Palace of Eight Immortals

The Baxian Temple (Temple of Eight Immortals), also known as the Baxian Palace and located at the Changle lane, Dongguan District, Xi'an City, is a famous Taoist building in Northwest China and also the biggest Taoist temple in Xi'an City. It was first built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and most of the extant buildings were constructed in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Since the legendary eight immortals, namely Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, Han Xiangzi, Tie Guaili, Cao Guojiu, Lü Dongbin, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu, are enshrined in it, the temple is called the Baxian Temple (Temple of Eight Immortals).

The story of the Eight Immortals is one of the Taoist stories broadly spread among ordinary Chinese. It is said that there are eight immortals that always do good deed for human beings and they are therefore much respected by people. The place where the Baxian Palace is located was the previous imperial palace site of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is said that a Taoist of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) saw the eight immortals in this place, and therefore built this Taoist temple. When the Quanzhen Sect of the Taoism was prosperous in the 12th century, great efforts were spent on the Taoist temples, which laid the foundation for the current scale. The Baxian Palace was very famous in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). By the time of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it became one of the centers of the Quanzhen Sect. During its prosperous period, the temple covered an area of over 6,000 square meters. The extant buildings mainly include the Temple Gate, Lingguan Hall, Baxian Hall, Bell-Drum Tower and so on. The layout of the buildings was compactly organized. The figure of Sun Simao (the Immortal Medicine King), who was the great physician in the ancient China as well as a famous Taoist, is enshrined in the temple.

The Baxian Temple now covers an area of over 73,000 square meters, and it can be divided into three parts from the Temple Gate to the Back Hall. Its main buildings include the Temple Gate, the Big Memorial Archway, the Screen Wall and the Bell-Drum Tower, etc. The first part has 5 halls; the second part has the Front Hall and the Back Hall, and the clay statues of the Eight Immortals are housed in the Back Hall. The third part is the Main Hall, and the eastern and western courtyards are on the both sides of the Main Hall. The eastern courtyard includes the Lüzu Hall and Medicine King Hall, in which the statues of Lü Dongbin and Sun Simao are enshrined respectively, and the western courtyard is the residence of the Taoists in the temple. The annual temple fair is held in the Baxian Temple on every lunar April 14 - 16, and tourists and disciples in nearby areas often come to here to carry out the worship rite and other religious activities.

After 1985, the Taoist temple was repaired with the support of the Chinese government and the total area was up to 10,000 square meters. At present, it is not only cultural relics site under special protection, but also a famous scenic spot in Xi'an City.