Qingyang Palace sits on the western side of central Chengdu, close to the Songxianqiao market and Culture Park. It is a Taoist temple, and tradition traces its foundation back to the Tang dynasty, with the site in use for well over a thousand years and the buildings repeatedly rebuilt after fire and war. It remains an active temple with resident clergy rather than a museum.
What to see
The complex runs along a central axis of halls, beginning with the Hall of the Spiritual Ancestor and moving through the Hall of the Three Purities, the largest and most elaborate, which holds statues of the three principal Taoist deities. Behind it stands the Eight Trigrams Pavilion, an octagonal structure on a double-eaved base decorated with the bagua symbol, where visitors traditionally walk a circle around the central altar. The side halls hold Taoist scriptures, ritual objects, and displays on the history of the site.
The bronze goat
The most famous single object is a bronze goat standing in one of the courtyards. It is said to have been assembled from parts representing all twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, and visitors queue to touch it - most often the head and the back - for luck. Look carefully at the head, ears, body and hooves and you can pick out the different animals.
Festivals and daily life
Qingyang Palace is busy during the Lunar New Year and the Temple Fair that surrounds it, when the area fills with stalls, food, opera and crowds. On ordinary days it is quiet. You will often see people burning incense, consulting the fortune-tellers who work outside, and sitting in the courtyard over tea, which is one of the pleasures of the place.
Practical information
The temple is open daily from around 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a small admission fee of about 10 yuan. It is served by Metro Line 4 at Culture Park and by Line 2 at Tonghuimen. Modest dress, quiet voices, and no photography inside the halls; the courtyards are fine. An hour is enough, and it combines easily with the Songxianqiao market next door.
