The Taiji Palace in Chongqing, also known as the Laojun Cave

During the Three Kingdoms period, there was a hall, which was greatly renovated at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and has been prosperous for seventeen hundred years, especially during the Qianlong era. It was once the practice site for the Zhengyi Taoist priests, and later fell into disrepair. In the fourth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, it was revived by Quanzhen Taoist priests who took residence, gradually becoming a Quanzhen Longmen sect site. The Laojun Cave is built against the mountain, with carvings on the walls, forming a pattern shaped like the character '玄', and the octagonal pavilion on top represents the dot at the upper end of the character. The Taoist temple covers an area of over 300 acres, with more than 30 statues, and has east, west gates, and a South Heaven Gate built along the mountain. The East Gate faces west, with the morning sun shining directly through, symbolizing 'the coming of purple qi from the east'. The West Gate is the earliest gate of Laojun Cave, built in the ninth year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, with a history of more than four hundred years. Above it is the 'Taiji Palace' plaque, with a Taiji diagram surrounded by the Bagua, implying the evolution of the universe and the profound mysteries of the Tao. On the left and right are carved 'Zifu' and 'Dantai', symbolizing that Laojun Cave is a celestial cave dwelling. The South Heaven Gate is the legendary boundary between humans and immortals, and also the necessary path to ascend to the Jade Emperor Pavilion. The welcoming gate of Laojun Cave is the Lingguan Hall, winding up along the stone steps for 2 kilometers, in sequence are: the Ming Dynasty stone carving hall, the Five Directions God of Wealth Hall, the Western Mother Hall, the Zhenwu Hall, the Cihang Hall, the Lüzu Hall, the Seven True Hall, the Doumu Hall, the Five Hundred Lingguan Hall, the Jade Emperor Hall, etc. The main hall is the Sanqing Hall, originally built during the Ming Chenghua years, with a history of over five hundred years, dedicated to the Three Pure Ones, as well as the Southern Pole Immortal Elder and the Northern Pole Purple Tinge Great Emperor. Of course, in the deep woods and bustling streets of Chongqing, many religious beliefs and cultural relics are hidden, but the Laojun Cave Taoist temple is the most famous among them.