Fengshan Guan Yu Temple

Fengshan Guan Yu Temple

Fengshan Guan Yu Temple is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Fengshan Guan Yu Temple is located in Fengshan Town, Fengning Manchu Autonomous County, and is a key cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province. Covering an area of 1,676 square meters, the temple was first built in the 17th year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1729) and was later expanded during the Qianlong and Jiaqing eras, forming an ancient architectural complex that includes the main hall, side halls, meditation rooms, bell and drum towers, and an archway. In the 11th year of the Guangxu reign (1885), the royal family bestowed a plaque inscribed with “Matching Heaven and Earth,” which was hung in the center of the archway. It is one of the larger imperial temples north of the Great Wall. Before liberation, the annual temple fair held on the 13th day of the fifth lunar month lasted for a month, attracting merchants from all over the country and becoming a major event in the northern frontier. Having endured over 270 years of natural and human-caused damage, the temple complex suffered from severe roof leaks, structural tilting, and overall deterioration. In 2010, after being approved by provincial and municipal ethnic and religious authorities as a legitimate Taoist activity site, the Guan Yu Temple organizing committee raised private funds to renovate the original bell tower, drum tower, and Horse-Passing Hall. Following an assessment and approval by the ethnic and religious affairs bureau, the temple was officially registered as a religious activity venue. On December 9, 2010, the Fengshan Guan Yu Temple held an consecration ceremony.

In May 2013, Fengshan Guan Yu Temple was announced as part of the seventh batch of national key cultural relic protection units.

Guan Yu (162?–220), of Han ethnicity, was born during the Yanxi era of Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty. His style name was Yunchang, originally Changsheng, and he was a native of Xie County, Hedong (present-day Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province). A renowned general of the Shu Han kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, he served as a Front General and was granted the title Marquis of Hanshou. A military strategist, he was revered by the people after his death and honored by successive imperial courts, eventually being worshipped as the Divine Lord Guan. In Buddhism, he is known as the Sangharama Bodhisattva and respectfully called “Lord Guan.” Later rulers elevated him to the status of “Military Sage,” equal to Confucius, the “Civil Sage.”

Following Liu Bei

Guan Yu’s original style name was Changsheng, later changed to Yunchang. In his early years, after being involved in some trouble, he fled his hometown to You… [More details about Guan Yu]

Fengshan Town: Located in the eastern part of Fengning County, Fengshan Town borders Gubeikou to the south, Duolun to the north, connects to Chengde and Longhua to the east, and controls the Bashang Grassland to the west. It has long been a strategic military location and is one of the famous old towns beyond the Great Wall. According to the Fengshan Town Annals, the town was rebuilt in 1645 on the site of an ancient Liao Dynasty earthen city, hence its original name Tuchengzi (Earthen City). In 1736, Tuchengzi was designated as the site of the Sige Banner Office. In 1778, the Sige Banner Office was reorganized into Fengning County, and Tuchengzi subsequently became known as “Fengning.” In 1940, when the county seat was moved to Dagui, Tuchengzi officially adopted the new name Fengshan.

With convenient transportation... [More details about Fengshan Town]

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Key Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units