An abbey and shrine to the five immortals is first attested during the early
Song ( century), with rulers making sacrifices and locals offering prayer to them. The present temple was erected under the
Ming in the 10th
year of the
Hongwu Era, either AD 1377 or 1378. Under the Qing, the site was also known as the . Shortly after the installation of the temple's high, 5-
ton bell in 1378, there was an outbreak of
plague in the city. Considered unlucky ever afterward, the "Forbidden Bell" has not been rung since. In the 19th century, the
guardian lions at the entrance to the temple were venerated by local women
seeking to give birth to sons. The original temple on Great Market Street burnt down in 1368. It was moved rebuilt in 1377, with its main hall devoted to the five immortals. By 1923, the temple grounds covered ; that year,
Sun Yat-sen ordered seven local temples include it to be auctioned to raise revenue for their war effort against the
Beiyang government. It was purchased by a local club, who deposed the residing Taoist clergymen, but its site was given special protection by the municipal government and was eventually converted into a school. Following the
opening up of China in the 1980s, the temple was renovated but no longer operates as a Taoist temple. ==Grounds==