Haizhou Guandi Temple

Guan Yu was a general of the late Han who died in 220 and whose reputation for loyalty and integrity grew over centuries until he was worshipped as a god across China and among Chinese communities worldwide, venerated by Buddhists, Daoists, merchants, soldiers and police alike. He was born near Haizhou, and the temple here, founded in the Sui and rebuilt through the Ming and Qing, is the largest and most senior dedicated to him: some two hundred thousand square metres of halls, gates and courtyards on a long axis, with the Chongning Hall carrying dragon-wound stone columns and the Spring and Autumn Tower of three storeys behind. Old cypresses fill the courtyards.

History

The temple was founded in 589, the ninth year of Kaihuang under the Sui dynasty, near the birthplace of Guan Yu, and was enlarged and rebuilt under the Song and Ming. Fire destroyed it in 1702, the forty-first year of Kangxi, and it was restored over the following decade or so; today it covers 220,000 square metres with more than 200 rooms, the largest temple to Guan Yu in China (Wikipedia, Haizhou Emperor Guan Temple).

What to look for

• The Chongning Hall - the main hall with carved dragon columns.
• The Spring and Autumn Tower - the three-storey building at the axis end.
• The scale - the largest Guandi temple in China across a long formal axis.
• The worship - offerings and incense from visitors across the Chinese world.

When to go

April to October for comfortable weather; the temple is busiest around Guan Yu's traditional birthday and during Chinese holidays. Mornings are quieter. Yuncheng is reached by high-speed rail.

What to expect

Much of the complex is Qing rebuilding rather than earlier fabric. English interpretation is minimal, and the significance of Guan Yu is assumed rather than explained. The surrounding town is ordinary.

Nearby

The Yuncheng salt lake lies northeast; the Yellow River bends south.

Key facts