Jingzhou Guandi Temple

Jingzhou Guandi Temple is located inside the old South Gate of the ancient city of Jingzhou and was built on the former site of Guan Yu's mansion. It was first built in the 29th year of the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1396 AD), rebuilt during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and renovated and expanded twice in the 7th year of the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1650 AD) and the 10th year of the Yongzheng period (1732 AD). During the Japanese invasion of China, the Guandi Temple was severely damaged, and the halls were almost completely destroyed. Only two rare cultural relics from the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, a male and female ginkgo tree, Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and the Red Hare horse trough, remain. In 1987, the Jingzhou Guandi Temple was rebuilt on the original site of the Guandi Temple according to the architectural layout of the ancient Guandi Temple recorded in the Qianlong County Chronicle of the Qing Dynasty. The main hall is built on a 2-meter-high Sumeru pedestal, and the plaque on the door is taken from the imperial pen of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, "Awe-inspiring China." In the hall, there is a statue of Guan Yu reading "Spring and Autumn Annals" at night, with statues of Guan Ping and Zhou Cang standing on both sides. On the east and west walls of the hall, gold-plated murals are used to display historical stories such as "Garrisoning Jingzhou" and "Welcoming Relatives to Rescue the Lord." Jingzhou Guandi Temple is one of the earliest Guandi Temples established in the country. It is listed as one of the four major Guan Gong memorial sites in China, along with the Guandi Temple in Xiezhou, Shanxi, Guanling in Dangyang, Hubei, and Guanlin in Luoyang, Henan. It is an important place for the inheritance of Guan Yu culture. The temple preserves many architectural components and cultural relics from the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as the "Ze An Nan Ji" imperial plaque from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and the "Qian Kun Zheng Qi" plaque bestowed by the Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, which have high artistic value.