Guanyu Temple in Lhasa-The Mystery of Lord  in Lhasa

Guanyu Temple in Lhasa is located on top of Mopan Mountain, on west of Lhasa. It was built in the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong Period (1792), by General Fu Kangan. Guanyu is a famous Han general from the Three Kingdoms periods (220-280). As one of the best known historical figure throughout the history of ancient China, Lord Guan Yu is still a beloved character wildly respected in China nowadays, for his loyalty and bravery. Interestingly, this temple is not famous. If you have extra time in Lhasa, you can pay a visit to the shrine of this red-faced great man.

In 1791 of Qing Dynasty, the Gurkhas invaded Tibet. The following year, Emperor Qianlong sent General Fu Kangan with 10,000 Qing troops to Tibet to co-operate with the local officers and soldiers. The alliance was victorious. When General Fu Kangan returned with troops, he built the Temple of Guan Yu to commemorate this victory in history. General Fu Kangan believed that he had won the battle in a dangerous environment and hostile climate mainly because of spiritual assistance from Lord Guan Yu. And Emperor Qianlong personally wrote a plaque for the temple. Since the image of red-faced Guan Yu is similar with the image of Gesar who is hero in Tibetan epics, local Tibetan people refer this temple as “Gesar Khang” which means “the palace of Gesar”.

For more than 200 years, Tibetans have carried out divination in front of the statue of General Guan Yu. They believe the spiritual power from this great hero. Some bring chickens to Temple of Guan Yu then released them, as a Buddhist act of releasing lives free on mercy and the area surrounding is full of chickens scratching for food. Well should you have any questions regarding Tibet tour, please feel free to contact local Tibet travel agency (https://www.tibetctrip.com/).