The Palace of Eternal Joy (Yongle gong), that lies 3km north of a village called Ruicheng, is a Taoist temple that was built to venerate the Taoist immortal, Lu Dongbin. Lu is alleged to have been born near here. As with the Guangsheng Temple, this Taoist complex boasts a good selection of murals, mostly of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), although with some dating back as far as the Tang (618-907 AD). The temple has three halls, and is complemented by a desolate mountainous landscape.

The present day palace receives its name, not from the beatific smiles that the monks beam, but because the temple used to be situated in a village called Yongle (Eternal Joy), that was located to the south of the present site, on the banks of the Yellow River. The temple was relocated in 1959, after the plans for a dam to be built at Sanmenxia were implemented. The dam flooded the area, covering the village and the former site.

The main hall in the complex, and the first that you come to, is known as the Three Taoist Saints Hall (Sanqing dian) and it houses a huge scene depicting the congregation of the three major Taoist saints, seated on thrones, with a cortege of hundreds of minor deities surrounding them. The statues are intricate renditions of these Buddhist characters, strangely flattened like steamrolled roadrunners. The second hall is Lu Dongbin's memorial area, with a number of murals that circle around the hall, depicting the stages of this deity's life. The final hall also has various murals, that once portrayed the lives of ordinary Taoists and the life in this area, but unfortunately now little is left of these scenes, as the murals have been mostly damaged or destroyed.

How to get there and away: Nearest major town to this region is Yuncheng, accessible by train from any of the major destinations in Shanxi and from Xi'an. From Linfen to Yuncheng, train (K703: 07:40-09:59 or No.4501: 11:19-13:10) or infrequent bus is possible. Yuncheng is 80km from Ruicheng, and this journey will take around 2hrs on mountainous roads. The temple is a further 4km south of Ruicheng (minibus or walk).
Buses from Ruicheng depart for Xi'an (4hrs), via Huashan (2hrs), at 05:30. Two hours west of Ruicheng is another town, Fengling Du, that has raillinks to the major cities and towns in Shanxi, and to Xi'an.
Opening hours: 09:00-16:00.
Cost: RMB20 entrance fee.

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About Linfen

. Transportation in Linfen . Dining Overview in Linfen . Hotel Overview in Linfen . The Palace of Eternal Joy (Yongle gong) . Susan Prison . Hukou Falls . Guangsheng Temple . Linfen Climate . Linfen Introduction

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