History of Shibaozhai

A Brief Introduction to Shibaozhai

Shibaozhai lies on the north bank of Yangtze River between Zhongxian County and Wanzhou County. It is a national heritage conservation unit and a national AAAA scenic area. Shibaozhai is famous for its peculiar architecture and many interesting legends and is listed as one of the Eight World Architectural Wonders.

History of Shibaozhai – Main Events

According to the legend, this mountain was a multicolored stone which was left when Goddess Nuwa was mending the sky. So it was called "shibao" which means a precious stone. It looked like a jade seal, therefore, it was also named "Jade Seal Mountain".

In late Ming Dynasty, Tan Hong rose up and held this place as his village. In Chinese, "zhai" is a village. So from then on, it was called "Shibaozhai".

In the early years of Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, a temple was built on top of the mountain with the help of the iron chains on Shibaozhai cliff.

During the reign of Emperor Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty, skillful craftsmen were employed to study how to climb the mountain without the iron chains. As a result, a nine-floor-pavilion was built based on the landform of the mountain. From then on, pilgrims and tourists were able to climb up to the top of the mountain without the iron chains.

In 1956, Shibaozhia was expanded to 12 floors and became a "small Penglai (paradise)" for the tourists to overlook the sceneries of Yangtze River.

In 1979, Shibaozhai was opened to the public. And its annual number of tourists amounts to 22,000. And it was prized as "pearl on the river" by the visitors from home and abroad.

In 2003, the Three Gorges reservoir was filled and electricity was generated. The water level of Yangtze River reached Shibaozhai gate and Shibaozhai was surrounded by a lake with an area of over 120 hectares. Shibaozhai became a "Water Village".

To save the high-valued cultural relic, specialties put forward the scheme to keep Shibaozhai as it was and elevate it in the quondam place. Then Shibaozhai became a giant miniascape surrounded by clear water and green waves.

In April 2009, the protection project of Shibaozhai, which lasted over three years and spent almost 100 million RMB, was completed. The key scenic spots were open to the public. Shibaozhai really became a giant miniascape in Yangtze River.