Shibaozhai

Zhongxian County is surrounded by mountains and waters, with a unique island city style, and is the only remaining "semi flooded county town" in the Three Gorges Reservoir area. Shibaozhai is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, 32 kilometers east of Zhongxian City. It is situated in the heart of the Three Gorges Reservoir area, with convenient water and land transportation. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit, a 4A level tourist attraction, a national level scenic spot, and is also known as one of the eight wonders of the world.

Chongqing Zhongxian Yangtze River Three Gorges Shibaozhai

Yuyin Style Street

The gate of the scenic spot is a huge memorial archway, which is made of strips of stone with cornices and corners. The memorial archway is inscribed with three big characters "Shibao Zhai", which was inscribed by Mr. Wu Weishan, president of the National Sculpture Institute. There is a stone lion on each side of the gate, with a male on the left and a female on the right. This pair of stone lions is also known as the "Feng Shui Lions", which means "recruiting talents and bringing good fortune".

Facing the gate is the Yuyin Fengqing Street, which adopts the architectural styles of Ming and Qing Yudong and Bashu, and incorporates some of the architectural techniques of Shibaozhai. The streets are paved with bluestone, lined with antique style buildings on both sides, with upturned roofs and flying rafters, decorated with antique style doors and windows.

Suspension Bridge

The suspension bridge of Shibaozhai is currently the only land transportation pedestrian bridge leading to Shibaozhai. The suspension bridge has a total length of 188 meters and a width of 3.5 meters. The suspension tower above the bridge deck is 5 meters high, and the bridge deck is paved with wooden boards with metal railings on both sides. The bridge deck is 178 meters high, the same height as the top of the Shibaozhai cofferdam. The four characters "Pearl on the River" are written horizontally on the stone memorial archway standing at the bridge head. Standing at the bridgehead, separated by an iron bridge, the giant rock that is about 108 meters long and 20 meters wide can be seen from afar. Due to its solitary peak, the four walls are like cuts, and the shape is like jade seals, it was formerly known as Jade Seal Mountain. From a distance, Shibaozhai looks like both a potted plant and a cruise ship, hence it is also known as the "number one potted plant in the world" and the "unsinkable aircraft carrier"!

Chongqing Zhongxian Yangtze River Three Gorges Winter Shibaozhai Suspension Bridge

[Cofferdam]

The cofferdam of Shibaozhai has a total length of 600 meters, circling around Shibaozhai and blocking the water of the Yangtze River outside. After the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, the water level can rise to 175 meters. At that time, the Yangtze River water will flood to the center of the main gate of the fortress, and Shibaozhai will be surrounded by water on all sides, becoming a truly isolated island in the river. In order to comprehensively and permanently protect the Shibao Village and fully reflect the protection principle of not changing the original appearance, the National Cutural Heritage Administration finally decided to adopt the on-site protection scheme for the Shibao Village. The protection project started in 2005 and took a full three years, with a total investment of approximately 110 million yuan. Since then, Shibaozhai has become an isolated island surrounded by water on all sides of the river, with charming scenery and rich scenery, presenting itself in a brand new way to the world, truly becoming a small Penglai in the river and the largest bonsai in the world.

Must feel inferior

The stone memorial archway was built by Mr. Deng Yayi, a squire, in the Daoguang period (1847). The front of the door plaque is engraved with the words "one must feel inferior" in a large book, taken from the "Book of Rites: Doctrine of the Mean": "The way of a gentleman is to start from a lower place when traveling far, and to feel inferior when climbing high." This means that when climbing high, one must start from a lower place, and when traveling far, one must start from a closer place.

【 Shibaozhai Gate 】

After passing through the memorial archway, you come to the gate of Shibao Stronghold. The gate of the village is built of bricks and stones, with a height of more than 6 meters. It has a gable roof with upturned corners and tiles, and a third floor with four columns and three rooms. There are exquisite relief clay sculptures such as "Five Dragons Holding Saints" and "Double Lions Playing Colors" on it, painted with gold and colors, which are magnificent and colorful. The four porcelain characters "Stair Clouds Straight Up" are inscribed horizontally on the forehead of the door, meaning to use clouds as a ladder and lift it up to the sky. Tourists climb up the stairs and feel a sense of drifting into the fairyland, rising step by step and enjoying the pleasure of riding the wind. Three small characters "Little Penglai" are written vertically in the middle. It is said that the Eight Immortals once rested and practiced here, thinking that this mountain was better than the Penglai fairyland, hence the name. This makes people marvel at the charming scenery of Shibaozhai, where immortals reside.

All wood tower

The main body of the Shibaozhai Tower is a red all wooden tower shaped building, which is the largest and most multi story wooden structure building in China. The tower has a wonderful concept and unique craftsmanship. It was first built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (around 1662 AD) and has a history of more than 300 years. The tower has 12 floors and a total height of 56 meters. The tower is divided into two parts, with nine floors below and three floors above. The lower nine layers imply the meaning of the Nine Heavens. There is a spiral wooden ladder inside the building for visitors to climb up.

Chongqing Yangtze River Three Gorges Shibaozhai Wooden Tower

Rain and Rain Stele

Entering the gate, I saw this black stone monument. This is a merit monument erected in memory of Mr. Deng Deyi, the gentry who presided over the construction of the tower, and other donors. The exterior shape of the merit stele is no different from that of an ordinary stele, and the luster of the stele surface can reflect human shadows, with a slight yellow color. If there is water vapor on the monument, it indicates that it will rain the next day. If it is relatively dry, the next day will be sunny, with a special function of predicting "weather changes". It is said that in the past, ordinary people relied on this to predict weather, which was very effective and accurate. Therefore, the monument is also known as the "Rain and Rain Monument" by the villagers.

Statue of General Bamanzi

On the second floor of the tower, the statue of General Bamanzi is presented to everyone. Ba Manzi used his own head to protect the three cities of Ba country, saving the people of the three cities from the disaster of national destruction. This act of sacrificing one's life for righteousness and loyalty to the monarch and the people has laid the foundation for the loyalty and righteousness of the county and even the entire Chinese nation for thousands of years.

[Straight Stone Carving]

Ascending to the third floor of the tower, one can see the three large characters "straight, square, and large" on the stone wall directly in front, which were personally inscribed by Tao Shu, the military governor of Chuandong, when passing through Shibaozhai in the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1820). The three characters "straight and square" come from the "Kun" hexagram in the Book of Changes. "A gentleman is straight and square, and without practice, there is no disadvantage." It means "flat and straight, upright and upright." This can be used to describe the straight mountains, temples, and large buildings in Shibaozhai.

Kuixing Pavilion

The three floors of the tower slightly retreat and are supported by a stone platform on the mountaintop, protruding straight into the sky, known as the "Kuixing Pavilion". Kuixing is the god who dominates the rise and fall of scholars in folk mythology stories, and holds a high position in the hearts of students. Kuixing Pavilion is a pyramidal roof style building on the third floor and four corners. It is magnificent with red and green tiles, cornices, and towering clouds. Kuixing Pavilion is an excellent place to enjoy the scenery of the Yangtze River. Friends can gaze into the distance and appreciate the magnificence of the Yangtze River.

Emperor's Hall

The horizontal inscription on the gate of the Tianzi Hall reads' Blue Universe Lingxiao ', symbolizing the majestic atmosphere of the Lingxiao Hall in the heavenly realm, overlooking the mountains and small mountains from a high vantage point. From here, gazing into the distance, the river water can be seen in full view, with a lone sail casting a distant shadow on the blue sky, only revealing the beauty of the Yangtze River's skyline flow. The Tianzi Hall is divided into three halls: the front, middle, and back. Most of them use flat topped platforms to face cliffs and build wall foundations. The building is placed in the middle as much as possible, leaving platforms in the front and back parts. The front, middle, and back halls are located on a central axis, which not only looks grand and magnificent, but also adds a place for sightseeing with the scenery of mountains and waters.

The Jade Emperor Hall

The Jade Emperor Hall is the main hall of the Heavenly Emperor Hall, with a solemn and sacred statue of the Jade Emperor, as well as various immortals in the Heavenly Palace such as the South Pole Immortal, Zhenwu Emperor, Taishang Laojun, Wenquxing (Kuixing), Taibai Jinxing, Nezha, Jiuyao Star, Juling God, Erlang God, and Tuota Tianwang. The back of the main hall has been transformed into two large fiberglass reliefs: "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" and "Wishing Birthday at the Jade Pool". The relief sculpture has a grand scale, exquisite production, and realistic image. There is a "Love River Bridge" built between the two reliefs. Legend has it that if a person is full of love and enjoys doing good deeds, they can cross the "Love River Bridge" in three steps and achieve their dreams. On the contrary, if a person commits many evil deeds and loses their conscience, they cannot cross the "Love River Bridge" in three steps and may fall into the pool under the bridge and be eaten by the baby fish.

[Ancient Battery]

Stepping out of the temple, one arrives at a flat stone dam at an altitude of 238 meters, which is the highest point of Shibaozhai Mountain. Battery was built during the Qing Dynasty's Tongzhi period to resist foreign aggression. Here, everyone can overlook the panoramic view of the entire Shibao Immigration New Town. Xinchang Town began construction in 1996 and completed the relocation task by the end of 2006. It is a key demonstration town for immigrants in Chongqing and a major town for immigrants in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

Guan Gong Wall

Zhongxian is a place of loyalty and righteousness, and Guan Gong is the embodiment of loyalty and righteousness. The Guan Gong Wall, with its lifelike relief and vivid content, is composed of 19 well-known and widely circulated comic strips featuring Guan Gong stories. The reliefs include 19 life stories of Guan Gong, including his obsession with learning, martial arts and physical fitness, rebellion and righteousness, encounter in Zhuozhou, brotherhood in Taoyuan, lifting the siege in Qingzhou, quick execution of Hua Xiong, standing at Baimapo Station, hanging seals and sealing gold, riding alone for thousands of miles, collecting Zhou Cang with wisdom, visiting the thatched cottage three times, attacking Cao in Dangyang, studying Spring and Autumn at night, fighting against Changsha with feathers, going to the meeting with a single sword, flooding the seven armies with water, bone scraping and drug therapy, and defeat in Maicheng. The Guan Gong Wall is 6.9 meters high, 100 meters long, and 40 centimeters thick. The overall project uses more than 300 cubic meters of materials and costs over 20 million yuan, taking a full two years. It is a major highlight of the Shibaozhai Scenic Area and the most valuable large-scale cultural relic in Shibaozhai!

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