The Guandi Temple in Jingzhou

The Guandi Temple in Jingzhou has been listed as a key tourist attraction of the national Three Kingdoms tourism line.

Situated near the south gate of Jingzhou ancient city, the Guandi temple is said to be the former residence of the general when he guarded Jingzhou city in Three kingdoms period, according to the chronicles of Jingzhou city.Later in 29th year of Hongwu period of Ming dynasty, the residence was refurbished into temple which had been renovated consecutively in the reign of emperor Shunzhi, Yongzheng and Qianlong in Qing dynasty. In 1987, it was reconstructed by the government of Jiangling county.

Guandi temple in Jingzhou now features Yimen（ the secondary gate to an official residence),Main Hall,Hall of brotherhood(Sanyi dian), Belvedere of the Bodhisattva Guanyin(Guanyin ge), Study of Spring and autumn, Pavilion of Yanyue and Yilan, and the statue of his horse Chitu and its manger etc.Walking into the Main Hall, visitors would find the the statue of the general reading the Spring and Autumn Annals in solemn.On the facade of the hall, the plaque "Qiankun Zhengqi" bestowed by Emperor Yongzheng, Qing dynasty is hung on the top, flanked by eight pieces of splendid mural depicting the history of guarding Jingzhou by the general Guan.In front of the Main hall, a ginkgo tree planted in Ming dynasty still flourishes there.

Guandi Temple in Jingzhou has a long history. Although it has experienced vicissitudes, it has still passed on the traditional virtues of loyalty, righteousness and bravery of Guan Yu.Nowadays there are four grand Guandi temples in China: Guanlin in Luoyang, Guanling in Dangyang where he sacrificed ,Guandi temple in Shanxi in which he was born and Guandi temple in Jingzhou where he made the accomplishment. "Guandi temple now is ubiquitous for people to worship him. Among the numerous ones, Jingzhou Guandi temple is regard as the significant one.

The Guandi Temple in Jingzhou has now become a cultural tourism attraction integrating culture,tourism and worship. It has become an important platform for promoting China's excellent traditional culture.