Yongle Palace
Yongle Palace "Palace of Eternal Joy" is renowned for its many Yuan Dynasty murals, which are considered to be some of the finest artistic treasures in China. It is the largest of all Taoist temples remaining from the Yuan Dynasty. This important Taoist temple complex was not always located where it is now; it was moved brick-by-brick, painting-by-painting from 1959 - 1964 to allow for the construction of the Sanmen Gorge Reservoir on the Yellow River. Fortunately, the priceless murals for which the palace is best known were well preserved in the move. The original monastery was built between 1247 and 1262 to commemorate Lu Dongbin, one of the eight Taoist imortals, who was born in the town of Yongle in 789. The full complex took 111 years to build and was complted in 1358. The palace comprises of several buildings constructed along a line running from south to north. In each of the main halls, the walls are covered by vivid paintings which are considered the most outstanding examples of Taoist painting in China.
