Yongle Palace, Ruicheng, Shanxi

Yongle Palace, originally named Dachunyang Longevity Palace, is a Taoist temple built in commemoration of Lü Dongbin. The Yuan Dynasty murals painted on the 1,000 square meters of walls inside the temple are one of the world's ancient mural art treasures. It is one of the first national key cultural relics protection units. Yongle Palace was built in 1247 AD, originally located in Yongle Town, 20 km southwest of Ruicheng County, the birthplace of Lü Dongbin. In the late 1950s, the state built the Sanmenxia Reservoir, and Yongle Palace was planned to be in the flooded area. After approval, the Ministry of Water Resources allocated more than 2.2 million yuan to relocate Yongle Palace to the site of the ancient capital of the Western Zhou Dynasty, 2 km north of the county seat, from 1959 to 1965. Photography is not allowed in Yongle Palace. There are photos of art students copying the murals in the courtyard, and my photos are from there.