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Yongle Place
Situated in Ruicheng County in south Shanxi Province, Yongle Palace is one of the earliest Taoist palaces and temples existing today as well as the most intact building complex of the Yuan Dynasty. The world-famous Yuan-Dynasty murals are preserved in the palace.
Yongle Palace was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. After over 110 years of construction, the magnificent Taoist palace-style building complex was completed. The buildings are nicely arranged, with the temple gate, the Dragon and Tiger Hall, the Hall of the Three Pristine Ones, the Pure Yang Hall and the Double Yang Hall dotting the medial axis from south to north. Exquisitely painted murals are scattered on the walls inside the palace. The high artistic value and great number of the murals are a rarity in the world. The murals inside the Hall of the Three Pristine Ones and the Pure Yang Hall are extremely elaborate. Also known as “the Infinite Hall”, the Hall of the Three Pristine Ones is the main building of Yongle Palace. The most famous mural in the palace is the Chaoyuantu, a painting featuring all gods paying respect to Primordial Supreme Lord. Although a large number of characters are featured in the painting, their expressions and manners are different. The composition of the painting is full of variations and at the same time creates an integral artistic effect. Critics regard the painting as an exceptional masterpiece of all murals existing today.
Yongle Palace and its intact Taoist murals are key treasures in the Taoist art history of China.
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