Baidi City, a tourist attraction in the Three Gorges

Introduction to Baidicheng Scenic Area

Baidi City is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River at the mouth of Qutangxia in Fengjie County, Chongqing. It is a famous tourist attraction in the Three Gorges, situated on the eastern Baidi Mountain in Fengjie. It has the style of Mount Taishan Mountain and the strange stone spectacle of Tu'er Ridge. It was originally named Ziyang City. It was built by Gongsun Shu, who ruled Shu in the late Western Han Dynasty. Gongsun Shu called himself White Emperor, so it was named "White Emperor City". Baidi City is the best place to observe the grandeur of Kuimen in the world. On May 25, 2006, Baidi City, as an ancient building from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. On June 10, 2017, the Bai Di Cheng Ruins officially launched the application for World Cultural Heritage status.

Geographical location of Baidi City

Baidi City in Fengjie County, Chongqing, is located on the top of Baidi Mountain on the north bank of the Yangtze River at the mouth of Qutang Gorge. It is bordered by Kuimen to the east, Bazhentu to the west, mountains on one side, water on all sides, and Gaoxia on the back. It is a strategic location for both water and land, and serves as the gateway to the Three Gorges. It has been a battleground for military strategists throughout history. It is 8 kilometers east of Fengjie City and 451 kilometers away from the city center of Chongqing. It is backed by a high gorge and faces the Yangtze River in front, with a magnificent and majestic atmosphere. It has long been a famous tourist attraction on the Three Gorges tourism route.

Architectural layout of Baidi City

To the east of Baidi City is the Kuimen Gate, and to the west is the Eight Formations Map. Surrounded by water on three sides, it sits at a strategic location on both land and water, and has been a battleground for military strategists throughout history. Emperor Liu Bei of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms launched an attack on Eastern Wu, but was defeated in the Battle of Baidi City. He was deeply saddened and fell ill. Before his death, he sought refuge with Prime Minister Zhuge Liang at Yong'an Palace in Baidi City. There is a large clay sculpture of "Liu Bei Tuogu" displayed in the Baidi Temple.

Major tourist attractions in the vicinity of Baidicheng

Baidi Temple

Today's Baidi City, in a broad sense, refers to the Baidi Temple, which includes Ming Liang Hall, Wuhou Temple, Guanxing Pavilion and other Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings. The Mingliang Hall was built in the twelfth year of the Jiajing reign (1533) and is the main building inside the temple. It contains statues of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. The Wuhou Temple houses three generations of statues of Zhuge Liang's ancestors and grandchildren. The stargazing pavilion in front of the temple is said to be the place where Zhuge Liang observed the stars at night. On both sides of Mingliang Hall and Wuhou Temple, there are famous steles of various dynasties. There is also a cultural relic exhibition room and a poetry and history hall inside the temple, displaying unearthed cultural relics since the Neolithic Age and calligraphy and painting by famous artists from ancient and modern times. These ancient buildings and cultural relics add color to the White Emperor City.

Inside the White Emperor Temple, there are many inscriptions and cultural relics of poetry and literature from various dynasties. Among them are the famous Ba Shu willow leaf bronze sword from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the hanging coffin relics from Qutangxia during the Han and Jin Dynasties, 73 calligraphy and painting inscriptions, pottery, and bronze coin trees since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, as well as more than 1000 cultural relics from various dynasties, and more than 100 paintings and calligraphy works by famous artists from ancient and modern times. Among them, the "Bamboo Leaf Inscription" combines poetry and painting, with a unique style; The "Three Kings Stele", engraved with phoenix, peony and wutong, is exquisite and gorgeous, and can be called a treasure. There are over 70 intact stone tablets displayed in the east and west stele forests, among which the Sui Dynasty steles have a history of 13400 years. In the East Stele Forest, the Phoenix Stele and the Bamboo Leaf Stele are the most eye-catching.

Tuogu Hall

In the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," there is a story about Liu Bei in the White Emperor's City, who sought refuge in the city. The younger brother of the Shu Han Emperor Liu Bei, Guan Yu, was defeated and killed by the sword in Maicheng. Bei avenged him but did not heed the advice of his courtiers and rose up to attack Eastern Wu. On the way, another sworn brother and vanguard of the war against Wu, Zhang Fei, lost his life in the hands of rebel generals Fan Jiang and Zhang Da. Liu Bei was angry but did not plan and urged his troops to advance fiercely. In the summer of June of the second year of Zhangwu, a 700 mile military camp was set on fire by the general of Eastern Wu, Lu Xun. After being defeated in the Yiling Xiaoting area, they retreated to the city of Baidi. The Three Kingdoms were not unified for a long time, and two younger brothers died one after another. The army suffered heavy losses, and Liu Bei, who had personal grudges over national affairs, became anxious and frustrated. Seeing that the situation was uncertain, he summoned Prime Minister Zhuge Liang to rush there overnight. In Yong'an Palace, Liu Bei entrusted his son Liu Shan (Adou) to Zhuge Liang. And then he passed away with his life. From then on, Baidi City became even more famous for this popular story.

Mingliang Hall

This majestic and spacious hall was built in the 11th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1532 AD). There are colored statues of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei enshrined in the hall. The Mingliang Hall was originally a statue of Gong Sunshu, built by the common people at that time to commemorate Gong Sunshu. During the reign of Emperor Gongsun Shu, there were frequent wars and conflicts in various regions, while the area around Baidi City was relatively peaceful. In order to commemorate Gongsun Shu, the local people specially built the "Baidi Temple" in Baidi City and erected statues for worship. In the Ming Dynasty, the statue of Gongsun Shu was moved away and replaced by the statue of Liu Bei. There were also statues of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang in the temple.

During the Cultural Revolution, the statues of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang were all destroyed and their heads were chopped off. However, the four eunuchs were well preserved because they believed that they also belonged to the exploited class. After the Cultural Revolution, the Mingliang Hall underwent reconstruction, and except for four small eunuchs with necks, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang were all seen without necks.

Temple of Marquis

Located on the west side of Mingliang Hall. The temple houses colorful statues of Zhuge Liang, his son Zhuge Zhan, and grandson Zhuge Shang. According to historical records, Zhuge Liang's son and grandson were also wise ministers who did many good deeds for the people of Shu Han. Zhuge Liang was the actual ruler of Shu Han after Liu Bei's death and was once conferred the title of Marquis of Wuxiang. During his reign in Shu, he worked hard and achieved remarkable accomplishments.

Stargazing Pavilion

Located in front of Wuhou Temple. The Star Viewing Pavilion has 6 corners and 12 columns, with upturned eaves and extraordinary aura. The bottom layer is supported by 12 wooden columns, while the upper layer is supported by 6 wooden columns. The cornices and carved beams and painted rafters have unique shapes and exquisite designs. Legend has it that when Zhuge Liang led his army into Sichuan, he once observed the stars at night and thought about military strategy. The "Star Viewing Pavilion" was named after it. There is an ancient bell hanging high on the pavilion, and the famous poem "Eight Poems of Autumn Rising" written by Du Fu when he lived in Kuizhou is engraved on the stone table and pier in the pavilion. The carving is exquisite and unique.

the forest of steles, tablet forest

The East and West Stele Forests are located on both sides of the Ming Dynasty Hall and the Wuhou Temple, respectively. Here, more than 70 stone inscriptions from the Sui Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty are gathered, including various fonts such as seal script, clerical script, regular script, cursive script, and cursive script. It is a masterpiece of Chinese calligraphy art. The most famous of them are two Sui Dynasty steles, dating back over 1300 years. One is the Tomb Inscription of Longgong Mountain, and the other is the Pagoda Stele of Jinlun Temple. In the East Stele Forest, the Phoenix Stele and Bamboo Leaf Stele have unique styles and can be regarded as treasures. The stele of Dongbeilin was engraved by Qing Dynasty people with the words: "On June 19th, the ninth year of Tongzhi, a great flood was a disaster, exceeding five zhang above the city." It has become a precious hydrological data from the Guanxing Pavilion. There is also a poem monument engraved with the imperial pen of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty in the Pilin. This is a Tang poem written by Kangxi and was given to a retired Qing official - the censor Fu Zuoji. The poem goes: "Only dangerous rocks can lead to bird paths, and green mountains have even more homes. Where is the Peach Blossom Spring meant, and flowers fall from the floating streams.