|
|
Luoyang Tour of Longmen
Guanlin Temple
|
|
|
|
Guanlin Temple, about seven
kilometers (about 4.5 miles) south of Luoyang City, was built in
1596, during the reign of Emperor Wanli in the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644) and was expanded in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is
called General Guan's Tomb as well.
Guanlin Temple is the place where Guan Yu's head was
buried. So, are you wondering about who Guan Yu is? He is a hero in
Chinese history and is the only person respected by Confucians,
Buddhists and Taoists. Guan Yu was a general of the Kingdom of Shu
during the Three Kingdoms Period. After he was murdered by people of
the Wu Kingdom, his head was sent to Cao Cao in order to frame Cao
Cao and start a fight between the Shu Kingdom and the Wei Kingdom.
However, Cao Cao discovered their plot. Due to his great respect for
General Guan Yu, Cao Cao had Guan Yu's body carved from eaglewood
and buried the carving and the head with great honors outside the
South Gate of Luoyang City. Emperors of succeeding dynasties all
revered Guan Yu a lot and even worshiped him as God of War. As a
result, the temple in Luoyang is splendid and grandiose.
The temple covers an area of 100 mu (about 16.5 acres).
Inside the temple are halls, tablets, small stone lions and cypress.
The layout of the temple highly embodies the traditional style of
Chinese architecture. It is designed and built symmetrically. Moving
north from the Opera tower, there is the Main Gate, the Courtesy
Gate, the First Hall, the Second Hall, the Third Gate, and the Tomb
of Guan Yu. The First Hall is most magnificent. On its main gate are
a series of reliefs telling the well-known stories of Guang Yu. The
views from other halls and places inside the temple are also
beautiful.
An art gallery was also built inside the temple,
displaying a collection of nearly 2000 ancient steles, epitaphs and
stone inscriptions. They are really helpful to the research of
ancient Chinese history.
Tour Luoyang with
Great Wall Adventure Club, the best Luoyang tour agent to help you
with your hotel booking and transfers. |
|
