The Holy Father of the Wansheng Pavilion in Taihe Palace

"Holy Father" is a respectful title given in Taoism to the father of Emperor Zhenwu. All the major temples and monasteries on Wudang Mountain have parents' Halls, where the statues of the Holy Father and the Holy Mother, which were made by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, are enshrined. Wudang Taoism reveres the Holy Father and the Holy Mother, embodying the traditional Chinese values of loyalty, filial piety and ethics. It is widely accepted by the common people. Paying homage to the Holy Father and the Holy Mother is one of the important parts of mountain pilgrimages and incense offerings. According to the "Zhenwu Benzhuan Miaojing", Zhenwu's father was King Jingle, Emperor Mingzhen, and his mother was Empress Shansheng. The Purple Light Sutra states: "The Pure and Joyful Realm is an overseas immortal land, located to the west of the Moon Branch in the Western Regions." The star is located below the two constellations of Kui Lou." The Daoist book states that the Holy Ancestor Xuan Yuan transformed into Xuanwu for the 82nd time, turning into a spirit of the sun and enslaying the Jingle Kingdom as its crown prince. Empress Shan Sheng dreamed of swallowing the sun and was fourteen months pregnant. On the third day of the third month of the first year of the Purple Cloud era of the Yellow Emperor, she gave birth to a mother on her left flank. Later, he practiced on Wudang Mountain and achieved enlightenment, ascending to heaven. The Jade Emperor bestowed upon him the title of "Xuantian God", and bestowed upon his Holy father the title of "Jingle Tianjun, Mingzhen Dadi", and upon his Holy mother the title of "Shansheng Empress Dowager, Qiongzhen Shangxian". He resided in the Dragon Transformation Fandu Tianwuyu Palace. The faith in the parents of Zhenwu was highly regarded by the rulers in the Yuan Dynasty. In the first year of Yanhu, that is, 1314 AD, Emperor Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty bestowed upon King Jingle the title of "Qiyuan Longqing Tianjun Mingzhen Tiandi" and upon Empress Shansheng the title of "Cining Yude Tianhou Qiongzhen Shangxian".