Guanlin Temple

Guanlin Temple, also called General Guan's Tomb, 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). Located about seven kilometers (about 4.5 miles) south of Luoyang City, at the end of Guanlin Nan Lu, Guanlin Temple is where the head of Guan Yu was buried. It was built to commemorate the great general Guanyu of the State of Shu during the Three Kingdoms Period, who is renowned as a brave and loyal military general.

Guan Yu was murdered in the year of 219 AD by Sun-quan, the emperor of the Wu Kingdom. After that, his head was sent to Cao Cao in an attempt to blame the murder on him and start a fight between the Shu Kingdom and the Wei Kingdom. However, Cao Cao was not fooled. Due to his great respect and gratitude for General Guan Yu, Cao Cao held a ceremonious burial for Guan and buried the head with a carved wooden body to the south of the Luoyang city. Since Northern Song Dynasty, Guan Yu has been regarded as the avatar of loyalism and model of morality. Numerous feudal emperors began to highly praise Guanyu and offered him lots of posthumous titles, respected him as "Wu Sheng", this explains why the Guanlin temple in Luoyang is splendid and grandiose.

The complex was developed during the Ming Dynasty and underwent several renovations and expansions during the succeeding Qing Dynasty. Guanlin Temple is designed and built symmetrically, highly embodying the traditional style of Chinese architecture. The structure is now comprised of halls, temples, pavilions and Guanyu's Tomb. There is also an art gallery inside the temple, displaying a collection of nearly 2000 ancient steles, epitaphs and stone inscriptions.


More Attractions in Luoyang