The Memorial Temple of Lord Bao

The Memorial Temple of Lord Bao, located on the west bank of Lord Bao Lake in Kaifeng, was reconstructed in memory of Bao Zeng, an upright and honest official and a political reformer in the Song Dynasty. It is the key scenic spot in the central plain developed by the National Tourism Bureau. The Memorial Temple of Lord Bao was once built in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties. The reconstructed one covers an area of more than 1 hectare with a collection of magnificent buildings of the Song style.

As a high judicial official in Kaifeng during the Northern Song Dynasty, Bao Zeng, is a household-name in China. People often addressed him as Lord Bao out of the respect. In his long official career, Lord Bao insisted on strictly enforcing the law and punishing those who trampled the law, regardless of their social status or reputation. His morality is respected and has been worshipped for generations.

The temple is composed of the main exhibition area, the garden and the service section. The main buildings and scenic spots consist of the Gate Hall, the Second Gate Hall, exhibition halls, the Stele Pavilion, the Second Hall, the corridor hall and the Hundred Dragon Pavilion, along with artificial mountains, waterfalls, springs, bridges and rare stones. In the main hall is a big bronze statue of Lord Bao dressed in official uniform sitting seriously with one hand clasping the chair and the other one tightly gasped as if to jump off the chair. This statue with a height of more than 3 meters and a weight of 2.5 tons, is of historical, ideological and artistic value. The historical relics and documents which show Bao' life and merits are displayed beside this solemn statue.

In the Second Hall, the following are displayed: one of Lord Bao's poems which shows his political ambition, the family disciplines, the epigraph and the handwritings of Bao; as well as the Stele named Kaifeng Fu. In his poem to express his political ambition, Lord Bao made it clear that greediness is the root of all evils, while uprightness is the foundation of a man. Lord Bao wrote in the family disciplines that any of his descendants who committed crimes of corruption in his official career should be driven out of Bao's family and could not be buried in the Bao clan cemetery after their death. The items displayed reflected Bao's integrity and uprightness. On the Stele named Kaifeng Fu, there are 183 names of the past officials of the 148 years, from the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty. Only below the name of Lord Bao there is a deep smooth ditch, which has been formed by the touches of visitors through the ages; and it witnesses the people's respect to Bao for more than one thousand years.

In the garden, there is an artificial mountain by the lake, decorated by rushing waterfalls, rare stones, delicate sculptures and flourishing plants. In the service section, there are parking lots, shops, toilets, public telephones, tourist guides and an information desk, which offer services like guides, shopping, dinning, parking, inquiry and photography.

Publishes at : 07-12-13 20:05

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