Immortal Beckoning Palace

Immortal Beckoning Palace leans backwards against Phoenix Mountain and is surrounded by mountains and waters.

Once in its prime time Immortal Beckoning Palace had more than 400 Taoist houses, covering as much as 5,000 square meters. The whole building is of Ming Dynasty style. The strange thing lies in that such palace is constructed for a Taoist called Zhang Sanfeng. In history books there carry the recordings telling Zhang Sanfeng is called Zhang Quanyi formerly. He had a very strong physical built, with large ear and round eyes, often putting up one thin blouse wandering the mountain area or noisy markets. Many local people regarded him as an immortal.

Yuzhen Palace, lying on Fenghuang Mountain, facing Nine Dragons Mountain, with Wangxian Platform on the left and Black Tiger Cave on the right, is surrounded by mountains and water just like Protection wall, so it is called "Yellow Earth City". The noted Taoist Zhangshanfeng once built his nunnery named " Huixian Hall "and practiced himself here, Emperor built Yuzhen Palace in the tenth year of Yongle Period and finished in the 15th year of Yongle Period of the Ming Dynasty. All together 97 rooms including palaces, halls, fast rooms, FangZhang, cabinets were built. By Jiajing Perio , Yuzhen Palace was expanded to 396 rooms. There are Liuli 'Ba' Character-shaped palace door, matched Palaces on the west and east, porches on the left and right, Fast Hall, Zengxian Palace, etc., from front to back. The court is spacious, quiet ,elegant and secluded.

In early days of Ming Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng came to Mount Wudang to settle down practicing alchemy and created Wudang Boxing. Such boxing school gradually evolved to become famous in Kung Fu circle in China and many followers thus come offering their respects here.

The strange thing is: Zhang Sanfeng once had the words saying Mount Wudang would flourish someday and later it was verified by the 13-years-long construction work ordered by Emperor Zhuli.

Later Zhang Sanfeng left Mount Wudang for no one knows places. Both the first Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and the Emperor Zhuli gave the orders beckoning Zhang Sanfeng. In the letter written by Zhuli carried such words as “Great immortal aspires for something ethereal and ascends all limitations, thus beyond common people’s surmises. Your orphaned cherishes the idea to meet you day and night…” Yet, no one was heard to ever meet him ever since. Therefore the Emperor Zhuli ordered the construction of Immortal Beckoning Palace to show his sincerity.

In 5,000 years of Chinese history, this is perhaps the one that an emperor ordered construction of temple in commemorating one Taoist.