Visiting the Three Gorges Dam, Don't Miss One of the World's Eight Wonders: Shibaozhai
Driving away from Chongqing, we intended to head straight to the Three Gorges Dam, and spend the night in Zigui. But while browsing the map, we suddenly remembered 'Shibaozhai' and the stories of Bailamanzirensuobao (Ba Ma Zi Ren Su Bao), Zhang Fei's benevolent release of Yan Yan (Zhang Fei Yi Shi Yan Yan), and Qin Liangyu, the Shu Female General (Qin Liangyu). This sparked our travel enthusiasm again, and we decided to detour to take a look.
We drove from Chongqing to Wanzhou via the Yu Yi Expressway, then turned onto S103 North. At noon, we arrived at Ruoxi Town in the jurisdiction of Chen County. We stopped to have lunch, and learned from the boss that Shibaozhai is about 30 kilometers from Ruoxi Town. We immediately set off and it took us half an hour to arrive.
It was far away, on the north bank of the Yangtze River, there was a towering small peak rising from the ground. It was majestic and upright, like a solitary island, and like a jade seal, even like a bonsai. It stood alone on the Yangtze River. There was no need to say that it was the Shibaozhai we were looking for.
Getting closer, we could see Shibaozhai's location is Shibao Town, with ancient streets and alleys, pavilions and towers, which harmoniously complemented the towering and solitary peak by the river, forming another unique landscape of the Three Gorges. By the river, there was a gateway with the words 'Jiang Shang Mingzhu' (River Pearl) written on it, telling people that Shibaozhai has a unique theme style.
Shibaozhai faces the riverbank and the Yangtze River, and is said to be a five-colored gemstone left by Nüwa when she was patching the sky. It was called 'Shibao' (Shibao). Because it resembles a jade seal, it is also called 'Yuyinshan' (Jade Seal Mountain). In the late Ming dynasty, peasant uprising armies built a stronghold here, hence the name Shibaozhai. After 400 years, Shibaozhai has weathered wind and rain, and still stands tall, becoming a bright pearl on the Yangtze River. It is called 'Jiang Shang Mingzhu' (River Pearl)
Entering Shibaozhai, we first saw a majestic and ancient tower. There were four black and white stone tablets in front of the tower, telling people about its history and the years it had gone through.
After passing through the tower, we climbed step by step and reached a rooftop. From a high vantage point, we could see that there are hundreds of mountains within a radius of hundreds of miles, the Yangtze River stretches far away, and a magnificent scene of 'Top Peak Watching the River Alone, a Lonely Sail in the Distance and Only Leisurely Time'
Shibaozhai's beauty and wonder lie in its towering and precipitous cliffs and peaks, as well as in the 12-story tower in the town. This tower is 56 meters high, made of pure wood, without a single rivet. It was started in the Ming dynasty in the year of Wanli, and was repeatedly repaired and renovated during the reigns of Kangxi and Qianlong, and in the modern era. It still has a magnificent and spectacular appearance today. The entire body is built into the mountain, from bottom to top, from large to small, and has a unique style, which is rare in the world. Therefore, it is called one of the 'Eight Wonders of the World'
Looking far, we looked as far as we could, the water of the Yangtze River came from the sky and flowed away, and the years passed without being washed away. It was the flow of time, but it couldn't erase the hundreds of years of history carried by it.
There are three groups of sculptures in the town, including the story of Bailamanzirensuobao (Ba Ma Zi Ren Su Bao) protecting the city, Zhang Fei's benevolent release of Yan Yan (Zhang Fei Yi Shi Yan Yan), and Qin Liangyu, the Shu Female General (Qin Liangyu) from her military campaign, demonstrating a 'Loyalty' character. This told people about the origin of the name of Chen County where Shibaozhai is located, and also embodied the value of loyalty.
Shibaozhai is also called 'Jiang Zhong Benjing' (River Pearl Bonsai) because of its protection during the construction of the Three Gorges project. Today, we can see the protective fence around the area, which was built by the State Investment of 100 million yuan to protect Shibaozhai, thus creating the name 'Jiang Zhong Benjing' (River Pearl Bonsai) for Shibaozhai.
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