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Take an additional optional excursion to the White Emperor City (also known as White Emperor Temple, White King Town, or Baidi Cheng). It is in Fengjie county, Chongqing, and also the best location to enjoy the spectacular view of Kui Gate, Qutang Gorge, which is on the back of the Chinese 10-yuan note.
White Emperor City or Baidi Cheng is well-known for the story of Liu Bei who entrusted his sons to Zhuge Liang. The city is located on Baidi Hill, which situates at the west gate of the Qutang Gorge. So this area was long affected by conflicts in ancient China and is of significant historical importance. According to history records, a lot of celebrities in ancient times paid visits to this place and wrote lots of poems, and that is why this place is also reputed as “City of Poems”.
The original name of White Emperor City is Ziyang City. It was said that the area was once shrouded in a mysterious white mist. An ancient warlord named Gongsun Shu had ambitions to be a king, so he had his cronies spread the rumors that a white dragon appeared here. Since the dragon was the symbol for the Chinese Emperor, he decided to declare himself the White Emperor and renamed this city “White Emperor City”.
In 222 A.D. Liu Bei, the first king of the Shu Kingdom retreated to this place after attacking and losing the battle to the Wu Kingdom. Before his death of sorrow and depression, Liu Bei entrusted his regime and his sons, to his trusted prime minister Zhuge Liang. In the next hundreds of years, White Emperor City experienced a lot of changes and rebuilding, and at present, it is a place to know the history and admire the famous people in the ancient times.
There are many highlights in the town. Tuogu Hall is perhaps the most important one, but travelers should not miss the Mingliang Palace and the Guanxin Pavillion either. What’s more, this location offers the best view of Kui Gate.
Tougu Hall is one of the most attractive places in White Emperor City. Inside the hall, you could see a scene that showing Liu Bei entrusting his son to Zhuge Liang. Liu Shan, Liu Bei’s son, was then taught by Zhuge Liang and then he eventually took the reins. This touching and famous story is been told by generations and Zhuge Liang is always reputed with his loyalty and integrity.
The Mingliang Palace was originally built to memorize Gongsun Shu, who founded this city and brought a good and peaceful life to the people in this area during chaotic years. But it become a shrine for Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang since Ming Dynasty.
There are two Stele Forests in the city, one in the east and the other in the west. In the Stele Forests, you could find over 70 outstanding works of various calligraphic scripts. Some scripts could date back to Sui Dynasty with a history of more than 1300 years.
Inside the stele forests, you can find two special steles, one is a poem from the Tang Dynasty, handwritten by the emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty. Another is a poem carving, but it looks like a bamboo painting if you look far away.
Situated at the entrance of Qutang Gorge, the first gorge of the Three Gorges, the White Emperor City is the best location to enjoy the stunning scenery of Kui Gate. Many travelers will take out a 10 RMB note and take a photo in front of camera with the Kui Gate as the background.
