Gongcheng Martial Temple (1) - Historical and Cultural Figures of Guilin

Guilin is a historically famous city with a brilliant and splendid history and culture, and the beauty of Guilin's landscape is known all over the world, which gives Guilin's tourism culture another world-renowned brand.

The Gongcheng Martial Temple, also known as the Guandi Temple, is a temple dedicated to Guan Yu, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms. It was originally built in the thirty-first year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1603 AD). It has a history of 400 years and is now a key cultural relic protection unit of the autonomous region. The entire temple covers an area of 2,100 square meters with a building area of 1,033 square meters. It is located on the right side of the Confucius Temple at the southern foot of Yin Mountain. Yin Mountain is divided into two ridges, one in the east and one in the west, one on the left and one on the right. On the left is the Confucius Temple, and on the right is the Martial Temple. The two temples complement each other beautifully.

Colorful sculptures decorate the ridge of the Martial Temple.

Why did the ancestors of Gongcheng County build the Confucius Temple on the left and the Martial Temple on the right? This is because, in ancient Chinese traditional concepts, the left represents the east and yang. The east is associated with life and respect, hence the Confucius Temple, symbolizing the veneration of literature; the right represents the west and yin. The west is associated with killing and humility, hence the Martial Temple, symbolizing the restraint of martial pursuits. The coexistence of the Confucius Temple and the Martial Temple represents the harmony of yin and yang, and the balance of literature and martial arts. Both valuing literature and respecting martial arts, prioritizing literature before martial arts, fully embodies the cultural spirit of the Chinese nation. The unique placement of the Confucius and Martial Temples of Gongcheng, one east and one west in the same location, is unparalleled nationwide.