Huize Yaowang Temple

In 1782, during the height of Huize’s copper boom, merchants from Jiangxi’s Linjiang Prefecture pooled their wealth to build a sanctuary. They dedicated this space, the Linjiang Guild Hall, to Sun Simiao, the Tang Dynasty "Medicine King." Today, only the main hall survives on West Inner Street, a 500-square-meter wooden island standing quietly among modern concrete buildings.

Step into the small courtyard. The cool, damp morning air carries the scent of old timber. Before you stands a traditional wood-and-earth structure, built with a column-beam-and-strut system and topped by a single-eave gable-and-hip roof. It measures 11.2 meters wide, eight meters deep, and 7.5 meters high. Four heavy vermilion pillars rest on smooth, drum-shaped stone bases, bearing the weight of the centuries.

Behind these pillars, eighteen painted and gilded floor-to-ceiling wooden windows block the glare of the sun, casting deep shadows across the floor. Look closely at the woodwork. Artisans painted winding vines and creepers in shades of emerald and dark green, a visual nod to the botanical ingredients of traditional healing. Above these botanical carvings, hand-painted panels tell stories. Some depict Sun Simiao’s life—brewing herbal broths, applying fire cupping, and writing his medical encyclopedias. Others illustrate scenes from the Legend of the White Snake, showing Xiaoqing chasing butterflies and lovers meeting at Hangzhou’s Broken Bridge.

Inside, the statue of Sun Simiao sits in a purple robe and jade belt, his hand resting on a green dragon. Outside, on the double vermilion doors of the brick gatehouse, a black lacquer plaque bears his title in gold leaf. Flanking the doors, a poetic couplet reminds visitors of the human condition: "Medicine is medicine, a king is a king, illness must be cured; front is front, back is back, every door has its way."

This hall remains a physical record of the copper trade and the search for healing. It connects the hands of the Qing Dynasty builders with the modern visitors who walk these stone-paved streets.