It is said that Changping Village, located 10 kilometers southeast of Xiezhou, is the hometown of Guan Yu, a famous general of the Shu State during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280). Hence, the Guandi Temple is the ancestral temple of all the temples enshrining and to Guan. Built in 589 during the reign of Emperor Wendi of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the Guandi Temple was burnt down in 1702 in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and later went through 10 years of restorations.

Covering an area of about 100 mu (1 mu = 1/15 of a hectare), the Guandi Temple can be divided into southern and northern parts. The southern area is centered on Jieyi Garden and comprises a memorial archway, the Gentleman Pavilion, the Three-Sworn-Brothers Pavilion and rockeries. At the Three-Sworn-Brothers Pavilion, an engraved picture from the time of Emperor Qianlong tells the story of Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who swore to be brothers in Taoyuan. The central temple is built in the north with an overall arrangement resembling that of a palace. It consists of a front and a back palace. In the front palace, constructions on the central axis include: the Duan Gate, the Zhi Gate, the Wu Gate, the Imperial Writing Building and the Chongning Hall, including side halls on the east and west sides. The back palace is centered around the Spring and Autumn Building; the Sword and Seal buildings are built symmetrically on the two sides. 

The grand Guandi Temple was built with an overall compact arrangement. The south and north groups of constructions are surrounded by side rooms, attributing the temple its reputation of being like a Small Forbidden City.

Inside the temple, stretches of tall cypress trees and flowers release a lovely fragrance into the air. The Chongning Hall is the main temple to Guan Yu. The present hall was mainly built in 1718 during the Qing Dynasty. It is five bays wide and four bays deep, with a double-eaved gable and hip roof and a densely distributed dougong (wooden square blocks inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam). The hall is surrounded by corridors and has 26 columns engraved with patterns of snaking dragons. In the center of the hall is a finely carved niche with a Guan Yu statue dressed like an emperor inside; beams and columns are carved with various patterns. Hanging in the hall are stone tablets with imperial inscriptions by Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Xianfeng and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.

The Spring and Autumn Building in Guandi Temple was built during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and rebuilt in 1807 in the Qing Dynasty. The two-storied building is 33 meters high with a gable and hip roof that has three layers of eaves. Each floor has corridors and the eaves are decorated with various patterns beneath, including a dragon, phoenix, floating cloud, flower and human figure. Its roof is covered with color-glazed tiles. Three wooden niches can be found on the first floor with Guan Yu statues inside. In the niche on the upper floor is a standing statue of Guan Yu with seven nevi on his face as described in the legend. A set of 36 steps appears  on either side of the building and the second floor has 108 partition boards. It is said that Guan Yu loved to read the Confucian classic, Spring and Autumn Annals, throughout his life -- hence the building's name, Spring and Autumn Building.