The first Taoist temple in the south of the Yangtze River dates back to 1700 years ago, and there were wooden temples in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Suzhou is a holy place of Buddhism, and Huqiu Temple, Hanshan Temple and Saiweng Temple are famous overseas. Among all the temples, one Taoist temple is equally conspicuous, that is, the mysterious temple, which is known as "the first Taoist resort in the south of the Yangtze River".

Guanqian Street is the first commercial street in Suzhou. Every day, traffic is heavy, handsome men and beautiful women shuttle between the streets, and the mysterious temple is located in the middle of the street. Accurately speaking, it is this Millennium Taoist temple that has brought enough weight to Guanqian Street.

"Mystery" is a Taoist saying. Laozi wrote in Tao Te Ching: "Mystery is both a mystery and a gateway to all difficulties", which means that this matter is profound and subtle, because Taoism is also called "metaphysics".

There is a memorial arch in front of the mysterious temple, which reads "Lingxingmen". This is a building in the Confucius Temple, which was built in memory of Confucius. Behind it is the mountain gate of the mysterious temple, with yellow walls and black tiles, resting on the top of the mountain, rich and powerful.

The mysterious temple is rich enough. Founded in 276 AD, it is the earliest Taoist temple in Jiangsu. With the decline of Taoism, the mysterious temple is still full of incense, and its area has increased instead of decreasing, and it has been repaired throughout the dynasties.

In the Qing Dynasty, the mysterious temple reached its peak, covering an area of 82 mu and more than 30 temples. It is also located in the center of the ancient city of Suzhou, and is called "the first ancient view in the south of the Yangtze River".

There is a building that can be used as a verification. This is Milo Pavilion, built in 1438. This pavilion is three stories high and nine rooms wide, with cornices and upturned corners, towering into the sky, which is very spectacular. It can be called the most pavilions in Suzhou. If it can be passed down to this day, it must be the ancient network celebrity building in Suzhou.

Milobaoge, which has great tourism potential, was destroyed in a fire in 19 12. The birth of the fire is extremely outrageous, and the reason has not been found so far. Suzhou people can witness the disappearance of cultural relics. Ye Shengtao once recorded in his article that "this pavilion is extremely ancient, with great engineering and precision." It's a pity that such a big building was set on fire. "

Fortunately, there is Sanqing Hall, which is the main building of the mysterious temple. Built in the Southern Song Dynasty, more than 900 years ago, it stands on the eaves and is magnificent. It is the largest existing wooden structure building in the south of the Yangtze River and the treasure of the mysterious temple.

With this building, the mysterious temple is full of confidence as the "first Taoist temple in the south of the Yangtze River".

This mysterious temple is divided into two parts. Crossing the mountain gate is a huge square, which can be visited for free. Many passers-by sit here on weekdays. There is a drainage fir forest in the square, which goes straight into the sky and becomes a unique landscape.

There is a bronze statue in the square, which shows the folk customs of old Suzhou. As early as the Ming Dynasty, the mysterious temple became a market with a grand open-air bookstore. In the Qing Dynasty, there were various vendors here, including snacks, couplet calligraphy, flowers, birds, fish and insects, as well as jugglers who traveled all over the rivers and lakes, and so on. The excitement has not diminished.

The second part is the visiting area, which includes Wenchang Hall, Shouxing Hall, Leizun Hall, God of Wealth Temple and other buildings. It is one of the few complete Taoist buildings in China.

There are a large number of historical sites in the mysterious temple, such as the stone tablet without words and the stone carving of the old gentleman. The stone carvings of this old gentleman are very precious. They were carved by Wu Daozi and Yan Zhenqing in the Tang Dynasty and Zhang, a master of stone carving in the Song Dynasty, which combined the art of famous artists from all walks of life.

When you arrive in Suzhou, you can have a look here, burn incense in Sanqing Hall, feed pigeons in front of the square and feel the mysterious Taoist culture.

Address: Middle Section of Guanqian Street, Pingjiang District, Suzhou

Transportation: Take Metro Line 4 and get off at Chayuan Station, and take Exit 2 to the east.