Ruyang Kaiyuan Temple

Ruyang Kaiyuan Temple

Kaiyuan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Kaiyuan Temple is located on East Street in Ruyang County. It was originally built in the second year of the Kaiyuan era during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (714 AD), and was converted into the Prefectural City God Temple by the Runing Prefecture government in the late Qing Dynasty. The existing front and rear halls are both single-eave flush-gable roof structures covered with small blue tiles, featuring rigorous construction and exquisite decoration — fine examples of ancient architecture in southern Henan.

According to the *Revised Annals of Runing Prefecture*: “Whenever there were droughts or floods, the official never failed to pray to the deity — and the prayers were never unanswered. On one occasion, a thief escaped from prison and fled to another district, and the official prayed to the god for help. After the thief was captured, he claimed that a deity had obstructed his path midway, preventing his escape.”

Photo by Li Feng