Yuncheng, Shanxi, China

The Guandi Temple in Jiezhou and the Yuncheng Guan Gong Hometown Cultural Tourism Area (hài zhōu guān dì miào) are known as the ancestral temple of martial temples, located in the west of Jiezhou Town, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. It is backed by the salt pond and faces the Zhongtiao Mountains. The Guandi Temple in Jiezhou was founded in the ninth year of the Sui Kaihuang era (589 AD), and was expanded and renovated during the Song and Ming dynasties. It was destroyed by fire in the forty-first year of the Qing Emperor Kangxi's reign (1702) and took more than ten years to restore. The total area of the Guandi Temple in Jiezhou is 260,000 square meters, with more than 200 rooms, divided into the main temple and the Sworn Brotherhood Garden. It is the largest existing palace-style Taoist architectural complex and martial temple, known as the 'Ancestor of Guan Temples' and the 'Crown of Martial Temples'. Inside the temple, there are plaques such as Kangxi's imperial writing 'Yi Bing Qian Kun', Qianlong's imperial endorsement 'Shen Yong', Xianfeng's imperial writing 'Wan Shi Ren Ji', and Empress Dowager Cixi's personal writing 'Wei Ling Zhen Die', with the representative building being the 'Spring and Autumn Pavilion'. The Guandi Temple scenic area in Jiezhou is a national key cultural relics protection unit and a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. 'The Belief in Lord Guan' has been included in the national list of intangible cultural heritage, and the 'Lord Guan Culture Festival' has been rated as one of China's top ten character-themed festival activities. In 2012, the 'Guandi Cultural Building Complex' was included in China's tentative list for World Cultural Heritage. Bus 21 in Yuncheng City🚌 goes directly to the Guandi Temple.