Fuxi Temple
伏羲庙
The largest and best-preserved Ming-era complex dedicated to Fuxi in China. The seated Fuxi statue in the Xiantian Hall and the caisson with the sixty-four hexagrams make it a place of ancestral roots for the Chinese people.
Fuxi Temple is on Fuxi Road in Qinzhou District. It was first built in 1483, the 19th year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming dynasty. It is China's largest and best-preserved Ming-era complex dedicated to Fuxi, the legendary ancestor of humanity, and is a national key cultural relic protection site. The temple faces south along a central axis, with a paifang gate, the main gate, the ceremonial gate, the Xiantian Hall and the Taiji Hall in sequence. The Xiantian Hall is the core. It houses a Ming-era painted clay seated statue of Fuxi, over 3 m tall, holding the Eight Trigrams. The caisson on the hall's ceiling is painted with the sixty-four hexagrams and the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams, which serve as physical references for studying the Book of Changes. The temple grounds have 64 ancient cypress trees corresponding to the hexagrams. Over 30 survive, including one Tang-dynasty cypress and many Ming-era cypresses. The Three Sovereigns Hall and the stone inscriptions of Fuxi Temple are also worth seeing.
Tianshui locals regard Fuxi as the 'Ancestor of Mankind.' A temple fair draws huge crowds on the 16th day of the first lunar month. Around June 22 each year, a public Fuxi memorial ceremony is held, attracting overseas Chinese who come to seek their roots. Entry costs about 30 yuan, and audio guides can be rented. The newly built Tianshui Museum east of the temple is free to enter and closed on Mondays. It displays Dadiwan culture painted pottery and early Qin artifacts, so visit it too. Fuxi City and Xiguan Old Town in front of the temple are Ming and Qing residential districts, packed with malatang, guaguo and mianpi snack shops. Getting there: the temple is walkable from downtown, or take the bus to the 'Fuxi Temple' stop. Allow about 1 hour for the visit.
Notes: photography is prohibited inside the halls, and visitors should not touch the ancient cypresses.
Opening hours
08:00–18:00 (until 17:30 in winter)