The Lord Guan's Forest is located 7 kilometers south to Luoyang City in Henan Province. This is the burial place of Guan Yu, a noted general of the Shu State in the Three Kingdoms Period (221 - 263 AD). People also called it Guan Di Temple. It is famous scenic spot of Luoyang. 
The forest consists of hundreds of ancient pine and plum trees; this is a famous view of Luoyang. The temple of Guan Yu originally built in Tang Dynasty. The temple we see today was built in Ming and Qing Dynasty. It includes the Main Hall, the Second Hall, the Third Hall, and the Bell Tower. The statue of Guan Yu in the Main Hall looks majestic and dignified. The statues of his two sons and Zhou Cang, his guard, are standing beside him.
An ancient weapon book talks about the big knife that Guan Yu used called Qinglong Yanyue was the top of the line among all other knifes. And his 36 ways of using the knife was so formidable, when people met him face to face in the war, no other knife or ways of using knife could defeat his.
Behind the Lord Guan's Forest, there is the tomb of Guan Yu. Legend said that people buried his head there. The tomb is 20 meters high, with characters saying "the Tomb of Guan Yun Chang, the Shou Ting Hou of Han Dynasty" carved on the tomb inscription.
From the history book, it's said that Guan Yu was a tall man with beautiful moustache. He was a great  general and has high skills on martial arts, he was an excellently commander. However, there is no man is perfect in the world, though Guan Yu was a giant hero, he had his shortcoming - he has too much proud of himself.
The achievements of Guan Yu became fairy tales because of the rulers of feudal society of China. He was later called Guan Di or Guan Gong, and had great deal of influence in common society. He was adored by business people or people in different associations. From a brave general to a superman adored by common people, did he himself predict this? The smokes of the incense and visitors in the forest have never stopped. If you are traveling around Luoyang, you should not miss the place. |
