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Guandi Temple
Located in Haizhou town, Yuncheng, Shanxi province, Guandi Temple represents the loyalty, courage and righteousness of Guan Yu–a famous general in the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280).
First built in Haizhou, the hometown of Guan Yu, during the Sui Dynasty (581-618), Guandi Temple was reconstructed and expanded during the following dynasties. The temple was destroyed by fire during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and then restored after over 10 years' work.
Guandi Temple now covers 7.3 hectares, making it the largest temple in memory of Guan Yu in China or abroad. It was listed as a national 4A tourist attraction in 2005.
Guan Yu (AD160-219), also named Guan Yunchang, was born in the modern-day village of Changping near the city of Yuncheng, Shanxi province and is referred to as Emperor Guan. The Guan Gong Temple, in the town of Haizhou is the largest temple of its kind in the world and is on China's historical protection list. On Nov 17, 2012, it entered the world cultural heritage tentative list, along with some Guangyu architecture.
Guanyu is popularly worshiped by the Chinese people, in different sects and is called the god of war by the common folk, with great influence in China and abroad. Statistics show that Taiwan alone has thousands of Guan Gong Temples. Around the world there are more than 300,000 of these temples, from the United States to Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
The temple in Haizhou covers a 73,000-square–meter area. In addition to being a national historical heritage site it is a national AAAA scenic area and one of Shanxi’s top 10 scenic areas. It is China’s largest and earliest Guan Gong Temple and consists of three parts: a Haizhou Ancestral Shrine, Changping Emperor Guan Ancestral Temple, and Changping Emperor Guan Ancestral Mausoleum. An Emperor Guan Imperial Garden has been restored as a classical garden in the northern China architectural style.
The Guan Gong spirit represents ruling class values and he is seen as the epitome of loyalty and righteousness, as well as a patron saint of wealth. But Guan Gong worship is intended to respect moral principles, loyalty, righteousness and courage.
Travel Tips
Address: No 145 Wuyi Rd, Haizhou town, Yuncheng city, Shanxi province
http://www.guandimiao.com.cn/default.htm
Tel: 0359-2808369
Opening Hours:08:00-18:00
Entrance Fees: CNY 30
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