Jizhou Guan Yu Temple

Jizhou Guan Yu Temple

Jizhou Guan Yu Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin Municipality.

Guan Yu Temple

Age: Ming Dynasty

Address: No. 15 Wuding Street, Jixian County

Category: Ancient Architecture

Guan Yu Temple is located on the north side of Wuding Street in Jixian County town, facing south. According to the *Jixian County Annals*, there were six Guan Yu Temples in the ancient Jizhou area, three of which were within Jizhou County town—one each in the northwest corner, northeast corner (called Shangguan Temple), and southeast corner (called Xia Guan Temple). Additionally, temples were built on Fuzhun Mountain to the north of the county town, in Bie Shan Town to the east, and in Bangjun Town to the west. Due to historical reasons, only this one remains in Jixian County town today. The Guan Yu Temple also belongs to the category of “official temples,” an essential symbolic structure in ancient Chinese urban planning.

The founding date of Jixian Guan Yu Temple is unknown, but it was renovated during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The original complex included a mountain gate, bell and drum towers, front and rear halls, a theater stage, side rooms, and corridors. Currently, the front hall, main hall, and side rooms remain. After the liberation, the site was used successively as a grain storage facility, cadre family dormitory, and Jixian County Grain Bureau, and is now managed and used by the County Tourism and Economic Commission.

The front hall is a seven-rafter flush-gable building with a width of three bays, featuring front and rear corridors. Its interior beams are exposed, suggesting architectural features consistent with a Qing Dynasty renovation. The rear hall is the main structure of the Guan Yu Temple, with a width of three bays and a depth similar to that of the front hall. Due to a suspended ceiling inside, the beam structures are not clearly visible, but the exterior components exhibit characteristics of the Ming Dynasty. The roof decorations of the main hall are especially distinctive—it is the only remaining building in the county with glazed tile roofing. Though it has a flush-gable roof, it is adorned with yellow glazed tiles, indicative of pre-Ming architectural techniques. The east and west side halls each have three bays, a flush-gable tiled roof, and front corridors, forming a courtyard together with the front and main halls. As a national historical and cultural city, Jixian County considers Guan Yu Temple an important part of its heritage. Historically, Jixian served as the seat of prefectures and counties, where urban construction traditionally emphasized “complete government offices and complete temples.” Like the Confucian Temple and the City God Temple, the Guan Yu Temple is also an “official temple”—an essential symbol in ancient city planning. Given that ancient Jizhou was a strategic military stronghold, the Guan Yu Temple in Jixian County town holds particular significance.

The main hall of the Guan Yu Temple is the only remaining building in Jixian County with a glazed tile roof. It has a width of three bays and a depth of two bays, with a flush-gable roof covered in yellow glazed tiles. Both the tile end caps and the water spouts are decorated with dragon motifs, indicating a relatively high rank and scale. This type of architecture was quite rare during the Ming and Qing periods.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Tianjin Cultural Relic Protection Units