Cao'an Temple in Jinjiang | The only remaining Mingjiao temple site in Jin Yong's novels

Song and Yuan China, Maritime Silk Road Quanzhou If you've read Jin Yong's martial arts novel "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," you may remember the scene where the six major sects besiege the Bright Summit, and the Mingjiao members are determined to die for their faith. Although the story in the novel is fictional, the Mingjiao sect did exist in history. Mingjiao, also known as Manichaeism, was founded in the 3rd century AD in the Sassanian Empire by the Persian prophet Mani. It was introduced to China around the 6th to 7th centuries and became known as Mingjiao. Manichaeism (Mingjiao) advocated for light and opposed dark oppression. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the first emperor Zhu Yuanzhang banned and abolished Mingjiao because he thought its name conflicted with the name of the dynasty. Since then, Mingjiao gradually disappeared in China or was assimilated by other religions. Cao'an Temple is the only remaining Mani Light Buddha and Manichaeism (Mingjiao) temple in China, and the only remaining Manichaeism (Mingjiao) temple site in the world. It is located on the southern slope of Huabiao Mountain in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province. Cao'an Temple was first built during the Shaoxing period of the Song Dynasty, initially as a thatched hut. In the 5th year of the Zhiyuan period of Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty (1339 AD), it was rebuilt as a stone structure with a hip-and-gable roof. A Mani Light Buddha statue was carved into the mountain wall, which is the only remaining stone statue of Mani Light Buddha in the world. 20 meters in front of the Cao'an Temple site, archaeologists discovered a black-glazed bowl from the Yuan Dynasty, with the words "Mingjiao Association" engraved on the bottom, witnessing the historical traces of Manichaeism (Mingjiao). Cao'an Temple is built against a cliff, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof structure. It has four purlins, three bays wide (1.67 meters per bay), and two bays deep (3.04 meters). The eaves are supported by a single row of horizontal beams and brackets, simple and ancient. The most precious part is the stone carving of a Mani Light Buddha inside the temple. The stone relief depicts Mani sitting in a shallow niche with a diameter of 1.68 meters. The seated statue is 1.52 meters tall and 0.83 meters wide. Interestingly, the face of the Mani statue is light blue, the hands are pink, and the clothing is gray-white, cleverly utilizing the natural three colors of the rock. This statue was chosen as the emblem of the International Conference on Manichaean Studies held in Sweden in August 1987. The Mani Light Buddha statue in Cao'an Temple is also one of the 22 representative ancient sites in Quanzhou's World Heritage application, successfully listed in the World Heritage List. Its historical and cultural value is self-evident. 📍Address: No. 92, West Road, Sunei Village, Jinjiang City, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province 🚉Transportation: 1️⃣ From Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport, take bus Jinjiang 28 to Puzhao Station, transfer to bus Jinjiang 9 to Jinjiang Hospital Station, and walk 1.6 km. 2️⃣ From Fuzhou-Xiamen High-speed Railway Quanzhou South Station, take bus K604 to Dawutang Station, transfer to bus Jinjiang 31 to Weicuo Station, and walk 1.7 km. 3️⃣ From Jinjiang Railway Station, take bus Jinjiang 21 to Wuling Station, transfer to bus Jinjiang 29 to Haixia Food City Station, and walk 1.6 km. 4️⃣ From Fuzhou-Xiamen Railway Quanzhou Station, it is 34 km to Cao'an Temple. There are many bus transfers, so taking a taxi is recommended. 5️⃣ Driving or taking a taxi is recommended to Cao'an Temple. 🕙Opening hours: 09:00–13:30, 14:30–17:00 ⏳Visit duration: Half an hour is enough for the small temple 🎫Tickets: Free