Highlights of ancient architecture in Tai'an (2)

3. Guandi Temple

The Guandi Temple in Tai'an was constructed by merchants from Shanxi in the Ming Dynasty and was renovated and expanded during the Qing Dynasty in memory of Guanyu, a general under the warlord Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220-280).

The temple is 74 meters long from west to east and 80 meters from north to south, covering a total area of 5,920 sq m. Beside the temple is the Shanxi Hall for merchants from Shanxi who gather and conduct business meetings there.

A cypress tree in the temple's courtyard, the trunk of which is only 0.8 meters high but 1.1 meters in diameter, has a tree shade covering more than 60 sq m. There are also 23 stone tablets and steles that were made in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The temple, located on Mount Tai, is part of the ancient architecture on the mountain, which was listed among the sixth batch of State-level major cultural relic preservation sites.

Address: Mount Tai Scenic Area No 54 Hongmen Road, Taishan district, Tai'an, Shandong

Guandi Temple. [Photo/VCG]