Guan Di Temple on Furong Street in Jinan

Guan Di Temple on Furong Street in Jinan

Guan Di Temple on Furong Street in Jinan is a national A-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism site.

Guan Di Temple on Furong Street is located on the east side of the northern end of Furong Street, directly opposite East Shengfu Street. Though not large in size, the temple sits at a strategic location and was once highly popular for worship.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were over a hundred Guan Di Temples in Jinan. The deity worshipped in these temples is Guan Yu, also known as Guan Yun Chang, a famous general of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, commonly referred to as Guan Gong. From the Wei to the Tang dynasties, Guan Yu had little influence among the people, but from the Song Dynasty onward, his fame grew significantly. Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism all sought to incorporate him as a guardian deity, turning him into the widely revered “Military Sage,” standing as an equal to the “Civil Sage” Confucius. The Confucius Temple is called the Temple of Literature, while the Guan Di Temple is called the Temple of Martial Valor. Not far north of Furong Street Guan Di Temple lies the Confucian Temple built during the Song Dynasty, forming what is referred to as the “Literature to the left, Martial to the right” layout.

Inside the Guan Di Temple is a stone stele from the 59th year of the Kangxi reign (1720), titled “Record of Re-erecting the Examination Shed Stele.” The top of the stele is inscribed with four large characters: “Common Rules Made Clear.” The inscription details the examination rules of the imperial examination hall. These rules were meant to be publicly displayed in the examination hall, so the reason for erecting this stele in the Guan Di Temple may have been as follows: the examination sheds of the examination hall were not far northwest of the temple, and many scholars who came to take the exams often visited the temple to draw lots or seek divination. With Guan Di watching above, the divine would not deceive, and the scholars, reading the stele here, would be filled with awe and deterred from cheating. During the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, Jinan became the provincial capital, the Provincial Administration Commission was moved here from Qingzhou, and the examination hall was also first established here, with over 6,000 examination cubicles. By the Qing Dynasty, that number had exceeded 10,000. During the provincial examination period, this area became a domain for scholars.

Another stele inside the temple is from the 25th year of the Guangxu reign (1899), titled “Record of Rebuilding Guan Di Shengjun Temple at the Eastern Entrance of the Small Street on the East Side of the North End of Furong Street.” It was organized by twenty merchants, including Jixiang Hao, Tongxiang Yong, Zhixiang Lou, Xinyi Hao, and Ruibao Lou, who served as lead contributors. They gathered funds from merchants on both streets to rebuild the temple and erected this stele to commemorate the event.

Address: No. 38, Furong Street, Lixia District, Jinan City

Business Hours: 6:00–19:00

Suggested Visiting Time: About 1 hour

Price Description: Free Admission

Featured Attractions: The “Three Uniques” of the Holy Temple: The “Three Uniques” refer to the one-of-a-kind uniqueness of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. The Heaven Unique is the Jade Statue bestowed by Heaven. Initially planned as a clay sculpture, unexpected setbacks led to seeking jade in Liaoning, but the required stone material was too large and could not be found, so they returned. On the way back, they fortuitously found this single large piece of material — isn’t this coincidence heaven-sent? The Earth Unique is the Three-Eyed Divine Spring gifted by the Earth Mother. The Human Unique refers to the temple gate. This temple gate doesn’t look like a typical temple gate but more like a residential door. For reasons unknown, there is no other example like it in the country. This mystery seems to have been set by a mastermind. Therefore, the gifts of Heaven, the offerings of Earth, and the design by a wise person constitute the Heaven, Earth, and Human “Three Uniques.” The convergence of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity is the “Unity of Heaven and Humanity,” which is the Taoist view of the universe and its highest realm. Thus, the Holy Temple has reached its ultimate state.

Tour Guide Fee: 20 RMB

Public Transport:

The scenic area currently does not offer a dedicated tourist shuttle bus.

Self-Driving Directions:

G20 Highway — Exit at Jinan North — Jinan North Ring Expressway — Shunhe Elevated Road — Head east on Jingsi Road — Gongqingtuan Road — Quancheng Road — East side of Furong Street’s northern end

Parking Information:

Parking available in front of the temple.

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 Yun Chang, originally Chang Sheng. He was a native of Xie Liang in Hedong (present-day Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province). He was a renowned general of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, holding the rank of General of the Vanguard, Marquis of Hanshou Ting, and was a military strategist. After his death, he was highly venerated by the people and honored by successive imperial courts, eventually being worshipped as Guan Sheng Di Jun. In Buddhism, he is known as Sangharama Bodhisattva and respectfully called “Guan Gong.” Guan Yu was later revered by rulers as the “Military Sage,” equal in stature to Confucius, the “Civil Sage.”

Following Liu Bei

Guan Yu’s original courtesy name was Chang Sheng, later changed to Yun Chang. In his early years, he fled his hometown due to trouble and went to You… More detailed information about Guan Yu++