi Shrine: Core hall, with a width of three rooms, inside enshrining the sitting image of Chen Tuan the Old Master (Ming Dynasty colored sculpture, national level three cultural relic), with a tablet in front of the niche containing the “Record of the Reconstruction of Xibi Shrine” in the 29th year of the Qing Emperor Kangxi (1690).
• Yuquan Pavilion & Xinxin Pavilion: Built by the spring, “Yuquan” refers to the natural spring in the courtyard, with sweet water, constant temperature of 13℃, no ice in winter and no algae in summer, as the first spring of the “Seventy-two Happy Places” in Mount Hua.
• Corridor with curves and inscriptions on cliff: Over 200 meters long, with 76 pieces of inscriptions from the Ming to the Republic of China, including inscriptions by famous calligraphers such as Wang Shuo, Lin Zexu, and Yu Youren, especially the most exquisite is the “Record of Yuquan Temple” written by the Qing Dynasty calligrapher Liu Guangfen.

Characteristic landscapes:

• 🌊 Yuquan Pool: Spring eyes bubble like pearls, the bottom of the pool is like embroidery with green moss, anciently known as “Yuquan Flying Snow”, one of the eight scenes of Mount Hua.
• 🪨 Wuyou Stone & Longyin Tree: It is said that Chen Tuan once meditated on this stone; the ancient cypress “Longyin Tree” has a tree age of over 800 years, with twisted and curly branches like a dragon, making a sound like pine trees when the wind blows.
• 🕳️ Stone Boat (ship-shaped building): A scene set in the style of the gardens of the south of the Yangtze River, symbolizing “bitter sea and merciful navigation”, created by He Yuanyi, a unique example in domestic Taoist temples.

📜 Cultural and Heritage Value

💫 Cultural Positioning: Yuquan Temple is not only the origin of Hua Mountain Taoist culture, but also a core landmark where Chinese seclusion philosophy, landscape aesthetics, and internal alchemy practice intersect, hailed by the academic community as the “Living fossil of Guanzhong Taoist culture”.

🧭 Travel Tips: Suggestions for Deep Experience

• 🌟 Must-visit Times:

  • At 6:30 when the park opens in the morning, enjoy the serene Yuquan Washing Stones and mist around the pavilion;
  • In the evening, look back from the top, the setting sun gives the Xibi Shrine a golden edge, and the mountain shadow is reflected in the Yuquan, as if in a dreamlike realm.

• 📸 Photography Hotspots:

  • Take a picture looking up at the Longyin Tree and the flying eaves of the Xibi Shrine by the Yuquan Pool;
  • Take a picture looking down from the corner of the corridor, showing the Stone Boat and the reflection of the pool;
  • Frame the view through the Tongtian Gate, looking far at the silhouette of Yun Tai Peak.

• 📚 Cultural Extension:

  • You can book the “Chen Tuan Thought Lecture” in the courtyard (every Saturday morning, free, need to book in advance through the official WeChat account);
  • Recommended reading: “Annotation of the Record of Mount Hua”, “Research on Chen Tuan's Taoist Thought”, “Collection of Yuquan Temple Inscriptions”.

• ⚠️ Tips:

  • Respect religious places, do not touch the images, incense burners, and ancient steles;
  • The spring water is a cultural relic, please do not drink or throw coins into it;
  • Drones are prohibited in the courtyard (it belongs to the core protected area of Mount Hua).

🌄 The beginning of climbing Mount Hua, the gate of seeking Tao. A courtyard hides the mountain scenery, a thousand years of spring water surging.
Yuquan Temple is not only a guide on the climbing road, but also a clear reflection of the Chinese spirit of seclusion in the Qinling Mountains.