Front Hall of the Temple of Guan Yu in Zhaili

Front Hall of the Temple of Guan Yu in Zhaili

The Front Hall of the Temple of Guan Yu in Zhaili is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Front Hall of the Temple of Guan Yu in Zhaili (Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: Yuan Dynasty

Address: Zhaili Village, Hongzhiyi Town, Yanhu District

The Temple of Guan Yu was established in an unknown year, but only the Yuan Dynasty front hall remains today. The main hall faces south, is five bays wide, four rafters deep, features a single-eave hanging gable roof, and lacks column ties. The front eaves are supported by thick round wooden beams spanning the width of the facade, with a single-tier bracket set (four-purlin bracketing with a single downward cantilever) atop them. The beam structure is fully exposed (“cheshangloumingzao”), with camel humps supporting the horizontal beams, and ridge purlins and struts erected atop them. The four-rafter beams and arches are from the same period as the main hall, featuring four-rafter beams supported by arched brackets and corbels.

Attraction Location

Zhaili Village, Hongzhiyi Town, Yanhu District, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province

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 Yunchang, originally Changsheng, and he was a native of Jieyang in Hedong (present-day Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province). He was a renowned general of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, serving as a Front General and Marquis of Hanshou, as well as a military strategist. After his death, he was revered by the people and honored by successive imperial courts, eventually being worshipped as the God of War (Guan Sheng Di Jun). In Buddhism, he is known as Sangharama Bodhisattva, and respectfully called “Lord Guan.” Later rulers revered Guan Yu as the “Martial Saint,” placing him on par with Confucius, the “Civil Saint.”

Following Liu Bei

Guan Yu’s original courtesy name was Changsheng, later changed to Yunchang. In his early years, he fled his hometown to Youzhou after being involved in some trouble... More details about Guan Yu++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units