Taiyuan Da Guan Di Miao (Great Temple of Lord Guan)

Taiyuan Da Guan Di Miao

The Taiyuan Da Guan Di Miao is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Great Temple of Lord Guan

The Great Temple of Lord Guan (listed in the 4th batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites)

Period: Ming and Qing Dynasties

Address: No. 36 Miaowan Street, Yingze District, Taiyuan City

The year of establishment is unknown. The extant buildings include the main hall and the Spring and Autumn Tower, which date back to the Ming Dynasty, while the rest were built during the Qing Dynasty. Facing south, the temple has a two-courtyard layout covering an area of over 3,260 square meters. Along the central axis are, in sequence, the Mountain Gate, the Chongning Hall, and the Spring and Autumn Tower, flanked by the Bell and Drum Towers, East and West Corridor Rooms, Side Rooms, and Auxiliary Buildings, totaling eleven structures. Aside from the main Chongning Hall, which is a Ming Dynasty remnant, all others were constructed in the Qing Dynasty. The front courtyard buildings are interconnected by passageways, while the rear courtyard’s Spring and Autumn Tower and side halls are linked by an elevated wooden corridor bridge, forming a complete and well-preserved architectural complex.

The Taiyuan Da Guan Di Miao is likely the largest and best-preserved Temple of Lord Guan within Taiyuan’s urban area (there is another one behind Nanxiaoqiang Stomatological Hospital, but it is currently used as residential housing). It is listed as part of the 7th batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units. The exact date of the temple’s construction is unknown, but it is said to have been built on foundations dating back to the Jin or Yuan Dynasties. The existing structures were built during the Ming Dynasty. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the temple was converted into classrooms for Miaowan Street Primary School until it was vacated. Since then, restoration work has been carried out on the original buildings, with murals repainted and polychrome statues added to revive the former landscape. The current structures include the Mountain Gate, Bell and Drum Towers, Chongning Hall, Spring and Autumn Tower, and surrounding Side Rooms, all topped with green glazed tiles, representing a typical style of northern Chinese architecture.

In May 2013, the Taiyuan Da Guan Di Miao was designated as part of the 7th batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

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 Xieliang in 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. He was also a military strategist. After his death, he was venerated by the people and honored by successive imperial courts, eventually being deified as the God of War, Guan Sheng Di Jun. In Buddhism, he is known as Sangharama Bodhisattva, and respectfully called “Guan Gong.” Later rulers revered Guan Yu as the “Martial Saint,” equal in status to 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 after being involved in trouble and went to You… More details about Guan Yu ++

Further Reading:

· 4th Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites

· 7th Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units