Gaochun Guanwang Temple

Gaochun Guanwang Temple

Gaochun Guanwang Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

In Gaochun, a suburban county of Nanjing, there is a Guanwang Temple — the only surviving temple in the Jiangnan region dedicated to Guan Yu, the famous general from the Three Kingdoms period. Originally built in the fourth year of the Hongzhi reign during the Ming Dynasty (1491), the temple underwent renovations during both the Ming and Qing dynasties. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it served as the local office of the People's Armed Forces. Later, the local government restored the site and incorporated it as one of the tourist attractions on Gaochun Old Street.

Guanwang Temple, also known as Guandi Temple, Wu Temple, or Guan-Yue Temple, was first built in the fourth year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty (1491). Ji Qi, the assistant prefect of the capital, gathered wealthy merchants from Gaochun such as Wang Liqi to construct the temple within the Beigongji Gate on Gaochun Old Street. In the 45th year of the Wanli reign (1617), County Magistrate Tang Dengjun initiated the reconstruction of the temple on the west side of Wangjia Lane on the old street, and it became known as Guandi Temple. It was destroyed by fire during the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign in the Qing Dynasty (1860), leaving nothing but ashes. In the autumn of the 7th year of the Tongzhi reign (1868), funds were raised through land-based contributions from seven districts across the county, and the temple was rebuilt on the ruins of the former Guandi Temple site on the west side of Wangjia Lane.

The reconstructed Guanwang Temple had nine bays and three sections: a front gate tower, a central worship hall, and a rear main hall. Its grand scale and resplendent decoration made it the foremost Wu Temple among the Seven Counties of Jinling. In the 4th year of the Republic of China (1915), statues of 26 loyal and heroic generals from various dynasties — including Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Li Jing, Guo Ziyi, Han Shizhong, Hulagu, Feng Sheng, Qi Jiguang, Yu Chijingde, Di Qing, Xu Da, and Chang Yuchun — were added inside the temple.

After the victory of the Northern Expedition, in the 17th year of the Republic of China, Gaochun Old Street was renamed “Zhongshan Avenue,” and Guan-Yue Temple was renamed “Zhongshan Hall,” becoming the office of the Kuomintang’s Gaochun County Party headquarters. During the Japanese puppet regime, it was renamed “Heping Hall.” In 1945, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it regained the name Zhongshan Hall, and the County People’s Education Museum was established there. After the liberation of Gaochun in May 1949, it successively housed the County Peasants’ Association, the Communist Youth League Gaochun County (Work) Committee, the County People’s Armed Forces Department, and the Conscription Bureau, with the old halls gradually demolished and modified.

In April 2004, Guanwang Temple was restored to its historical appearance on the original site. After reconstruction, the temple covers an area of more than 3,800 square meters and includes structures such as a mountain gate, screen wall, weapons gate, sacrificial hall (offering hall), ancestral hall (main hall), east and west wing halls, bell and drum towers, and four memorial archways: “Qi Su Qianqiu Fang” (Solemn Air Through a Thousand Autumns) and “Yi Guan Yuntian Fang” (Righteousness Piercing the Clouds). It serves as a religious and cultural exhibition site on Gaochun Old Street.