Fire destroys 600-years old Temple in Wudang Mountains (China)
On January 19, 2003, the 600-year-old Yuzhengong Palace at the Wudang Mountains was accidentally burned down by an employee of a martial arts school. A fire broke out in the hall, reducing the three rooms that covered 200 square metres to ashes. A gold-plated statue of Zhang Sanfeng, which was usually housed in Yuzhengong, was moved to another building just before the fire, and so escaped destruction in the inferno.
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994, the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains represents the highest standards of Chinese art and architecture over a period of nearly 1,000 years.
The palaces and temples which form the nucleus of this group of secular and religious buildings exemplify the architectural and artistic achievements of China’s Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Situated in the scenic valleys and on the slopes of the Wudang mountains in Hubei Province, the site contains Taoist buildings from as early as the 7th century.
