TIME IN CHINA >> Attractions >> Baidi City (White Emperor City)
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Baidi City (White Emperor City)

Baidi City, one of the stops along the Yangtze River, is located at the entrance of the Qutang Gorge on the north bank of the river, 8 kilometers (5 miles) from Fengjie County. It is surrounded by water on three sides and by mountains on one side. It is actually is a mini city scattered with temples and gates on top of Baidi Hill.
 
Originally named Ziyang city, the Baidi City was said to be built by Gongsun Shu when he ruled over Sichuan at the end of the western Han Dynasty. The legend goes in 25 A.D. Gongsun Shu saw white vapor in the shape of a dragon rising from a nearby well, and taking this as an auspicious omen, he declared himself the 'White Emperor' and renamed the town White Emperor City and the hill White Emperor Hill. In 37 A.D., Gongsun Shu died in the war launched by Liuxiu, the first emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, to attack Shu. In order to memorize this White Emperor, the local people built a temple on the hill and enshrined statue of white emperor in it, which is later named Baidi Temple (White Emperor Temple).
 
Later, the Baidi Temple was in spotlight for its relationship with the heroes of Three Kingdoms Period. In 222 A.D., Liu Bei, the king of Shu, was defeated by Eastern Wu Kingdom and fell ill in Yong’an Town (Present Kuizhou City in Fengjie County) near Baidi City. On his deathbed, Liu entrusted state affairs and his son, Liu Chan, to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang (a famous idea man in China's history). During the Ming Dynasty, the statue of Gongsun Shu was replaced by a new one for Liu Bei and later with another three for Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang respectively. From then on, the white emperor was no longer enshrined in White Emperor City.
 
Today, the front hall of this temple contains large modern statues which depict the scene in the story. To the left is the handsome, winged Observing Stars Pavilion (Guanxing Ting) where Zhuge Liang observed the stars and made accurate weather forecasts which helped him plan his victorious battles. With upturned eaves and polished beams, the temple has 12 pillars on the ground floor and 6 on the upper floor.
 
Baidi city is also known as City of Poems. In ancient times, attracted by its fame, many scholars and poets visited here and left lots of literal relics. In the city, there are over 70 poems, carvings, and cultural relics of the Sui, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, in which two steles from Sui, Qing Emperor Kangxi, Bamboo-Leaf Stele and Phoenix Stele are the most outstanding.
 
With enchanting scenery and countless historic remains, Baidi City has already been a must see place for visitors to Yangtze River.

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