[2024 Xingtai Attraction] Travel Guide for Huoshen Temple (Updated Nov)

Xingtai Travel: A small fire temple with rich knowledge points.

Visiting ancient Chinese buildings is also a process of understanding traditional culture, listening to stories and learning knowledge. Opposite the Qingfeng Tower in Xingtai, there is a fire temple at the south end of the imitation ancient street. It was built in the Shun De Fu Nan Ong Cheng during the Ming Dynasty, and the ancient city wall is still preserved as the east wall of the temple. In the 1950s and 1960s, the courtyard of the Fire Temple was overgrown with weeds and desolate, with only one main hall remaining. In 1987, the municipal government restored and rebuilt it in the style of Ming and Qing architecture. The main buildings of the current Fire Temple are: Zhenjun Baodian, Yaowangdian, Wenshendian, Caishendian, Nainai Dian, Songzi Dian, and a corner tower on the ancient city wall. Knowledge Point 1: Who is the Fire God? Fire plays an irreplaceable role and significance in human civilization, so both the East and the West have legends about the Fire God. In the West, there is Prometheus who stole fire for mankind, while in the Chinese Taoist神仙体系, there is more than one Fire God, including Zhurong, Suiren, and Luoxuan, the True Monarch of Fire Virtue. On the lintel of the second gate of the Fire Temple, there are four paintings, all of which are stories from the "Investiture of the Gods". The guardian gods on both sides of the main deity statue are Fang Bi and Fang Xiang, who are also characters in the "Investiture of the Gods". Judging from the paintings on the lintel and the guardian statues, I thought that the main deity enshrined in the main hall was Luoxuan, who was conferred the title of True Monarch of Fire Virtue in the "Investiture of the Gods". However, the temple introduction states that the main deity of the Fire Temple is Suiren, the ancestor of fire who invented fire by drilling wood. The Nainai Dian in the east courtyard is dedicated to the wife of the Fire God. Legend has it that Fuxi and Nüwa are the children of Suiren and his wife. Knowledge Point 2: Simultaneous worship of the Plague God and the Medicine King. The Yaowangdian and the Wenshendian are located on the east and west sides of the main hall, respectively. One is for curing diseases, and the other is for causing diseases. However, both are worshipped by the common people, and they are arranged door-to-door, reflecting the people's hope to avoid offending either of them. The Medicine King here is said to be Sun Simiao, and the Plague God is Lü Yue in the "Investiture of the Gods", who is good at using magic to control plague diseases and is in charge of plague in the Investiture of the Gods. Knowledge Point 3: Where did the God of Wealth come from in Handan? Everyone hopes to live a life without financial worries, so the God of Wealth is very popular among the people. Legend has it that there are nine routes of the God of Wealth, among which the most famous are probably Guan Yu, Bi Gan, and Zhao Gongming. One of the nine routes of the God of Wealth is the most common God of Wealth in New Year paintings: white face, long beard, smiling face, elegant and extraordinary, brocade clothes and jade belt, crown on head, red robe, one hand holding a ruyi scepter, the other hand holding a gold ingot or a treasure basin, sometimes with the words "招财进宝" (meaning "attract wealth and treasure"). This most popular God of Wealth among the people is the literary God of Wealth, Li Guizu. During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he served as the magistrate of Quliang County (seat of government in present-day Guangfu Ancient City of Yongnian). During his tenure, he was honest and incorruptible, and he did good deeds for the people. He often used his salary to help the poor. After his death, he was buried in Anshang Village, east of Quzhou County. The people were grateful and built a temple to worship him. During the reign of Emperor Mingzong of the Tang Dynasty, he was granted the title of "God of Fortune and Prosperity". In the Yuan Dynasty, he was granted the title of "Duke of Benevolence and Universal Distribution". Legend has it that the birthday of Li Guizu, the God of Wealth, is the 17th day of the ninth lunar month. Every year on this day, Guangfu Ancient City holds a sacrificial ceremony. In the area of Quliang County at that time, there are also "Zengfu Temple" and Li Xianggong Tomb, which are dedicated to Li Guizu, the God of Wealth.