The Temple of Five Emperors was a famous temple in Dingzhou which had an intimate relationship with the imperial household, powerful of?cials and wealthy gentry. Chongxiu Qidi-Si Bei Ji (Stele Commemorating the Reconstruction of the Temple of Five Emperors) not only re?ects the historical events of its time, but also provides valuable evidence for studying the temple’s clerical and lay structural organisation. In this period in Dingzhou, foreigners from Central Asia and Han Chinese lived together and there were mixed religious beliefs. The leading temple donor was a Sogdian merchant called He Yongkang and became the director of the temple’s lay following, revealing the complexity of religious beliefs at that time.
