Loyalty and loyalty｜Guan Di Temple in Jiezhou, Shanxi

[The goodness of Shanxi, the beauty of Jin, Yuncheng, great righteousness and undying loyalty] The last stop of the trip to Shanxi was a visit to Lord Guan. Yuncheng is the hometown of Guan Gong, where is located the largest Guandi ancestral temple in the country - Jiezhou Guandi Temple (rebuilt during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty). When I visited, the sky was gloomy and there was a drizzle. I suddenly felt that such weather was very consistent with Guan Gong's tragic life. Guan Yu has been revered by the people since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and emperors of all dynasties have conferred titles on him. It was not until the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty that he was finally canonized as a saint, a thousand years after his death. The Xiezhou Guandi Temple is very big. You can walk around and look around, recalling the scenes of the Three Kingdoms. Whether Guan Gong was canonized as a saint or not is not the point; his loyalty and courage are the reasons why the common people admire him.
Tips: The Guandi Ancestral Temple in Jiezhou has been expanded and renovated in all dynasties. Most of the existing buildings were rebuilt in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is adjacent to the majestic and beautiful Tiaoshan Mountain in the south and the vast blue Silver Lake in the north. The temples and pavilions complement the scenery of the lake and mountains. It is a well-preserved, large-scale ancient building complex with a traditional Chinese "courtyard in front and bedroom in the rear" and a palace-style layout with central axis symmetry. On the central axis are arranged Duanmen, Zhimen, Wumen, Imperial Library, Chongning Hall, and Chunqiu Tower in sequence. On both sides are wooden archways, stone archways, stele pavilions, bell pavilions and east-west corridors. The towering buildings are matched with towering pines and cypresses, giving it a royal style. Hanging in the temple are plaques written by Emperor Kangxi himself, "Yi Bing Qian Kun", Emperor Qianlong's "Shen Yong", Emperor Xianfeng's "Wan Shi Ren Ji", and Empress Dowager Cixi's "Wei Ling Zhen Die", which are truly treasures. The "Spring and Autumn Tower", the most important building in the temple, is a treasure among ancient Chinese buildings.

Post by Stella.Robinson@79 | Feb 19, 2024