At the end of Guanlin Nan Lu, Guanlin Temple was built to commemorate the great general Guanyu of the State of Shu during the Three Kingdoms Period. In the Romance of Three Kingdoms, the Shu general Guanyu was defeated, captured and executed by Sunquan, the ruler of the State of Wu. Fearing revenge from Guanyu’s blood brother Liubei who was the ruler of the State of Shu, Sunquan ordered to send Guanyu’s head to Caocao-ruler of Wei in an attempt to deflect the responsibility for the death.
Caocao, however, was an admirer of Guan's loyalty and bravery. He ordered a wooden body be carved to accompany the head before Guanyu was buried.
Very little is known about when the temple was first built. The complexwas developed during the Ming Dynasty and was underwent several renovation and expansion during the succeeding Qing Dynasty. It's now comprised of halls, temples, pavilions and Guan's Tomb. Some valuable stone tablets with elegant calligraphies are also found here. The place is very popular among the locals who worship the valorous general by burning sticks of incense.
It is very convenient to take bus number 81 to reach Guanlin Temple from the Luoyang railway station.
|
|