Guanlin Temple

Eight kilometers south of the city Luoyang, Guanlin Temple, also called General Guan's Tomb, is a place where the head of Guan Yu was buried, and was built in memory of Guanyu, a household figure in Chinese history. Guanyu was from the Three Kingdom Period and renowned as a brave and loyal military general. He was killed in the year of 219 AD by Sun-quan, the emperor of the Wu Kingdom. After his death, Sun Quan put Guan's head in a box and sent it to Luoyang in an attempt to blame the murder on Cao Cao, the king of Wei Kingdom. Cao Cao saw through Sun's trap and was not fooled. He held a ceremonious burial for Guan and buried the head with a carved wooden body to the south of the city. Since Northern Song Dynasty, the feudal emperors began to highly praise Guanyu and offered him lots of posthumous titles. Guanyu, as a historic person, has been made to be the avatar of loyalism, model of morality, deity on the altar respected by all three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. He was also respected as "Wu Sheng" by Chinese emperors. Temples were built for him throughout the country and he was honored as a god. Portraits or pictures of Guan Yu can be found on the doors of Chinese houses during the Lunar New Year because people believe he protects the home. The construction work of this temple complex began in 1595, during the reign of Ming Emperor Wanli. The complex contains several halls, an octagonal pavilion and Guanyu's tomb. Inside the halls are pictures and statues mainly devoted to the Story of the Three Kingdoms.

After the founding of new China, 10 restorations have been conducted. From 1994, the restoration of Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Performance Building, Tomb and the Marble Square before the main gate has been all conducted with the donation of the believers from Taiwan, Shanghai, Singapore. Now the temple has taken a new look.