Explore Guoyang in 1 Day: Palaces & Museums

Tianjing Palace, also known as Laozi Temple and Taiqing Palace, is located on the north bank of Wujia River (that is, the ancient valley water), which joins Wujia River near the center of Wubei Street. Tianjing Palace is a magnificent palace. According to research, it is the birthplace of Lao Tzu (still controversial). Here, you can petition for blessings, learn about Lao Tzu's life, and look for the remains of ancient Tianjing Palace. Tianjing Palace was built in the eighth year of Yanxi in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 165). It was originally called Laozi Temple. In the second year of Emperor Xuanzong's Tianbao period (AD 743), the palace was named Taiqing Palace. After the Yuan Dynasty, it was renamed Tianjing Palace. Tianjing Palace has been destroyed and built repeatedly in the past dynasties, and now we see a building complex that was rebuilt on the original site in the 1990s according to the regulations of the Tianjing Palace in the Northern Song Dynasty. After passing through the large square with the archway standing at the entrance, you enter the Tianjing Palace. The middle road is where the main hall is located. There are Shanmen, Huixian Bridge, Lingguan Hall, Laojun Hall, Sanqing Hall, Tianshi Hall, Chongyang Hall, Caishen Hall, Yuanchen Hall, Laozu Hall, Cihang Hall, Luzu Hall, and Zhongyang Hall. Drum Tower, "The Origin of Tao", "The Beginning of Virtue" showroom and Qiankun Taoist House. To its east are Dongyue Temple, Notre Dame Hall, Meteor Garden and Kowloon Well. In the west, there are the Lecture Hall and the Book Collection Pavilion. Laojun Hall is the main hall of Tianjing Palace, which enshrines three bronze statues of Laozi, Yinxi and Donghua Emperor. The statue of Laozi standing in the middle is 5.5 meters high. In front of the Sanqing Palace is the site of Tianjing Palace of successive dynasties, and you can see the stone tablet "Song Dynasty Laojun Palace Site" standing on the lawn. In several exhibition rooms of Tianjing Palace, Lao Tzu's Taoist thought and life are introduced, and some unearthed cultural relics are displayed. If you are interested in history, you can go to the former site of Meteor Garden on East Road. There are nine ancient wells found here, one of which is a tile circle well in the Spring and Autumn Period. According to the records of "Orthodox Daozang·Yulong Biography" and various classics, when Lao Tzu was born, "tens of thousands of cranes flew into the sky, flying dragons spit water, bathed in holy postures, and the place where the dragon came out was because of nine wells", although in the eyes of most people, Maybe this is just an ordinary well, but it is a strong evidence of the birthplace of Lao Tzu.