A 1,700-year-old temple on the banks of the Yangtze River will soon
be perched high above the flow after it is moved 32 kilometers into
the hills to make room for the Three Gorges Dam Project.
The State-level-protected Zhang Fei Temple, located in Yunyang
County of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, is dedicated to
an ancient renowned hero -- General Zhang Fei -- who lived in the
Three Kingdoms period (220-280).
Tourists said farewell to the ancient general's old home at the
foot of Feifeng Mountain yesterday. The temple is now closed and
ready to move to its new place in Panshi township of Chongqing,
according to Wen Xiaohua, an official with the Cultural Relics
Administration of Yunyang County.
The relocation, expected to cost 70 million yuan (US$8.5 million),
is the largest building movement associated with the Three Gorges
project, which entails construction of the world's largest
hydropower station.
When the reservoir is put into operation next year, hundreds of
cultural relics could be inundated.
China plans to allocate around 1 billion yuan (US$120 million) to
preserve and relocate these historical treasures, among which the
Zhang Fei Temple ranks at the top.
The ancient temple underwent several renovations during the Song,
Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (960-1911). Its combination of
architectural styles, such as Jieyilou, Wangyunxuan and Deyueting,
is regarded as a historical masterpiece.
Moreover, the temple houses a number of valuable relics, including
inscriptions, sculptures, paintings and calligraphies by famous
ancient figures such as Yan Zhenqing and Su Shi.
Wen said the relocation project technicians would first record the
exact position of every component of the temple, disassemble them,
and then reassemble the temple, faithfully recreating its ancient
appearance, at the new site.
At
the same time, 126 ancient trees at the old site will be moved and
replanted according to their previous layout.
Experts from prestigious Tsinghua University and other institutions
said the project will try to retain the precious cultural and
historic value of the temple, as well as that of the landscape
around it, although the original location is being destroyed.
The relocated Zhang Fei Temple, on the southern bank of the Yangtze
River as before, will open to the public next July.
(China
Daily October 10, 2002)