Yunlu Palace () is a

Taoist temple A Taoist temple (, also called ''dàoguàn'' and , is a place where the Tao is observed and cultivated it is a place of worship in Taoism. Structure and function can vary according to the Taoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guàn ...

located on the south side of Yuelu Mountain, in

Yuelu District Yuelu District () is one of six urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, China. It is the 4th most populous district (after Heshan, Dingcheng and Yueyanglou Districts) in Hunan. The district is bo ...

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

, China. It was originally built in 1478, but because of war has been rebuilt numerous times since then, with the last major one done in 1976.

History

Ming dynasty

It was first built by Vassal King Zhu Jianjun () in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368–1644) during the reign of

Chenghua Emperor The Chenghua Emperor (; 9 December 1447 – 9 September 1487), personal name Zhu Jianshen, was the ninth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, who reigned from 1464 to 1487. His era name " Chenghua" means "accomplished change". Childhood Zhu Jianshen wa ...

, in the fourteenth year of Chenghua Era (1465–1487). At that time it bore the name Dongzhen Guan (). During the reign of Jiajing Emperor (1522–1566), Changsha prefecture chief Sun Fu () ordered

Taoist priest A daoshi (道士 "master of the Tao"), translated as Taoist priest, Taoist monk, Taoist master or Professional Taoist, is a priest in Taoism. Along with Han Chinese priests, there are also many practicing ethnic minority priests in China. Some o ...

Li Kejing () to rebuild the temple. In the period of the Longqing Emperor (1567–1572), Taoist priest Jin Shoufen () and Zhang Yanghe () extended the temple. In the late Ming dynasty, it was destroyed by fire during the

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

invasion.

Qing dynasty

During the reign of the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

(1662–1722), local official Zhang Rui () rebuilt the temple. In the period of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

(1736–1795), the temple consisted of five buildings. In 1852, in the second year of the age of Xianfeng of

Xianfeng Emperor The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), or by temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing (), given name Yizhu (), was the eighth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1850 t ...

(1381–1861), it was destroyed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom army. In 1863, in the second year of Tongzhi Era of

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), born Zaichun of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the ninth List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1 ...

(1856–1875), the temple was rebuilt by a Wudang Taoist priest Xiang Jiaohui ().

Republic of China

In 1944, the temple was broken down when the Japanese planes bombed

city. Two years later, it was rebuilt by Taoist priest Wu Yunkai () and Wu Minghai ().

People's Republic of China

After the establishment of the Communist State, the Changsha government rebuilt it in 1957. In 1966,

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

launched the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, the Red Guards attacked the temple. In 1976, the local government reopened and renovated the temple.

Architecture

Stele

The stele "Towering Peak of Mt. Yuelu" (; ) with 178m in height and 0.74 in width, is inscribed with "Light as Bright as That of the Yizhen Constellation" (). The stele was fixed in 1927.

Stone fence

The stone fence, is engraved with more than five thousand names of the Nationalists whom died in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

(1937 - 1945).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yunlu, Palace Buildings and structures in Changsha Taoist temples in Hunan Tourist attractions in Changsha 1478 establishments in China Religious buildings and structures completed in 1478