Yongle Palace

Yongle Palace tour, the murals are as stunning as the first sight 🎨 I had long heard that the murals of Yongle Palace are as famous as those in Dunhuang, but it seems that the glory of Dunhuang always overshadows it. 😅 However, when I truly stepped into this sacred place, the beauty of the murals was even more amazing than I had imagined! 😍 The wheels of history roll forward, and many ancient buildings have faded with time. 🌀 But Yongle Palace, this ancient building that once faced the risk of being submerged by the Sanmenxia Reservoir, has been preserved intact like a real-life version of 'The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains'. 🏛️ The Yongle Palace we see today, every inch of mural and every brick, is a miracle in the history of cultural relics relocation. 💎 It is the largest and best-preserved Yuan dynasty building in existence. 🏰 The huge murals inside the hall are hailed as another major discovery after Dunhuang. Wandering among them, it's as if you can hear the echoes of history and feel the charm of that ancient civilization. 💫 📍 The address is in Yongle Palace, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, and the transportation is very convenient. 🚌 Take bus 109 from Yuncheng to the terminal station, and then a 3 km taxi ride will get you there. 🚕 The ticket is only 50r per person, which is very worth a visit! 👍 How can you not experience mural copying when you are at Yongle Palace? 🖌️ From the Wujidian to the Chunyangdian, and then to the Chongyangdian, each mural makes people linger. 😌 Turn right out of the palace and you will find the Yongle Palace sketching base, where the studio provides paper, pen, and ink at a very affordable price, 400r per day, with a discounted price of 300r for college students. 🎉 Come and experience the charm of this thousand-year-old art! 🎈

'To see underground cultural relics, go to Shaanxi; to see aboveground cultural relics, go to Shanxi.' Shanxi is a province in China with a long history and profound cultural heritage, known as China's 'ancient capital of a thousand years.' This time, I came to Shanxi to visit ancient buildings. Every historic site I visited was awe-inspiring. I can't help but marvel at the wisdom and ultimate aesthetic of the ancients. Walking tens of thousands of steps in Shanxi each day, I collected these ancient buildings that have been frozen in time on this ancient land. If you come to Shanxi, you might have a clearer understanding of why 'to see terrestrial cultural relics, go to Shanxi.'

Yongle Palace was originally the residence of Lü Dongbin. After Lü's death, it was converted into a shrine for Lü, and by the end of the Jin Dynasty, it became a Taoist temple. In the third year of Yuan Taizong's reign (1244), the temple was destroyed by a wildfire. Soon after, construction began in the second year of Yuan Duzong's reign (1247), and it was completed in the eighteenth year of Yuan Shundi's reign (1358). Inside Yongle Palace, the Wuji Gate, Sanqing Hall, Chunyang Hall, and Chongyang Hall are all adorned with murals, covering a total area of about 960 square meters. The most famous of these murals is the 'Chao Yuan Tu' on the walls of the Sanqing Hall, which depicts a scene of 286 gods from various Taoist sanctuaries paying homage to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. The painting is grand in scale, with brilliant colors, and despite the multitude of figures, they are arranged in an orderly fashion. The gods are dressed in splendid attire, with flowing ribbons. It represents the pinnacle of Yuan Dynasty murals. The author of 'Chao Yuan Tu' was originally thought to be the team led by Ma Junxiang, but later experts verified that Ma Junxiang likely only completed the eastern half. The more exquisite other half is attributed to the team of Zhu Haogu, with the most compelling evidence being the appearance of a peculiar ox-head shaped rock in the painting, which also appears in the murals created by Zhu Haogu's team at Xinghua Temple.

You asked for it, and here comes the Southern Shanxi guide! Day1 Yuncheng ·Yongle Palace—Guangren King Temple—Jiezhou Guandi Temple Stay: Hejin Highlight 1: Yongle Palace One of the world's largest existing ancient mural art treasures, the 'Chaoyuan Tu' of Yongle Palace is the pinnacle of group composition development in the history of world painting, a rare masterpiece. (For details, refer to the video on the homepage) Highlight 2: Guangren King Temple This is one of only 3.5 Tang Dynasty wooden structures in all of China. It is recommended to arrive in the afternoon, bring your own tea, find shade on the stage opposite the temple, drink tea, and watch the ancient architecture shine. (For details, refer to the video on the homepage: Guangren King Temple) Highlight 3: Jiezhou Guandi Temple The earliest Guandi Temple in the country, I personally think the highlight is in the last building, the Spring and Autumn Tower. On the second floor of the Spring and Autumn Tower, you can see the highly artistic value of the chrysanthemum caisson and the true image of Guandi. (For details, refer to the video on the homepage: Jiezhou Guandi Temple) Day2 Linfen ·Xixian Xiaoxitian—Guangsheng Temple Stay: Hongtong Highlight 1: Xixian Xiaoxitian The most shocking place along the way, known as the 'ultimate song of hanging sculpture art'. The full wall of hanging sculptures that have survived three hundred years are presented before you, and that visual shock can only be felt when you come to Xiaoxitian. Also, for game enthusiasts, this is the filming location for the upcoming blockbuster 'Black Myth: Wukong' (I filmed a documentary about Old Wang, the temple keeper of Xiaoxitian, interested friends can find my video online: Shanxi Temple Keeper) Highlight 2: Guangsheng Temple Lower Temple Water God Temple Murals It is recommended to arrive at Guangsheng Temple around 3 pm. Guangsheng Temple is divided into upper and lower temples, start with the lower temple, the highlight is the Water God Temple murals, which contain a large number of Yuan Dynasty life scenes, these are murals included in history textbooks. Highlight 3: Guangsheng Temple Lower Temple Lost National Treasures Overseas Go to the Daxiong Hall of the lower temple, where only some remnants of murals remain today. The original murals on the walls, the Yuan Dynasty 'Blazing Light Buddha Assembly' mural on the east mountain wall of the rear hall is displayed in the Chinese Temple Hall of the Nelson Museum, and the Yuan Dynasty 'Medicine Buddha Assembly' mural on the west mountain wall is displayed in the Sackler Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the two Ming Dynasty murals 'Blazing Light Buddha Assembly' and 'Medicine Buddha Assembly' in the front hall are displayed in the Chinese Rotunda of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. (For details, search online for my video: Failed Temple Keeping) Highlight 4: Guangsheng Temple Upper Temple Feihong Tower The best-preserved glazed tower in the country, remember to arrive before sunset. Birds circling the tower at sunset is a spectacular sight, as the upper temple is on high ground, perfect for watching the sunset below the tower, where you can feel the romance of the ancients. Day3 Jinzhong Shuanglin Temple—Zhenguo Temple Stay: Taiyuan Highlight 1: Shuanglin Temple The World's Number One Weituo The name of the Shuanglin Temple, the hall of Eastern colored sculpture art, comes from 'Both forests enter nirvana', and the representative sculpture here is the 'Eastern David', the world's number one Weituo statue. Highlight 2: Shuanglin Temple Ksitigarbha Hall Here, the philosophy of life from death is expressed, showing the ancient view of life, with an alternative group of statues. Highlight 3: Zhenguo Temple Great Bell At Zhenguo Temple, I found the answer to why Shanxi people have preserved so many intact cultural relics. It all started with thinking about a great bell here, for which I filmed the old man selling mineral water in the Erlang Hall of the temple. He told me a lot of valuable information. Day4 Taiyuan Northern Qi Mural Museum Highlight 1 Northern Qi Murals China's first tomb mural art museum of archaeological site type, Chen Danqing said these murals represent the highest realm of Chinese line aesthetics, with explorations of the Northern Qi people's cultural demeanor, as well as various depictions of beasts from the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' in the tombs, especially recommended: Ascension Diagram Highlight 2 VR Walk into the Tomb You can experience wearing VR glasses and use high-tech means to walk into the tomb to appreciate the murals. This is a four-day easy and comfortable journey through the essence of ancient architecture in Southern Shanxi. Of course, Shanxi's treasures cannot be seen in one go. If you have any good suggestions, feel free to add them in the comments section to provide more clues for those about to set off. More extended video content is on my homepage, feel free to follow me. I am the documentary director Bai Song, hoping to accompany you on every journey, making it worthwhile.

Shanxi, why don't you promote this place! Are you confused? Before going to Yongle Palace I heard that the murals of Yongle Palace are no less impressive than those of Dunhuang But the fame of Dunhuang's murals far exceeds that of Yongle Palace until I saw it with my own eyes I found it to be even more stunning than I imagined As time flies The once glorious ancient buildings in history have mostly gradually declined in the submerged area of the Sanmenxia Reservoir It has achieved a real-life version of 'The Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains' In the eyes of most people who did not have a good opinion of it It is just like the Yongle Palace we see now Every inch of mural, every brick Is a miracle in the history of world cultural relic relocation It is the largest in scale among the existing Yuan Dynasty buildings, and it is also the best preserved, with huge murals inside the hall, considered to be the most significant mural discovery after Dunhuang Address: Yongle Palace, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province 🎫Ticket: 50 RMB per person Transportation: You can take bus 109 from Yuncheng to the terminal station, then take a taxi for 3 kilometers to reach the scenic area When you get to Yongle Palace, you should experience mural copying at least once, from the Wujidian to the Chunyangdian and then to the Chongyangdian, turn right when you come out and you will find the Yongle Palace sketching base, the studio provides paper, ink, and brush, 400 RMB per day per session, 30 RMB for college students