Temple of Guan Yu in Fucheng

　　   Address: Fucheng Village, Jin Town, 10 kilometers north of Zezhou County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province

　　   This temple complex comprises an upper courtyard, lower courtyard, outer courtyard, middle courtyard, and front courtyard, covering dozens of acres. The Temple of Guan Yu faces south and has four courtyards. Along the central axis are, in sequence, the mountain gate, theater stage, Hall of Guan Yu, and Hall of the Three Sworn Brothers. On the west side are corridors, bell and drum towers, and monks' quarters, with a total area of 400 square meters. The main hall is the Hall of Guan Yu, which is three bays wide, eight rafters deep, with a single-eave gable-and-hip roof, a nine-rafter front-corridor style structure, and brackets with a height of 2.3 meters. It covers a construction area of 125.8 square meters. The front corridor features four exquisitely carved dragon pillars. There is one lush pine tree in the courtyard. The Hall of the Three Sworn Brothers is three bays wide, six rafters deep, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, a seven-rafter front-corridor style, and five-step double-eave diagonal brackets. The hall’s beams are adorned with painted decorations. The courtyard also includes murals depicting stories of loyalty, righteousness, and brotherhood.

　　   The Temple of Guan Yu has a history of at least 800 years, and it is most famous for its stone carvings. Each courtyard of the temple features different stone carvings. The carvings in the second courtyard are particularly playful—on the corridor pillars of the northern passageway are carved goats and steeds. A lamb nursing and another nibbling its hoof are especially appealing to visiting children. On both sides of the gateway are three lion families, with lion parents playing with their cubs on the stone drums in front of the gate.

　　Guan Yu (162~220)　　   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). He was a renowned general of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, serving as General of the Vanguard, Marquis of Hanshou Ting, and a military strategist. After his death, he was revered by the people and honored by successive dynasties, eventually being worshipped as the Divine Lord Guan, known in Buddhism as 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 courtesy name was Changsheng, later changed to Yunchang. In his early years, after getting into trouble, he fled his hometown to Zhuojun in Youzhou (present-day Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province). In the first year of the Zhongping era... More+