Posts Tagged three kingdoms
Zhangfei Temple
Posted by act2009 in Tourist Attractions on June 25th, 2009
Zhangfei Temple
Zhangfei Temple is located at the foot of Feifeng Mountain on the bank of Yangtze River in Yunyang County. It was built about 1,700 years ago in memory of Zhangfei, a famous general of Shu Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms Period.
A legend goes that his staffs in Langzhong area killed Zhangfei. They kept his chopped-off head in order to surrender themselves to Wu Kingdom. On their way, they suddenly heard the information of pacification between Shu Kingdom and Wu Kingdom. They are so scared that they plunged Zhangfei’s chopped-off head into the Yangtze River. A fisherman found Zhangfei’s head and buried it at the foot of Feifeng Mountain. Also, locals also built a temple in memory of him. Thus, there is a saying that Zhangfei’s head in Yunyang County but body in Langzhong area.
Zhangfei Temple's square
This temple is a big building with many rooms and halls. The most attractive part of Zhangfei Temple is its characteristics in collection and exhibition of Chinese calligraphy works created by many famous celebrities. In other words, it is a calligraphy museum focusing on the beauty around Yangtze River landscape. The famous historic men include, Huang Tingjian, Su Dongpo, Wang Xizhi, Mao Zedong, Yan Zhenqing, Zheng Banqiao and many others. It deserves to take a long time to visit if you are interested in calligraphy and inscription.
Zhangfei Temple is with traditional buildings with typical Chinese architectural style on the highland are most attractive among natural scenery. If you onboard a ferry, it will be much nearer to it. There is no automobile. On the way to Zhangfei Temple, there are all the traditional civil residences and the local sculptures. The tranquility and silence will make you forget the crowdedness and dysphoria of urban life. All traditional stuffs around this area are indeed beneficial for you to feel the ancient life and imagine the ancestors’ living environment.
Yichang
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 22nd, 2009
Yichang city
In southwest Hubei Province, Yichang city (宜昌市), originally known as Yiling (夷陵), where the Yiling Battle, one of the famous wars fought during the Three Kingdoms Period, took place. In 222 AD, Sun Quan (孙权) of Wu (吴) State and Liu Bei (刘备) of Shu (蜀) State disputed over the strategically important land of Jingzhou area (荆州, in south-central Hubei). At first, Sun Quan’s army occupied Jingzhou. The move had a negative impact to Zhuge Liang’s plan (he was the wise man in Shu State at that time), which was good for Liu Bei to unify China. Jingzhou was an essential land for him to destroy Shu and Wei (魏, where controlled by Cao Cao, 曹操) States, so he must recaptured the area. However, he failed because his army managed to capture Jingzhou in a hurry without adequate preparation.
Yichang has 2700-year history also the cradle of ancient Ba culture and origin of Shu culture. It is the hometown of Qu Yuan (屈原), a Chinese great patriotic poet. Qu Yuan lived in the Warring States Era over 2,000 years ago, and he was suicide for his motherland invaded by other stronger power.
Three Gorges scenery in Yichang
It is the hometown of Wang Zhaojun, who married Hun Khan in exchanging for peace and stability. It is also the destinations of many famous scholars, litterateurs, artists, poets and ideologists, who once indulged themselves in the city’s beautiful scenery. Yichang was once the place for exiling demoted officials. If you are interested in Peking Opera, you will find more specific images or characters in the story performed on stage. Yichang is undoubtedly one of the best tourism cities in China today.
Yichang is located in the middle reaches of Yangtze River, where also known as the golden waterway, Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway, No. 318 National Expressway are all going across the city. It is an increasingly important position for land and water transportation. The world-famous Three Gorges Project is so near to downtown. It is the second largest city in Hubei Province after Wuhan, the provincial capital. Yichang has an area of 21,000 square kilometers with a total population of 4,149,300.
Yichang is in subtropical monsoon and humid climate zone with four distinct seasons. Rainwater is rich especially in summer, which is very hot.
Chibi, Yangtze River tours
Posted by act2009 in Tourist Attractions on June 19th, 2009
The Red Cliff
Chibi (赤壁, literally the Red Cliff) is located in the southeast of Hubei Province and on the south bank of Yangtze River, 36 kilometers to northwest of Chibi city. Chibi is the famous ancient battlefield, where the historic Chibi Battle happened. Between summer and winter of 208 AD, the cooperation of Liu Bei (刘备) on behalf of Shu Kingdom and Sun Quan (孙权) of Wu Kingdom, defeated the northern power, Cao Cao (曹操) of Wei State, with less army than Cao Cao used. The handsome, young and versatile General Zhou Yu (周瑜), born in Lujiang County, Anhui Province, was a historic character in China’s history. He was good at music, tactics, kongfu and writing when he had been the youngest first-rank general in Wu Kingdom with high reputation and respect from government and public, and his wife, Xiao Qiao, was also the most beautiful woman at that time of Wu Kingdom, conducted this great and significant battle and stabilized the basic structure of Three-Kingdom condition.
Chibi is comprised of three hills – Chibi, Nanping (南屏山) and Jinluan Hills (金鸾山). The greenery on the hills and the towers, pavilions and kiosk surrounded by trees give Chibi magnificent beauty. Nowadays, there is a Zhou Yu’s large marble sculpture, and two Chinese characters “Chibi” in red color on the steep cliff were still predominate and they are the best attractions in this site. It is said that Zhou Yu wrote it excitedly and happily when he saw his army burnt the warships of northern power were and the reddish light of fire emitted. It may not be dependable, but we indeed could feel the grandeur and magnificence from these two regular red characters.
Chibi scenery during a Yangtze cruise
Chibi Hill’s southwest is facing the Yangtze River, its slanted cliff is height about 300 meters, with odd and rugged stones, to which the pounding waves of the river hit with thundering sounds. Alongside the two giant Chinese characters “赤壁”, there are the rock-carving figures of Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, the most mysterious man with endless wisdom, he was able to predict the future, and could chat directly with god), Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. You may see some stone tablets of Chinese calligraphy as well. On the top of the Chibi Hill, sees the Yijiang Kiosk (Wings over the River). It is said the during the Chibi Battle, Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu watched the Cao Cao’s forces on the opposite side of Yangtze River on the hill. However, the kiosk we see today was built in later times.
There is the Baifeng Kiosk on the Nanping Hill. It is said that legendary Zhuge Liang “borrowed” the east-wind from the heaven on Seven-star Platform in this hill. A Buddhist convent was on the mountainside of Jinluan Hill but the one we see today is a rebuilt version in 1846. The architectural style gives the atmosphere of grandeur and solemn. It was the former residence of Pang Tong (庞统), who was one of the brains that serves Liu Bei of Shu Kingdom.
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