The New Guan Yu Temple

The New Guan Yu Temple

The New Guan Yu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, when river transport was thriving, merchants from Shanxi flocked to Taierzhuang to set up shops. To foster ties among fellow provincials and leverage collective strength for business, in the 13th year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1735), they pooled funds to build the Shanxi Guild Hall, enshrining a memorial tablet of Guan Yu, the sage of Shanxi—effectively establishing a Guan Yu Temple. Since Taierzhuang already had a Guan Yu Temple, this one came to be known as the New Guan Yu Temple.

When first built, the New Guan Yu Temple covered an area of 30 mu, with over a hundred halls, towers, and meditation rooms. Major structures included the Spring and Autumn Tower and the Guan Yu Hall, with a total floor area of nearly 6,000 square meters. The five-bay Spring and Autumn Tower stood about 15 meters high, built with blue bricks, white joints, and glazed tiles, featuring spectacular upturned eaves. A huge portrait titled “The Second Lord Contemplating the Spring and Autumn Annals” hung on the upper floor of the New Guan Yu Temple. The three-bay Guan Yu Hall was roofed with blue brick cylindrical tiles and small upturned eaves adorned with animal ornaments. Inside the hall, the statue of Guan Yu held the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, whose blade measured 1.3 meters long and whose handle was made of fine bronze. In front of the statue stood a large tin square table, atop which sat a half-meter-diameter tin incense burner that emitted fragrant smoke all day long.

Afterward, Shanxi merchants continuously maintained and renovated the New Guan Yu Temple. In the 30th and 50th years of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, two major renovation projects successively added structures such as the ceremonial gate, side halls, theater stage, gateway, and dozens of auxiliary rooms. They also built a large screen wall over 10 meters high topped with animal ornaments. The screen wall was richly decorated with colorful beams and painted rafters, presenting a magnificent sight. The front of the New Guan Yu Temple’s screen wall was inlaid with a couplet reading: “Boundless benevolence and wisdom, noble spirit fills heaven and earth; divine civil and martial prowess, immortal legacy surpasses all ages.” Grand temple fairs were held annually at the New Guan Yu Temple on the third and thirteenth days of the fifth lunar month, the days of Guan Yu’s knife-sharpening ritual. Devotees flocked to the temple, performers showcased their arts, and the area inside and outside the temple became lively and bustling.

Guan Yu (162?–220), of Han ethnicity, was born during the Yanxi era of Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty. His courtesy name was Yunchang, originally Changsheng, and he hailed from Xieliang in Hedong (present-day Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province). He was a renowned general of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, serving as General of the Vanguard and Marquis of Hanshou, as well as a military strategist. After his death, he was revered by the people and honored by successive imperial courts, eventually being worshipped as the Divine Lord Guan, referred to as Sangharama Bodhisattva in Buddhism, and respectfully called “Guan Gong.” Later rulers revered Guan Yu as the “Martial Saint,” placing him on par with Confucius, the “Civil Saint.”

Following Liu Bei

Guan Yu’s original courtesy name was Changsheng, later changed to Yunchang. In his early years, after getting into trouble, he fled his hometown and went to You... More details about Guan Yu++