Entity
Zhoucheng Jingdi Temple
Dali, Yunnan, China
In the heart of Zhoucheng Village, within Yunnan Province's Dali City, stands the Jingdi Temple. This sanctuary belongs to the Bai people, who have gathered here for generations. Its story begins in the Tang dynasty, when villagers first built the Southern Benzhu Temple at the foot of Gushan. During the transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties, a violent earthquake tore through the valley, shattering the original wooden beams and cracking the stone foundations. Following the disaster, the villagers carried the surviving relics to the center of their settlement, rebuilding the temple on its current ground.
At the center of the main altar sits Zhao Mulanggang, known as Tianlang Wenming Jingdi. He is the ancestral founder of Zhoucheng. Worshippers approach his altar through heavy wooden doors guarded by the painted figures of Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong. The air inside carries the thick, sweet scent of burning incense. Surrounding the founder is an assembly of deities from different traditions. Guanyin, Dizang, and the Medicine King Yaowang represent Buddhist devotion. Beside them sit the Taoist Earth Mother, Dimu, and the esoteric guardian Dahaitianshen. The God of Wealth, Zhao Gongyuan-shuai, watches over the village's prosperity alongside the Left and Right Judges.
Human anxieties and hopes are etched into the very layout of the shrine. Parents seek comfort from the Three Goddesses of Progeny, and they leave offerings for Sha'er Gege and Dou'er Gege, the traditional protectors against childhood fevers and smallpox. Generations of mothers have touched these altars, their fingers smoothing the wooden edges as they prayed for their children's survival.
Today, the temple remains an active space. During local festivals, the courtyard fills with the rustle of traditional blue-and-white tie-dyed clothing and the sound of ritual prayers. Alongside the nearby Lingdi Temple, this structure anchors the identity of the Bai community, preserving a spiritual heritage that survived the shifting of the earth.