46 THE SHUH COUNTRY 



The green sheep palace (#^^), is situated five li 

 from the south gate on the south-west corner of the city. 

 The building dates from the T'ang Dynasty. The chief 

 deity therein is Li Lao Kuin (^^§3I"), the founder of the 

 Taoist Sect, and the reputed ancestor of Li Ping (^#K). 

 There are also two copper sheep images, believed to date 

 from the Ming Dynasty, and are said to have been used by 

 an official for fumigating his official robes. It is also stated 

 that this temple was at one time a christian monastry 

 (probably Nestorian) and the two sheep were left there by 

 the missionaries. In this temple there is also an incarnation 

 stage (P^&II), and preaching stage (JhH^H), all of which 

 have reference to Lao Tsi (^ J 3F) and the Taoist sect. 



The relics of San-feng (H^3ui5$) who is reputed a 

 Taoist celestial. In the temple known as the Erh Sien An 

 (Zl fill =?!) there is a stone wall on which is sketched a picture 

 of a dragon and a snake. This is believed to have been 

 sketched by the hand of Cheng San Feng. 



The brass drums (W Hi M fi£) of Chu Koh Liang (ft|W). 

 This relic of the famous hero is kept in the Wu Heo Si 

 (j^ ^ #) temple, before the image of Wu heo (jfc ^) which 

 is a deification of the hero C hu Koh Liang himself. There 

 is one large and one small drum; relics of his wars on the 

 southern frontiers. 



The Wash Flower Stream (8S ~fc 5H) is situated five li 

 south of the city; near a temple known as the Ts'ao T'ang 

 Si (^ 'sL t£). In the T'ang Dynasty this was a favourite 

 place of recreation for city people. It is said that in the 

 above temple an image of a woman named Ren ( / ft) is to be 

 found. Legend says that this woman when a girl when 

 washing c'othes in the stream, saw a priest fall into the 

 stream and soil his garments. The girl immediately volun- 

 teered to wash them for him; and as she washed them white 

 bubbles rose to the surface of the water; so ever after the 

 stream bore the name of Huan Hua K'i. The story also 

 states that in the course of time a governing official mariied 

 her as one of his concubines. 



The ten thousand li bridge (H M W) is the large bridge 

 situated just outside the south gate which is said to have 

 been in its present position in the Han and T'ang Dynasties, 

 though it has often been repaired in the long interval. 



The palace of the king of Shuh (HjiE^if). This is 

 inside the Imperial city, and was the palace of the eleventh 

 son of Hong Wu ($£ sft) (the- first emperor of the Ming 

 Dynasty) who was sent to govern Shuh as a subsidiary 



