Qu Yuan Temple in Yueyang

Qu Yuan Temple in Yueyang

Quyuan Temple is a place to worship Qu Yuan. It is widely distributed in the area where Qu Yuan lived. It has a long history and cultural tradition and is the most direct material carrier of Qu Yuan spirit. The construction time of Quyuan Temple can be traced back to the end of the Qin Dynasty.
English Name: Qu Yuan Temple in Yueyang
Chinese Name: 岳阳屈原寺
Opening Hours: 8：00 am—16：30pm
Ticket Price: 90 RMB
Best Time: April-October
Recommended Visiting Hours: 2 or 3 hours
Location: Miluo, Yueyang, Hunan, China

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Qu Yuan Temple

Quzi Temple was built to commemorate China’s great patriot and poet Qu Yuan. It stands on the bank of Miluo River in Mount Yusi. It was built in the Han Dynasty and rebuilt during the reign of the Qing Emperor Qianlong. The whole building is positioned in the north and faces the south, reflecting a typical style of an ancient Jiangnan architecture. The ancestral hall is a single-story yanzhuanmu structure with three entrances and three halls. On the wall of the main temple entrance archway, there are a dozen or more embossed carvings portraying Qu Yuan’s life accomplishments and ideal pursuits.

Introduction of Qu Yuan Temple

The temple was built to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great patriotic poet and a senior official of the State of Chu during the Warring State Period(475-221BC). Being slandered and expelled from the court, he came to live on the Mount Yusi by the Miluo River. Despite of his helplessness in saving the country, he drowned himself in the Miluo River.

Built firstly in 1754 in memory of this great man, the temple stands on the Yusi Mountain on the northern bank of the Miluo River at its lower reaches. This south-facing temple of wood and brick structure has a series of three courtyards. Its front gate has three arches, the gateway and side wall are carved with 17 reliefs on Qu Yuan. In the central hall or the memorial hall is a huge board inscribed with the Biography of Qu Yuan written by ancient historian Sima Qian, as well as a shrine behind which is a pavilion. Some golden and silver osmanthus trees 300 years old are growing there. A statue of Qu Yuan is standing aloft in the hall of the third courtyard, and the life stories of Qu Yuan are described on the houses on two sides of the hall. Near the temple, there is a forest of steels of Qu Yuan works, all are inscribed in the calligraphy of famous modern Chinese calligraphers. In 2001 the place was put on the list of cultural relic sites under key state protection. It is one of the major scenic spots in the Yueyang Tower national scenic resort area by the Dongting Lake.

Main Tourist Attractions

The Steel Forest of Qu Yuan
Heavenly- Questioning Altar
Lament Pavilion
Nine-song Terrace.

How to Get There

It is 69 kilometers from Yueyang to Miluo. Train K511 departed from Yueyang at 16:20 arrives at Miluo at 17:09; train K534 departed from Miluo at 8:04 arrives at Yueyang at 8:50.