Pinglu Liuqing Temple, Shanxi

Liuqing Temple is located in the south of Xizhang Village, Hongchi Township, Pinglu County. The temple was founded during the Renshou period of the Sui Dynasty. It was built by Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, to repay Qin Qiong for saving him. Qin Qiong rescued Li Yuan, which happened in August of the first year of Renshou (601), Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. At that time, Li Yuan was the Duke of Tang in the Sui Dynasty and was stationed in Taiyuan. Because Li was at odds with Yu Wenshu, the treacherous prime minister in the court, Yu often had the intention of harming Li. This time, Li Yuan left Beijing with his family to go to Japan. After Yu heard about it, he sent the East Palace Guards to detect horse thieves and hide them in advance in the jungle near Lishan Mountain, which Li Yuan must pass through. When Li Yuan and his family arrived, a group of "horse thieves" suddenly emerged from the forest. Although Li Yuan and his family fought hard, they were ultimately outnumbered and their lives were in danger. At the critical moment, Qin Qiong and Fan Jianwei, the righteous men from Shandong, were passing by while escorting a group of criminals from Shandong to Pingyang Prefecture in Shanxi for military confinement. Qin Qiong saw injustice on the road and drew his sword to help. After several fights, the robbers saw that the situation was not good and fled, saving the lives of Li Yuan and his family. Li Yuan was extremely grateful, kowtowed to thank Qin Qiong again and again, and called Qin Qiong his benefactor. After returning to Taiyuan, Li Yuan often thought about this matter and decided to build a temple for Qin Qiong, and chose the temple site in a beautiful and pleasant place under his jurisdiction near Qin and Jin Dynasties. The temple was originally named Baode Temple. It was renamed "Baode Temple" in the early Tang Dynasty and was renamed Liuqing Temple in the Song Dynasty. During the Tang, Song, Jin, Ming and Qing dynasties, additions were made. The existing main building, the attic, is divided into upper and lower floors. The ground floor is five rooms wide and four rafters deep. The second floor is three rooms wide and two rooms deep. It has double eaves on the top of the mountain and is surrounded by corridors. It is a Ming Dynasty architectural style. The remaining three halls are three rooms wide, one room deep, with hard tops and are in the architectural style of the Qing Dynasty. There are more than ten steles in the temple, which are relics of the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It records in detail the historical facts of the establishment, expansion and name change of Ryukei Temple. Liuqing Temple is "near the two gentlemen Yu Rui to the south, the hermit Xu Youzhi to the east, the two sages Yi and Qi to the west, and the elders with golden tongue to the north. It is a beautiful place with beautiful mountains and rivers." The environment is beautiful and it is one of the "eight great places in Kuching". One of the "Temple".