8:30 – 17:00

25 RMB per person

Telephone: 0359-2022380 Address: Xiguan, Haizhou Town, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province

Suitable for visiting all year round

0359-2085615

Bus Route K704: Yuncheng Railway Station → Guan Emperor Temple Stops: Bus Terminal, Chaoyang Street Crossing, Municipal Hospital, West Garden, Experimental Middle School, West Suburb Office, Xinmin Chinese Medicine Hospital, Guan Emperor Temple

Urban Transport: Take Bus No. 11 downtown to reach the scenic spot directly.

Haizhou, historically known as Xieliang, is the hometown of Guan Yu, the famous general of the Shu-Han Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms Period. It lies in Haizhou Town, 15 kilometres southwest of Yuncheng City. On the western side of the town stands the largest surviving Guan Emperor Temple in China, commonly referred to as Haizhou Guan Emperor Temple, which is designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The temple was first built in the 9th year of the Kaihuang reign of the Sui Dynasty (589 AD) and reconstructed in the 7th year of the Dazhong Xiangfu reign of the Song Dynasty (1014 AD). It suffered repeated destruction and reconstruction afterwards. The buildings we see today were rebuilt over ten years following a devastating fire in the 41st year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1702 AD).

Divided by an east-west street, the temple complex consists of a southern section and a northern section, covering a total area of more than 66,600 square metres. The area south of the street is the Oath Garden, which includes the O Archway, Gentleman Pavilion, Three Righteousness Pavilion, Lotus Pond and rockeries. A 2-metre-high stele still remains, featuring incised line-drawn figures, blooming peach blossoms and sparse bamboo branches. With ingenious composition and exquisite carving techniques, it was erected under the supervision of Yan Rusi in the 28th year of the Qianlong reign (1763 AD). The garden is filled with luxuriant peach trees, recreating the scene of the Peach Garden Oath.

North of the street stands the main temple complex, facing south with a palace-style layout, occupying 18,570 square metres. Horizontally, it is split into the central, eastern and western courtyards, with the central courtyard serving as the core. Vertically along the main axis, it is divided into the front courtyard and the rear palace.

In the front courtyard stand the Spirit Screen Wall, Duanmen Gate, Zhimen Gate, Wumen Gate, the "Mountain and River Gather Divine Spirit" Archway, Imperial Calligraphy Tower and Chongning Hall in sequence. Flanking them are the Bell and Drum Towers, the "Righteousness Reaches Heaven" Archway, the "Loyalty Penetrates the Sun" Archway and the Temple of Lord Zhuifeng.

The rear palace centres on the "Righteous Spirit Endures Eternity" Archway and the Spring and Autumn Tower, flanked symmetrically by the Sword Tower and the Seal Tower. The eastern courtyard contains the Sage Worship Shrine, Three Pure Ones Hall, Lord Zhu Shrine, Baoyuan Palace, Sage Offering Palace and East Garden. The western courtyard includes the Longevity Palace, Eternal Longevity Palace, Yuqing Palace, Sage Admiring Palace, Taoist Administration Office, Good Deeds Administration Office and West Garden, together with the front archways "Worshipped by Generations" and "Power Shakes the Central Plains".

The whole temple has more than one hundred halls arranged in a rigorous hierarchy. The towering buildings are well-proportioned; tall archways stand upright with dense bracket sets. Every structure maintains its own characteristics while forming a harmonious whole. Ancient cypresses climb skyward, vines twine around trees, lawns spread like carpets and fragrant flowers bloom everywhere, filling the solemn temple with lively vitality.

Visitors enter the front yard through the Righteous Bravery Gate or Loyal Martial Gate. Passing through Duanmen Gate where civil officials must alight from sedan chairs and military officers dismount from horses, you will see the towering Bell and Drum Towers. Ahead stand three grand single-eaved hip-roofed gate buildings. The central Zhimen Gate was exclusively reserved for emperors. The eastern Wenjing Gate was for civil officials, while the western Wuwei Gate was for military officers. A vertical gilded plaque reading "Guan Emperor Temple" is embedded above the Zhimen Gate. A stage sits on the steps behind the gate, where operas can be performed once planks are laid. This building has a double-cantilever curved hip roof. Its horizontal plaque reads "The Whole History of the Spring and Autumn Period", matching the side inscriptions "Re-enact the Past" and "Mirror the Present".

Further north stands Wumen Gate, a five-bay hall with a single-eaved hip roof and stone carved corridors. Stone railings surround the hall, decorated with 144 relief patterns and vivid folk-style figures on both sides of the balustrades. Inside the hall, portraits of Zhou Cang and Liao Hua hang on the south wall, looking powerful and dignified. The north wall is painted with murals depicting Guan Yu’s military life from the Peach Garden Oath to the Flooding of the Seven Armies. The story of his defeat at Mai Castle is omitted, a common practice in Guan Yu temples nationwide. It is said that people left out this ending to avoid mentioning his overconfidence leading to his death and the fall of the Shu-Han regime.

After walking past the "Mountain and River Gather Divine Spirit" Archway and the Imperial Calligraphy Tower, you arrive at Chongning Hall, the core building of the temple. In the 3rd year of the Chongning reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (1104 AD), Emperor Huizong conferred upon Guan Yu the title "True Lord of Chongning", hence the name of the hall. The courtyard is lined with lush pines and cypresses, decorated with a pair of stone ornamental pillars, two paper-burning pagodas and a pair of iron flagpoles. The spacious terrace and winding balustrades inspire deep reverence.

The hall stretches seven bays wide and six bays deep, topped with a double-eaved glazed hip roof. Under the eaves stand five-tier brackets with double cantilevers, and the horizontal beams are covered with elaborate carvings. Twenty-six dragon-carved stone pillars encircle the corridor, each featuring a vivid dragon with bared teeth and whiskers. There are also 52 baluster columns and 50 carved stone slabs bearing 200 relief panels, presenting a spectacular sight.

The central bay holds a horizontal plaque inscribed "Divine Bravery", written personally by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Beneath the eaves hangs another plaque "Model for All Generations", inscribed by Emperor Xianfeng. Three Green Dragon Crescent Blades weighing 300 jin are displayed here, alongside a bronze incense table and a pair of iron cranes to highlight imperial dignity.

Inside the hall sits an exquisitely carved wooden shrine housing Guan Yu’s seated statue dressed in imperial robes, looking brave, firm and solemn. The shrine is decorated with painted beams and carved golden dragon pillars coiling all the way from base to top, with two ferocious dragons facing each other to embody Guan Yu’s heroic spirit. A plaque handwritten by Emperor Kangxi reading "Righteousness Shines through Heaven and Earth" hangs above the shrine, adding to the solemn atmosphere.

Stepping out of Chongning Hall and entering the southern gate of the rear palace, you reach the sleeping quarters. Beyond the flower garden stands the "Righteous Spirit Endures Eternity" Archway, the tallest wooden archway on the central axis. To the east is the Seal Tower, which keeps a jade seal replica titled "Marquis of Hanshou Pavilion". To the west stands the Sword Tower, housing replicas of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. These two three-storey square buildings with cross hip roofs face each other. The courtyard is planted with green bamboo whose shadows sway gently in the wind. There is also a stele carved with the "Wind and Rain Bamboo by Lord Han". Hidden in the bamboo painting is a poem: Do not disdain these lonely pale leaves, They never wither through the years. Thank you for the favour of spring, My name remains immortal in this painting. Legend attributes this work to Guan Yu himself.

At the northern end of the rear palace rises the Spring and Autumn Tower, the masterpiece of the whole temple, towering among ancient trees and exotic flowers. It was named after the statue of Guan Yu reading The Spring and Autumn Annals inside, also known as the Lin Jing, so the tower is alternatively called the Linjing Pavilion. First built in the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the current structure was reconstructed in the 9th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1870 AD). The two-storey three-eaved hip-roofed building is 33 metres high, seven bays wide and six bays deep. Corridors and balustrades run around both floors for sightseeing. The eaves are richly carved with dragons, phoenixes, floating clouds, flowers, figures and mythical beasts with meticulous craftsmanship. The roof is covered with colourful glazed tiles that shine brightly. Thirty-six stone steps on each side lead to the upper floor. The ground floor is fitted with 108 wooden latticed partitions with primitive patterns, said to symbolize the 108 counties of ancient Shanxi Province.

The tower is famous for three unique wonders:

Besides ancient buildings, the temple boasts numerous fine art treasures: a glazed screen wall, stone archways, a ten-thousand-jin bronze bell, iron incense burners, stone ornaments, wooden utensils, 23 stone inscriptions from different dynasties, and more than 60 inscribed poems and plaques.

Since ancient times, this place has been a popular tourist resort and the largest site for worshipping Guan Yu. Pilgrims and tourists keep coming, and incense burns endlessly. After repeated renovations and repainting, the Guan Emperor Temple stands even more magnificent today.