Memorial Temple of Han Yu
A temple dedicated to one of the most iconic Confucean scholar of the Tang Dynasty
- City
- Chaozhou
- Address
- No. 18, Dongxing North Road, Qiaodong Community, Qiaodong Street, Xiangqiao District, Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province
- Cost
- Free
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Founded in 999 CE during the Northern Song Dynasty, the Memorial Temple of Han Yu is the oldest temple in China dedicated to commemorating the great Tang Dynasty writer, poet, and Confucian scholar Han Yu who governed Chaozhou for only eight months after being exiled for criticizing the emperor's reverence of a Buddhist relic. Nowadays his presence remains everywhere in the surroundings : the mountain is called "Han Mountain," and the river is called "Han River." This whole landscape bearing Han's surname is a unique cultural phenomenon found nowhere else in China.
History of Han Yu
Han Yu (768–824), posthumously known as Han Wengong led the Classical Prose Movement, advocating a return to clear, simple, and expressive writing. In those terms he can be compared in stature to Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe for his influence on the Chinese literary tradition. He was also a staunch defender of Confucianism way of thinking against Buddhism and Taoism.
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#### Picture under public domain, unknown author
During his exile in Chaozhou, he made 4 major contributions for the city :
1. Driving out crocodiles that plagued the river
2. Establishing schools and promoting education
3. Caring for agriculture and sericulture (silk)
4. Ransoming enslaved people
His greatest legacy was education, he hired scholar Zhao De to run the prefectural school, transforming Chaozhou into a coastal region of culture (Bin Hai Zou Lu) and producing generations of scholars.
About the temple
The temple was eventually relocated to the central axis of Bijia Mountain's main peak, precisely where Han Yu once left his footprints hundreds of years ago. The temple houses 40 stone steles from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many of which are calligraphic treasures. The most famous is the stele inscription composed by Su Dongpo, which contains the line that became the definitive assessment of Han Yu: "His writings revived the decadence of eight dynasties."
### Opening Hours
Closed on Mondays (except public holidays)
Tuesday - Sunday, 8:30 - 17:00 (last entry at 17:00)
### Highlights
- Climb the 51 stone steps leading up to the main hall : a symbolic ascent toward literary greatness
- Han Wu Gong Ci (韩文公之祠) plaque in clerical script above the main gate
- Admire the green polished brick walls : the same exquisite craftsmanship found at Guangzhou's Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (Let's see it)
- Tian Nan Bei Sheng : a calligraphy corridor featuring works by modern dignitaries praising Han Yu
- Shilang Pavilion (侍郎阁) : houses a stone bust of Han Yu and exhibits of cultural relics
Nearby Attractions
- Guangji Bridge → 500 m (Let's see it)
- Tai Fo Temple (adjacent) : a unique Thai-style Buddhist temple in Chaozhou
- Huiru Park (adjacent) at the foot of Bijia Mountain
More about Chaozhou