This post is mostly a photographic presentation of monuments from Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Guangzhou, also known as Canton and formerly romanized as Kwangchow or Kwong Chow, is the capital and most populous city of the province of Guangdong in southern China. On the Pearl River about 120 km (75 mi) north-northwest of Hong Kong and 145 km (90 mi) north of Macau, Guangzhou has a history of over 2,200 years and was a major terminus of the maritime Silk Road, and continues to serve as a major port and transportation hub, as well as one of China’s three largest cities.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou)
Liwan
Liwan District is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. The district is split into two parts by the Pearl River: Xiguan in the northeast and Fangcun in the southwest.
Liwan District has many attractions and historical sites. The historically famous Lizhiwan (lit. Lychee Bay) has a 1000-year history. Shisanhang had a foreign trade privilege for hundred years. Haishan Xianguan had a leader of Lingnan horticulture, which made contribution to the development of Lingnan culture. Now, there are two national key protection units Chen Learning Academy (Chen Clan Temple) and Shamian Ancient Buildings, out of which Chen Learning Academy was elected one of the 8 new scenic spots of Guangzhou. There are several municipality-level relic spots: Hualin Temple, one of Guangzhou’s Buddhist “five jungles”, Taoist Zhenwudi Renwei Temple, Jiang Guangding’s former residence, Li Wentian’s Taihua Building and Xiguan big house. In addition, there are historic sites where Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Zhan Tianyou, Chen Shaobai and Tang Tingguang lived or worked. There are Guangya School setup by Zhang Zhidong, a member of the Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty and relic site of Xicun Industrial Zone developed by Chen Jitang when was in power during PC period.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liwan_District)
Ancestral shrine of Chen’s clan
The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall or Chen Clan Academy is an academic temple in Guangzhou, China, built by the 72 Chen clans for their juniors’ accommodation and preparation for the imperial examinations in 1894 in Qing Dynasty. Later it was changed to be the Chen Clan’s Industry College, and then middle schools afterward. Now it houses the Guangdong Folk Art Museum.
Located at Zhongshan 7th Road, the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is a symmetric complex consist of 19 buildings with nine halls and six courtyards. Facing south, the complex forms around a north-south axis. A large collection of southern China art pieces, for example, wood carvings and pottery, can be found in the structure. The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall complex exemplifies traditional Chinese architecture and decoration style, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments worldwide.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Clan_Ancestral_Hall)
Renwei Zhumiao temple
Renwei ancestral temple is a famous ancient temple in Lichiwan area. It is the oldest and largest ancient temple in Pantang at that time. The whole temple’s architecture is solemn and simple, full of distinct Lingnan traditional craftsmanship characteristics.
Renwei Temple belongs to the old Xiguan Pass of Guangzhou. Now it is a scenic spot in Guangzhou. This is the place where the local Buddhist worshippers in Guangzhou often come to pray.
(Source: https://www.trip.com/travel-guide/guangzhou/renwei-temple-80720/)
Yuexiu
Yuexiu District is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China, located west of the Tianhe District and east of the Liwan District. It is the commercial, political and cultural centre of Guangdong and noted for its high quality education.
Yuexiu is the historic center of the capital of the Nanyue Kingdom. Thirty-three years after the unification of Lingnan under Qin Shi Huang forced most of the Yue tribes out of Guangzhou, Yuexiu came under the administration of Panyu County in the Nanhai Commandery. Yuexiu District is named after Yuexiu Hill.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuexiu_District)
Guangxiao Temple
Guangxiao Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Guangzhou, the capital of China’s Guangdong Province. Guangxiao originated from the residence of Zhao Jiande, the king of Nanyue whose usurpation prompted Emperor Wu of the Han (206 BC–8 AD) to invade and annex the area. During the Three Kingdoms, the Wu officer and scholar Yu Fan was banished to live at the residence.
After Yu Fan died in 233, his family donated the estate, whose grounds were organized as the Zhizhi Temple. In 1482, the Chenghua Emperor of the Ming dynasty renamed it Guangxiao Temple and personally recorded the new name on a stele. Since then, the temple has kept the name “Guangxiao”. In the 17th century, Guangxiao Temple fell into decline, although it underwent minor restoration several times.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangxiao_Temple_(Guangzhou))
Six Banyan Tree Temple
The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees or Liurong Temple is a Buddhist temple in Guangzhou, China, originally built in ad 537.
The temple’s proximity to foreign consulates in Guangzhou has made it a regular destination for families participating in the international adoption of children from China. Typically families receive blessings for their newly adopted children at this temple in front of the statue of Guanyin.
The Baozhuangyan Temple was first constructed by the monk Tanyu under orders from Emperor Wu of the Liang in ad 537. It was constructed to house the relics of Cambodian Buddhist saints which had been brought to Panyu (modern Guangzhou).
The temple was burned down and rebuilt during the Northern Song dynasty. Around the same time, Su Shi composed a poem “Six Banyans” (Liu Rong) in honor of a visit to the temple. It was since renamed in honor of the famous poem.
Flower Pagoda, the main structure of the temple, was built in 1097 and was named for its colorful exterior. The Flower Pagoda once had a square base in its architecture, but was given an octagonal shaped base after it was rebuilt in 1097. It was rebuilt again in 1373 after another fire in the early Ming dynasty period.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_the_Six_Banyan_Trees)
(Important Note: ALL photographs of this article added to the sourced texts by NovoScriptorium after kind courtesy of our friend Ben Lee – ALL photographs originally taken by Ben Lee)
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