Jin Shrines, Wenchang Palace, Wenchang Pavilion  晉祠文昌宮文昌閣

Building Information

The main hall of the Wenchang Palace is a two-story structure at the north end of the complex. The lower floor is composed of three cave-like chambers (yaodong 窯洞) and is called the Shrine to the Seven Worthies (Qixianci 七賢祠). Here seven individuals important to the literati community at Jinci are honored—Li Bai 李白 (701-762) and Bai Juyi 白居易 (772-846); from the Song dynasty: Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹 (989-1052) and Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修 (1007-1072); from the Ming dynasty: Yu Qian 于謙 (1398-1457) and Wang Qiong 王瓊 (1459-1532) (Miller 2007, 190-1). Inside the shallow cave on the west side is a stone carving of the "Eulogy of Lord Thearch Wenchang” (Wenchang dijun yinzhiwen 文昌帝君陰騭文) written by Fu Shan 傅山 (1607-1684). The calligraphy is in finely rendered small-standard script (xiaokai 小楷) making it an important work. On the east side there is a stone carving depicting the panoramic view of the Jin Shrines during the Guangxu reign period (1875-1908) in the late Qing Dynasty. This carving is a valuable resource for studying the evolution of the Jin Shrines during that time period (Liu et al. vol. 6, 47).1

The upper story is the Wenchang Pavilion (Wenchangge 文昌閣), where Wenchang 文昌, a deity known for aiding imperial exam candidates (Kleeman 1994, 73-5), is venerated. Elevated galleries are built on both the left and right sides of the pavilion, with the words “Poetry Pavilion” (shixie 詩榭) inscribed on the wall. The corridor walls feature the “Jinci neiwai bajing shi 晉祠內外八景詩” (Eight Scenic Views Inside and Outside the Jin Shrines) calligraphed by Yang Yu 楊堉 in the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign period (1777). Steps are provided on both sides for visitors to enjoy the scenery (Liu et al. vol. 6, 47).2