Tonghuai Guanyue Temple
关岳庙
Quanzhou's most incense-filled temple, dedicated to Guan Yu and Yue Fei, where southern Fujianese come to pray before business ventures or exams; red candles and incense haze out front are the city's signature scene.
Tonghuai Guanyue Temple sits on Tumen Street next to Qingjing Mosque. It was first built in the Song dynasty and expanded during the Ming and Qing. Its main deity is Guan Yu (Lord Guansheng Dijun), and Yue Fei was added during the Republican era, hence the name Guanyue Temple. It is a major ancestral shrine of Guan Yu worship for southern Fujian communities and overseas Chinese across Southeast Asia. The temple is not large, but its incense is unmatched in Quanzhou: candles burn bright and smoke curls in front of the main hall year-round. Locals come to pray for wealth, safety and academic success, and paibai (worship) is part of daily life in Quanzhou, offering visitors a window into folk belief. Highlights include the jianci (cut porcelain) and ceramic inlay work on the roof, the wood carvings and paintings, the many plaques inside the hall, and the Guandi lots out front, considered highly efficacious; you can draw and have them interpreted. Admission is free, and allow about 30 minutes. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage walking route linking Tumen Street and Zhongshan Road with Qingjing Mosque, Fuwen Confucian Temple and Tianhou Temple. Getting there: walk within the old city, about 15 minutes from West Street. Tips: candles can be requested inside the temple, so don't buy them at inflated prices at the entrance; in crowds, watch your belongings and the candle flames; and avoid photographing worshippers and statues head-on.
Opening hours
06:00–21:00
Nearby sights
- Qingjing Mosque
- Quanzhou Confucian Temple
- Chengtian Temple
- Zhongshan Road & Bell Tower
- Quanzhou Tianhou Temple
- Deji Gate Ruins
- West Street (Xijie)
- Kaiyuan Temple & Twin Pagodas