Golden Platform Temple (Baoji, Shanxi)

Lying in the Yuan Mountain at the northern suburb of Baoji, Shaanxi, the Golden Platform Temple ( 金台觀 Golden Platform Temple ) was founded during end of the Yuan and at the beginning of Ming, as the place where Zhang Sanfeng, the most famous Daoist then, cultivated Dao. According to Vol. 299 of the History of the Ming Dynasty, “Zhang Sanfeng was a local of Yi Prefecture, Liaodong area. He was named Quanyi and also Quanbao with the title Sanfeng. ……Hearing of his fame, the Taizu Emperor sent envoys for him in the 24th year （1391） of the Hong Era but in vain. Later, he lived in the Golden Platform Temple in Baoji.”

The Golden Platform Temple has three parts: the middle courtyard, the east side courtyard and the west side courtyard. The Main constructions and places of interest include the Pavilion of the Jade Emperor, the Hall of the Three Pristine Ones, the Hall of Patriarch Lü, the Hall of Compassionate Salvation, the Pavilion of Trigrams, the Cave of Holy Mother, the Cave of Sanfeng, the Cave of the King of Medicine, the Cave Toward the Sun, etc. In the temple stands a high platform from where one can get a sight of the whole city.

After the founding of the People’s Republic, the government allocated money many times to repair the ancient buildings and later founded a museum exhibiting many bronze wares of the Western Zhou period and made the temple famous far and near.

Every 3rd of the 3rd lunar month and 10th of the 10th lunar month, people hold a Golden Platform Temple Fair and enjoy the activities such as performances of local operas as Qinqiang ( 秦腔 Qinqiang ). 金台觀（陝西寶雞市）