Ryangchon Temple in Rakchon-ri, Kowon County, South Hamgyong Province was built in 753, and the existing building was renovated in the 17th century.

   At present there are Taeung Hall, Manse Pavilion and Muryangsu Hall in Ryangchon Temple.

   Chairman Kim Jong Il visited Ryangchon Temple on June 1, Juche 91 (2002), and looked around the Taeung Hall and appreciated that such pictures as dancing music painting on the ceiling were painted well. And he said that the eyes of two women holding trays with peaches of longevity seemed to move together when the people moved back and forth, and the paintings on the inclined ceiling were distinctive. He continued that this temple was well-known for its large scale and harmoniously beautiful colour paintings, and that it would be only here that the figure paintings were tactile and that the attached pictures and portraits were very characteristic.

   Chairman said that monks are prohibited from drinking, eating meat and approaching a women, and that such paintings were intended to show that monks should not act the negative behaviors because the Goddess of Mercy finds out them, but rather to expose the dirty life of the monks.

   Chairman instructed to make an album with the pictures painted in the Ryangchon Temple.

   At Manse Pavilion, the Chairman said that the Pavilion seems to be the biggest one among the pavilions in our country, and at Muryangsu Hall, he said in detail about the special features of temple’s structure where the building was in form of a house with earthen porch and the rafters were directly attached to the roof with a single eaves.

   That day, the Chairman instructed not to use the primary colors, but to recolor the paintings in soft and classic way if the building needs recoloring, and leave it in its original way if it cannot be recolored to its original color.

   He gave a precious instruction on preserving the building as its original state in the future and left Ryangchon Temple.

   Thanks to the noble patriotism of the Chairman, Ryangchon Temple is still preserved and maintained in its original state and conveys the wisdom and talents of the nation to posterity.