Temple is immortal legacy of time

A relocated wonder

Many visitors may wonder why the Yongle Palace relics were moved to museums. The short and simple answer may be protection.

The rediscovery of this architectural trove in the 1950s soon led to a dilemma, as the temple was located within the planned reservoir area of the Sanmenxia Dam on the Yellow River. Experts from across the country gathered to draft relocation plans.

As the curator recalls, different spots were considered, including the provincial capital Taiyuan where conditions were better, but the final decision was to minimize disturbance. One brick after another, the temple and its murals were carefully moved and rebuilt about 20 kilometers from its original position.

Not all of the architectural components and murals were sturdy enough to be put back, and so some original pieces were stored in warehouses and replaced by replicas.

"Yongle Palace was one of the earliest major cultural heritage conservation projects of New China," An says. "Back then, people finished the job in challenging conditions. They didn't have sufficient electricity, and much of the work was done by bare hand."

In 1961, Yongle Palace became one of 180 spots included in China's first list of cultural heritage sites under national-level key protection.

"Against all odds, the temple survives to this date," An says. "Not only the architecture, but also the relocation became a marvel."

Today, visitors can enjoy a closeup view of some Taoist murals and the entire glazed ridgepole with a pair of 3-meter-high chiwen, that was originally set on the roof of Sanqing Hall, the main building at the Yongle Palace.

Decades after they were removed from a wall, parts of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) mural Wu Long Peng Sheng ("five dragons surround Xuanwu god") have been pieced together to be exhibited for the first time.

In 2019, researchers began to intensively research documents and artifacts from the palace to prepare for exhibitions. Numerous artifacts, like the aforementioned Taoist certificate and sutra, emerged from the inventory.

For An, the 20,000-odd pages of detailed records about the relocation have also become precious artifacts.

"That's why we are also displaying digitized pages at the exhibition to remind people of this crucial episode in the past," he says.