Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street

Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street

Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street is located at the summit of Hufeng Mountain in Maojie Village Committee, Bicheng Town, Lufeng County, behind Maojie Middle School. The Kangxi-era "Luoci County Annals" records: “The Temple of Guan Yu is inside the North Gate. In the Year of Yimao (1715), Magistrate Shen Zhishi renovated it. There are four temples dedicated to the Emperor: one within the city; one in Hujie; one in Luomowu; and one in Baisha.” The Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street was first built during the Ming Dynasty, with continuous renovations over the dynasties. The existing structures were rebuilt during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, including the Guan Sheng Hall, Jade Emperor Hall, Guanyin Hall, Goddess Hall, Scripture Depository, and side rooms. The Guan Sheng Palace was originally established in the Ming Dynasty, jointly funded by 49 villages in the Luoci region, and underwent multiple repairs over time, with the current buildings dating from the Qing Dynasty renovations. The Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street is grand in scale, with Taoism as its main faith, integrating Taoist and Buddhist elements. It stands as an important testament to the folk religious beliefs of the Luoci area.

Value Assessment

1. The Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street is large in scale and retains many individual structures. It is one of the few well-preserved Taoist temples in Lufeng County and even Chuxiong Prefecture. As China’s indigenous religion, Taoism has relatively few surviving sites due to special historical reasons, and even fewer that remain intact. However, Taoism is deeply intertwined with traditional Chinese culture, customs, and national character. Therefore, the Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street holds significant historical value.

2. The Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street integrates Confucian thought, Taoist culture, Buddhist culture, and the folk beliefs of the Luoci region, reflecting the diversity and complexity of folk religious beliefs in central Yunnan. It possesses rich, multi-layered cultural connotations and holds considerable academic value.

3. The small wooden components and painted decorations of the Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street are diverse in form, exquisitely carved and painted, demonstrating high artistic value.

On October 7, 2019, the Guan Sheng Palace on Cat Street was included in the eighth batch of the National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units list.

Maojie Village: Maojie Village…… More details about Maojie Village++