Yanggu Guan Di Temple

Yanggu Guan Di Temple

Yanggu Guan Di Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaocheng City.

Located on South Street in Zhangqiu Town, about 70 meters east of the ancient canal, it was jointly funded and built by merchants from Shandong and Shaanxi provinces. The existing structures mainly include the main hall, side halls, theater stage, and the mountain gate, all designed in a traditional hip-and-gable style with bracket sets. The guildhall currently stretches 32 meters from north to south and 40 meters from east to west, covering a total area of approximately 1,280 square meters. The mountain gate has three bays and is connected to the rear theater stage as one unit. Embedded above the gate’s arched opening is a stone plaque measuring 2.0 meters in length and 0.6 meters in width, with carved dragons and floral patterns along the border. The central inscription reads “Qiánkūn Zhèngqì” (Heavenly and Earthly Righteousness), and the inscription at the bottom states: “Built jointly by merchants from Shandong and Shaanxi in the early autumn of the Guǐsù year (1693) during the Kangxi reign.” The theater stage also has three bays, faces south, and is backed by the northern wall. On the right side, there is a brick staircase for access. The stage is 9.8 meters long from east to west and 8 meters deep, consisting of a front performance area and a backstage. The stage floor is 1.9 meters high and connected via a passageway to the mountain gate, leading directly into the courtyard. The passageway is 2.45 meters wide and 1.8 meters high. The main hall of the guildhall was originally dedicated to Guan Di, featuring a front offering hall and a rear worship hall, with a statue of Guan Di enshrined inside. It has three bays, is 10.3 meters wide from east to west, and 10.5 meters deep. The side halls are located on both sides of the main hall, each with three bays, 7.35 meters wide and 5.5 meters deep. In addition, several stone steles lie on the eastern side of the side halls. It is now a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit.

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 Yúncháng, originally Changshēng, and he was a native of Xiéliang in Hedong (present-day Yuncheng, Shanxi Province). A renowned general of the Shu Han kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, he held the rank of General of the Vanguard, was titled Marquis of Hanshou Ting, and was celebrated as a military strategist. After his death, he was revered by the people and honored by successive imperial courts, eventually being worshipped as Guān Shèng Dì Jūn (Lord Guan the Saintly Emperor). In Buddhism, he is known as the Bodhisattva Sangharama, and respectfully called “Guān Gōng.” Later rulers revered him as the “Military Sage,” equal in stature to Confucius, the “Civil Sage.”

Following Liu Bei

Guan Yu’s original courtesy name was Changshēng, later changed to Yúncháng. In his early years, he fled his hometown after being involved in some trouble and went to You… More details about Guan Yu ++