Golden Hall in Wudang Mount
By admin on 2015-03-03

Attraction Type:

• Religious Sites in China

• Ancient Architectures in China

Golden Hall in Wudang Mount is located on the Tianzhu Peak. Built in Ming Dynasty 1416, it was made of golden material in a wooden architectural style, thus its name Golden Hall. It is the symbol of Wudang Mountain. It represented the peak time and the high position of the Taoism in the ancient royal system.

Standing in front of the Golden Hal, visitors can have a bird's view of the Mount Wudang. The magnificent mountains are solid, while the worship scene and the holy atmosphere make this site as the most holy land in Mount Wudang.

The Golden Hall was first cast part by part, which were then riveted and welded together. The connection was precise and integrated without any marks of cast or chisel. Despite of the natural erosion and thunder hits for over five hundred years, the palace is still goldenly splendid as if it was new and is regarded as a pearl in the history of ancient architecture and casting technology in China.

The Golden Hall contains a bronze statue of Zhen Wu, another name for the Northern Emperor, Beidi (Cantonese Pak Tai), a popular Daoist deity. Around the statue stand more gilded copper statues. Between them, the statues and hall represent the best in Ming copper work.

? The legend of Golden Hall (china daily)
According to legend, after the first Ming (1368-1644) emperor Zhu Yuanzhang fought with the then-ruling Yuan (1271-1368) army and failed, he escaped to a small hut at the foot of Wudang Mountain and met with Emperor Zhenwu, the Taoist god of Wudang Mountain, who transformed himself into an old Taoist. Zhu begged the Taoist to save his life. The Taoist said, "If I save you, the pursuing army will burn my hut. Where can I live?" Zhu replied, "If you save me and your hut is burned, I'll repay you with a golden palace in future."

The Taoist agreed and made Zhu invisible by others using his magic power. The Yuan army didn't find Zhu and burned the hut. Zhu saw the hut burn, but he didn’t see the old Taoist t. He suddenly realized that the Taoist must be Emperor Zhenwu.

After taking the throne, Zhu forgot his promise about the golden palace. When he was old, Zhu dreamed that God Zhenwu came to him for the hut. Zhu asked his ministers and his descendants to build the Golden Palace for God Zhenwu. Zhu died before the palace could be built. Years later, Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, ascended the throne and built the Golden Palace.