The Holy Father and Holy Mother in the Two Rites Hall of Nan Yan Palace

Holy Father and Holy Mother are the respectful titles given by Taoism to the parents of the true martial gods. 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 Confucian values of loyalty, filial piety and moral ethics, which have been integrated into the doctrines of Wudang Taoism. According to the "Zhenwu Benzhuan Miaojing", the father of the Zhenwu God was King Jingle, Emperor Mingzhen, and his mother was Empress Shansheng. The Daoist book states that the Holy Ancestor Xuan Yuan transformed into Xuanwu for the 82nd time and entrusted the Jingle Kingdom to be the 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 Taoism on Wudang Mountain and ascended 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, Qiongzhen Shangxian." The belief in the parents of the True martial God was highly regarded by the rulers during the Yuan Dynasty. In the first year of Yanhu, 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". Behind the main halls of each palace on Wudang Mountain, there are parents' halls dedicated to the Holy Father and the Holy Mother. The materials of their statues include copper, wood, clay, etc.