Half-day tour of Xuchang Chunqiu Building

2024.5.4 In the morning, we visited the Chunqiu Building: First of all, pay tribute to the Youth Day! Xuchang Chunqiu Building is located on Wenmiao Qian Street inside the ancient city of Cao Wei in Xuchang City, Henan Province, facing the Chunqiu Square. It has a long history and splendid culture, and is a group of Ming and Qing style buildings. It is said that after Guan Yu's defeat at Xiapi, in order to protect the two wives of Liu Bei, he took refuge in Cao Cao's camp and entered Xuchang. Cao Cao bestowed upon Guan Yu a residence. To avoid suspicion, Guan Yu divided the residence into two courtyards, with the two imperial sisters-in-law living in the inner courtyard and himself in the outer courtyard. He would pay respects in the morning and evening, read 'The Spring and Autumn Annals' at night, and study by candlelight until dawn, which became a beautiful tale. Xuchang municipal government restored the Chunqiu Building cultural relic scenic area in 1995. The scale of the restoration was the largest of all dynasties, with an investment of 15 million yuan, maintaining the pattern of 'two courtyards of heroic style'. The outer courtyard has a mountain gate, Chunqiu Building, Guan Sheng Temple, and Dao Yin Building; the inner courtyard is in the style of garden architecture, with the two wives' palace of Gan and Mi, Wen An Pavilion, Lei Chi (finally knowing the historical allusion that 'not stepping beyond the Lei Chi' originated from Xuchang Chunqiu Building. In those years, Cao Cao trapped Guan Yu and the two wives of Liu Bei in Xuchang, and Guan Yu would pay respects to the two sisters-in-law every morning. To avoid suspicion, he built a pond in front of the sisters-in-law's house, and Guan Yu would pay respects across the pond, hence the saying 'not stepping beyond the Lei Chi'), waterside pavilions, and Gua Yin Feng Jin Hall. There are also the Dacheng Hall, Ji Men, and east and west corridors of the Wenmiao courtyard. The newly built Guan Sheng Temple houses a 13-meter-tall statue of Guan Yu and statues of Guan Ping, Zhou Cang, Wang Fu, and Liao Hua, which are rare in Guan temples nationwide. After braving the drizzle for an hour, the tour ended, admiring Guan Yu's character. The respect of later generations is immortal, and to live up to this extent is truly beyond words.