# Yuding Zhenren

Yuding Zhenren (Chinese: 玉鼎真人) is a Taoist deity and character in the classic Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi. He is one of the Twelve Golden Immortals under Yuanshi Tianzun. His disciple is Yang Jian and he taught him fighting and magical skills including the 72 earthly transformations.

## Related legends

In Fenshen Yanyi, Yuding Zhenren is said to one of the twelve disciples of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is the co-founder of Branch Chan of Taoism. Yuding ranked the second of the Twelve Golden Xian (十二金仙) along with Yuanshi Tianzun's other eleven students. During the war between the Zhou and Shang armies, he fought alongside the Zhou army with the other Twelve Golden Xian, helping to overthrow the Shang dynasty. He once assisted Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and other immortals in breaking the Immortal Formation. Furthermore, when Jiang Ziya was trapped by the Five Commissioners of Pestilence, he arrived promptly to save him. He ordered his disciple, Yang Jian, to meet the Three Great Emperors in the Fire Cloud Cave to obtain the cohosh herb from Shennong, thereby saving the three armies from the ordeal of smallpox.
In ancient times, the Jade Emperor's third daughter, Princess Yunhua, secretly married a mortal man named Yang Tianyou in the mortal realm, and they had a son named Yang Jian. When the Jade Emperor learned of this, he was furious and made a firm decision. He imprisoned his own daughter beneath Peach Mountain.
In order to rescue his mother, Yang Jian became a disciple of Yuding Zhenren at Jinxia Cave in Yuquan Mountain. By the age of seventeen, he had cultivated powerful abilities that allowed him to stand proudly in the world. His martial skills progressed remarkably, especially after he obtained the Three-Pointed Two-Edged Blade. Driven by his deep desire to save his mother, he used his blade to split open Peach Mountain and rescued her. This legend has also become an important origin for the "filial piety" culture along the banks of the Guan River.
Due to the story of Yang Jian seeking advice at Yuquan Mountain, the fame of Jinxia Cave (the Golden Dawn Cave) spread far and wide. In the Qing dynasty's Yuquan Zhi (Records of Yuquan), it is recorded: "The Golden Dawn Cave is located at the foot of Fu Chuan Mountain and is named so because it is often illuminated by the radiance of the dawn."
There is a place called Jinxia Cave located in the northern part of An County, Mianyang, Sichuan Province. Jinxia Cave Daoist Temple, situated in Gu Lou Village, Anchang Town, Beichuan County, was opened as a Taoist activity site in 1999. Jinxia Cave is perched atop Yuquan Mountain and is rarely visited by people. Within Jinxia Cave, there stands a broken stele on which is inscribed "The Practice Place ofEICYuding Zhenren."

## Temple

Located in the southwestern suburb of Chengdu, Sanqing Hall within Qingyang Palace is a temple dedicated to the supreme Taoist god Sanqing. In the center of the hall sits a statue of Sanqing, and on both sides of the hall are the disciples of Sanqing, including the Twelve Golden Immortals, including Yuding Zhenren. This historical temple traces its origins back to the Tang dynasty and underwent significant reconstruction during the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty. The foundation of Sanqing Hall takes the form of a square, covering a total area of 1,600 square meters.