Yu County in Hebei | National treasure ancient buildings and murals without tourists even in peak season

🚩 The Zhenwu Temple in Yu County is located in Yu County, Hebei Province, and is one of the county's key national treasure-level cultural relics protection units. The construction date is unknown, but it was rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties. 🚩 Nearly every village fortress nearby has a Zhenwu Temple built on high ground, and the Zhenwu Temple in Yu County is the largest. The temple faces south from the north and is built on a rammed earth and brick base about 3 meters high. The halls and meditation rooms are connected, forming a closed independent courtyard, covering an area of 2,944 square meters. The main hall is located on the central north-south axis, with two side halls on each of the east and west sides, surrounded by rooms and walls on all four sides. In the eastern part of the courtyard, there is a bell tower, and on the west side, there is a drum tower. 🚩 The front hall is a penetrating hall with a single-eave Xieshan-style structure, three bays wide and three bays deep. The Xieshan roof uses a five-bay central column style, with 'golden dragon peony' patterns painted on the five sets of beams and brackets, while the front porch uses four sets of beams, with corbelled rafters on top, and all beams are decorated with painted decorations. The main hall is located to the north of the courtyard and is the Beiji Grand Hall. It features a single-eave Xieshan roof with green glazed tiles and glazed tile ridges, with a veranda in front, leading to a spacious terrace that is 1.30 meters above the courtyard ground. The grand hall is three bays wide and five bays deep. 🚩 To the east under the terrace of the grand hall is a bell tower, which is located on both sides of the center of the courtyard. The bell tower has a single-eave Xieshan roof, with five sets of bracketing under the eaves, and the columns, railings, and beams still retain the architectural style of the Jin and Yuan periods. This layout is very rare in ancient architecture, and its shape is very similar to the pavilions in ancient paintings. The temple is surrounded by buildings on all sides, forming a closed corner structure, and there is also a patio in the courtyard, displaying exquisite craftsmanship and a simple style. Such design examples are very rare, only seen in ancient paintings from the Song and Yuan periods. 🎈 The opening hours of Zhenwu Temple are from 8:30 to 18:30 in summer, and the ticket price is 15 yuan. The ancient city of Yu County is not far from the national treasure unit, and if you are not a photography enthusiast, there are several places where you don't need to buy a ticket to visit. Perhaps because Yu County and its cultural relics are not very famous, the 15 yuan ticket has successfully deterred many tourists who are not particularly interested, which has greatly enhanced the visiting experience. 🎈 Although the courtyard is not very large, the architecture of Zhenwu Temple is well worth seeing. The bell tower preserved in front of the hall presents the legacy of Yuan dynasty architecture.