Grand Temple of Mount Heng

The Grand Temple of Mount Heng, or Grand Temple of South Mountain (Chinese: 南岳大庙; pinyin: Nányuè Dàmiào) is located at the foot of Mount Heng, and on the north of ancient town of Mount Heng in Hengshan County of Hunan, China. It is the largest temple on Mount Heng. It is a major component of Mount Heng National Key Tourist Resort Zone.

The Grand Temple was initially called Heaven Governor Huo King Temple (司天霍王庙), and later, the name changed to South Heaven Genuine Master Temple (南天真君祠). Its founding year is unknown. The earliest documented records show that it was built in 725 CE during the Tang dynasty. The temple lived through the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties despite suffering six fires and undergoing 16 large-scale renovations. At the end of the Ming dynasty, the temple was burnt down. In 1882 during the Qing dynasty, the temple was rebuilt following the layout of Forbidden City in Beijing, thus it was also called "Little Palace in South China". The majority of the buildings have been preserved till today. During the Cultural Revolution, the temple was regarded as engendering the values of the "Four Olds", and suffered extensive damage. The stone tablets, inscribed boards, Buddhist statues and scripts were all destroyed. Starting in 1980s, continuous renovation projects have rehabilitated destroyed buildings and statues.

The temple covers a land area of over 98,500 m². Along its axis there are nine major buildings. From south to north, they are Lingxing Gate, Kuixing Pavilion, Zhengchuan Gate, Imperial Tablet Pavilion, Jiaying Gate, Imperial Liberary Tower, Grand Hall, Refreshing Palace and North Hind Gate. Its eastern and western sides accommodate Eight Temples of Taoism and Eight Temples of Buddhism.

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