Mengjiangnü Temple
孟姜女庙
An ancient temple from the Song dynasty commemorating the legend of Lady Meng Jiangnü, who wept at the Great Wall. Its three highlights are 108 stone steps, a Wang Fu Stone and a famous couplet with playful wordplay.
Mengjiangnü Temple, also known as the Chaste Maiden Shrine, sits on Phoenix Mountain about 6 km east of the Shanhaiguan old town. It was first built in the Song dynasty and renovated in the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty. It is the most famous memorial to Lady Meng Jiangnü in China. According to legend, she travelled thousands of miles to find her husband, who had been conscripted to build the Great Wall. Her weeping collapsed a section of the wall, and she then threw herself into the sea. The temple stands on the hilltop where she is said to have waited for him. Visitors climb 108 stone steps to reach the gate. The main hall houses a statue of Lady Meng Jiangnü. A famous couplet on the stone pillars in front of the hall reads, roughly, “Sea water ebbs and flows, morning after morning, while floating clouds drift on and on and fade away”. It is said to be by the Southern Song scholar-official Wang Shipeng. It can be read in many ways, and guides always point this out as a fun highlight. Behind the hall, the Wang Fu Stone bears Lady Meng Jiangnü's footprints, and climbing to the Zhenyi Pavilion offers views of the Bohai Sea and the Great Wall. The newly built Mengjiangnü Garden behind the temple recreates the legend through sculpture groups. The site is small, and a visit takes about one hour. It works well together with the Shanhaiguan Pass and Jiao Mountain Great Wall on the same day. Admission is CNY 30, or you can buy a Shanhaiguan combined ticket. Getting there: a taxi from the Shanhaiguan Pass takes about 15 minutes, and bus route 26 also stops nearby. Note: the temple is on a hill with many steps. Crowds are heavy during temple fairs. There are few places to eat nearby, so it is better to return to the Shanhaiguan city centre for a meal.
Opening hours
High season 07:00–18:00; low season 07:30–17:00
Nearby sights
- Dongdaihe Beach (Suizhong)
- Shanhaiguan Great Wall Museum
- Shanhaiguan (First Pass Under Heaven)
- Wang Family Courtyard of Shanhaiguan
- Jiaoshan Great Wall
- Old Dragon's Head
- Jiumenkou Great Wall
- Yansai Lake