Wufei Temple

Lonely Planet review

When Koxinga's grandson surrendered to the Manchus in 1683, all hope of restoring the Ming dynasty ended. King Ning Jin, the last contender for the Ming throne, knew his time was up. Before he committed suicide, however, he urged his concubines to 'get thee to a nunnery'. The concubines refused, claiming their honour was as important as the king's, and hanged themselves on a roof beam in the bedroom of his palace. The palace is now the shrine to Matsu's parents at the Matsu Temple and the beam is still in place.

A dainty temple was constructed in the concubines' honour and now sits in a 2000-sq-metre garden park. Note that the real tombs of the ladies are behind the shrine and are covered with cement.