Quan Cong Pagoda is a famous tourist destination visited by many tourists on their journey to explore Hoi An ancient town. This is a typical work of overseas Chinese craftsmen with exquisite statues and decorative works in a colorful temple.
General information of Quan Cong Temple
Quan Cong Temple (Vietnamese: miếu Quan Công, miếu means temple) also knowns as Ong Pagoda (in Vietnamese language, “Ông” refers to reverence), built by the Minh Huong people, descendants of Ming dynasty immigrants from China settled in Hoi An in the mid-17th century.
The temple worships Lord Guan, also known as Guan Yu – a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. His life was a model of the noble life philosophy of people at that time: Righteousness – Loyalty – Trust – Courage. Therefore, after his dead, he’s worshipped in Chinese folk religion, popular Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism, from small shrines to big temples…to serve their spiritual life and here – Quan Cong Temple in Hoi An is one of them.
Quan Cong Temple was built in 1653, this was the most prosperous trading period of Hoi An trading port. Beside praying purpose, the temple also has become a meeting place for Chinese merchants.
Quan Cong Temple has many activities and festivals that attract many domestic and foreign tourists to visit every year:
- Spring Festival: in early spring is an opportunity for many people to express their respect to their ancestors and pray for a happy and prosperous new year.
- Anniversary of Guan Yu on 16th day of the first lunar month every year.
- Opening hours for sightseeing: From 6am to 17pm.
- Address: 24 Tran Phu Street, Cam Chau Ward, right in the center of the Hoi An ancient town.
The temple was restored 6 times in 1753, 1783, 1827, 1864, 1904 and 1966. Quan Cong temple in Hoi An was granted the title of National Historical and Cultural Monument on November 29, 1991.
Architecture of the Quan Cong Temple
The temple is built of fired bricks, the roof is covered with traditional green ceramic tiles with many decorative dragon and unicorn motifs. The entire temple consists of 4 buildings, built in a script style, stacked in structure, with unique roof tiles and roofs, decorated with elaborate dragon motifs. The main gate of the temple is carved with a pair of dragons winding between blue clouds. And don’t miss the skylight located in the middle space with the equally unique rockery lake.
The main hall, located towards the back hall of the temple area, has a statue of Guan Yu, dressed in a dragon robe embroidered with brocade, his face majestic and bright, his eyes looking forward.
Statue of Lord Guan in the main hall
The main hall also has two statues: Zhou Cang – the brave and loyal servant, and the statue of Guan Ping – a loyal foster son of Guan Yu; with two horses the same height as real horses, on the left is a white horse, on the right is a Red Hare – a precious war horse of Guan Yu. These statues are exquisitely crafted, demonstrating the skill of ancient craftsmen.
The Red Hare – a precious war horse
In the temple, there are many other horizontal panels, scrolls, and calligraphy praising Guan Yu’s merits and steadfastness. Most of these works were given to the temple by members of the royal family and famous scholars. Having gone through many ups and downs of history, everything remains intact.
Mural illustration Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, & Liu Bei came to invite Kongming leaving his rustic retreat
It is also a rare historical relic that still exists today, preserving the mark of the Trinh – Nguyen conflict in the 18th century in Vietnam. The lobby also houses many unique ancient instruments, such as the giant bronze bell and wooden drum given to him by Emperor Bao Dai during his lifetime.
Source: collected by An
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