Yongle Palace

       The Yongle Palace is located in Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province, one of the most

famous Taoist temples in China.It was constructed in 1247.  

         The Yongle Palace covers an area of over 80,000 square meters. Its main buildings

include the Palace Gate, the Longhu Hall, the Sanqing Hall and the Chongyang Hall, etc.

The Yongle Palace also has its special architectural style in terms of structure.

Valuable Fresco

      The the total area of these frescoes is up to 960 square meters. The most famous mural

in the palace is the Chaoyuantu , a painting featuring all gods paying respect to Primordial

Supreme Lord. Although a large number of characters are featured in the painting, their

expressions and manners are different. 

        Yongle Palace has three main halls, namely, Sanqing Hall, Chunyang Hall and Chongyang

Hall, sitting along the south-north axis.

 

     The Sanqing Hall, or the Three Taoist Saints Hall, is the largest hall in the temple and its

inside walls are almost completed covered with elaborately painted murals. The murals,

covering more than 400 square meters, depict a grand scene of congregation, featuring Taoist

saints and more than 280 other figures.

      The Chunyang Hall, also known as the Hall of Pure Yang, is devoted to Lu Dongbin. The

wall paintings here also show activities of people from all walks of life, such as drinking tea,

cooking, working in the fields, fishing, cutting firewood, teaching, chatting and holding memorial

or religious ceremonies.

      In the Chongyang Hall, or the Hall of Redoubled Yang, people can find 49 murals,

describing the life of Wang Chongyang (1113-1170), another founder of the Taoist Quanzhen

School. The style of the murals in this hall is quite similar to that of the Hall of Pure Yang and

they are believed to be painted by Zhu Haogu, a leading craftsman in Shanxi Province of the

Yuan Dynasty, and his students.

     Today, the murals in Yongle Palace are not only cherished as a rare gem in the world of

art, but also treasured sources for studying Taoism, China’s only indigenous religion.

Brush away the mystery of traditional Chinese painting

                                                                       ------  reprint news of China Royal Gardens