Jinhua Temple, Chengdu
Located in Tianhui Town, Jinniu District, Jinhua Temple is where the emperor turned back.
According to historical records, in November of the fourteenth year of Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty (755 AD), An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang, launched a rebellion, and the rebel army quickly captured the capital Chang'an. In the midst of the chaos, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, along with the Yang siblings and others, quietly left the palace under the protection of the imperial guards. After discussion, they decided to go to Chengdu. When the troops passed through Maweipo, the soldiers mutinied, killed Yang Guozhong, and forced Yang Yuhuan, the imperial concubine, to commit suicide. Emperor Xuanzong was filled with grief and indignation, but there was nothing he could do. The army continued to march, traveling a long distance from Shaanxi along the Jinniu Road, and finally approached Chengdu. When they arrived at Tianhui Town, the "first major town north of Chengdu," the troops were exhausted from their continuous journey. They stopped to rest before entering Chengdu, the land of abundance, far from the flames of war. At this moment, an urgent message arrived from Chang'an, reporting that An Lushan's rebellion had been quelled. Overjoyed, Emperor Xuanzong immediately led his troops back to the capital. The line "The world spun, the dragon carriage turned back" in Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Regret" refers to this event. Since then, people have changed the name of "Tianhui Mountain" to "Tianhui Mountain" (where the emperor turned back), and the town below the mountain was also named "Tianhui Town."
Legend has it that Emperor Xuanzong's stopping point in Tianhui Town while escaping the An Lushan Rebellion was Jinhua Temple, so the temple's sense of history is palpable.
Built in the Tang Dynasty, Jinhua Temple is little known even to locals! There are no noisy tourists here, only red walls and gray tiles, an ancient opera stage, and the chanting of monks.
The Qing Dynasty murals beside the main hall vividly depict the scene of Emperor Tang meeting Xuanzang. Civil officials are bent over their desks, and palace maids lower their eyes—a detail lover's dream! You can appreciate it up close and experience the centuries-old brushstrokes firsthand.
The temple's opera stage and mountain gate are integrated, and the wood carvings above are exquisite. Jinhua Temple's "Yue Lou" (Music Pavilion) is a classic work from the nineteenth year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1839). It cost 1,477 taels of silver to build and is considered the pinnacle of western Sichuan opera stages! A living fossil of Sichuan opera! Eighteen stone pillars support the "convex" shaped stage, which can be viewed from three sides. It is integrated with the mountain gate and still retains the plaque "Observe the Present, Reflect on the Past." Its axis layout, directly facing the Guanyin Hall, is solemn and respectful. Remnants of inscriptions from Qing Dynasty opera troupes, such as "Dashun Ban" and "Chuan Nan Dashun Ban," remain on the stage pillars. They performed classic Sichuan operas like "Jin Chuan Zhu" and "Hei Shui Fen Zhou," witnessing the nomadic years of performers who slept on the stage.
The temple is small and very quiet. The temple masters are very welcoming, guiding visitors who come to admire the magnolia flowers and explaining the temple's stories. They have a certain "sweeping monk" demeanor, exuding a Zen-like air between the secular and the spiritual.