Beijing Guan-Yue Temple

Beijing Guan-Yue Temple

Beijing Guan-Yue Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Guan-Yue Temple is located on the north side of Gulou West Street in Xicheng District, Beijing. Originally built as the Prince Chun’s Ancestral Temple, following the regulations for a residence-turned-temple of Prince Chun of the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed in 1914 to enshrine Guan Yu and Yue Fei, hence the name Guan-Yue Temple, also known as the Temple of Martial Deities.

During the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, this site was originally an ancestral temple constructed for Prince Chun, the seventh son of Emperor Daoguang. As Prince Chun Zaifeng served both as Prince Regent and imperial father, his family temple was especially grand. On November 20, 1891 (January 1, 1891 in the Gregorian calendar), Yi Xin passed away, and on December 26 of the same year, Emperor Guangxu issued an edict deciding to build a temple, establish a shrine, and construct a tomb for him. The Prince Chunxian Ancestral Temple was built in the 17th year of Guangxu (1892) and completed in the 25th year (1899), but Prince Chun was not enshrined there. The Prince Chunxian Ancestral Temple was constructed in 1891 and completed in 1899.

The temple faces south and consists of three courtyards, with east and west wing courtyards in the middle courtyard. Along the central axis are, in sequence, a glazed screen wall, a central gate, outer walls in a swallowtail shape, and a glazed gate on each side; within the middle courtyard, there is a censer for burning silk on the east and a ceremonial utensil pavilion on the west; the main hall has seven bays, with a moon terrace in front and five-bay side halls on the east and west; the rear shrine has five bays. The building covers a floor area of over 3,000 square meters. In the third year of the Republic of China (1914), the Beiyang government installed statues of Guan Yu and Yue Fei in the rear shrine and enshrined them together as Guan-Yue, hence naming it Guan-Yue Temple. In 1939, the Temple of Martial King (Wu Cheng Wang Miao) was restored and abbreviated as the Temple of Martial Deities (Wu Miao). The main hall was renamed the Martial Achievement Hall (Wu Cheng Dian), and the former Guan-Yue Hall became the Martial Virtue Hall (Wu De Tang). The north, east, and west walls of the hall are inlaid with stone carvings depicting biographies of 80 historical generals who were honored or associated with Wu Cheng Wang; 16 stone tablets remain today.

In May 2006, Guan-Yue Temple, as an ancient architectural structure from the Qing Dynasty, was approved by the State Council for inclusion in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further reading:

· Third Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Beijing

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units