Zhongxian

Yangtze River Bridge, Zhongxian County

Near the centre of Chongqing and the hinterland of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, there is a county named Zhongxian (Loyalty County) that borders Wanxian County in the northeast and Fengdu County in the southwest.

Zhongxian is the only county that is named with the word 'zhong' in China. In fact, it was bestowed by Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty) because there were two loyal generals - Yan Yan and Ba Manzi in its history.

Sightseeing List:

Rich in tourist attractions, Zhongxian is a county filled with cultural relics. Considered to be one of the world's top architectural buildings, Shibaozhai (Precious Stone Fortress) is situated in Zhongxian. Numerous tourists have visited this spot and marveled at its unique architecture style. Also, the fabled island ‘Huanghuacheng Site’ allows visitors to admire villages from the Qing Dynasty and ancient tombs from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Zhongba Site which was recently discovered here contains the living “Twenty-Four Histories”, a collection of Chinese historical books covering Chinese historyfrom 2550 BC to the Ming Dynasty in 1664.

Because of the Three Gorges Dam, two thirds of the territory of Zhongxian will be submerged. Some of the people have moved to the new county of Zhongxian. And more local residents will move out from the old county. Anyhow, there are some attractions, such as Precious Stone Fortress (Shibaozhai), Lord Bai’s Memorial Hall (Baigongci) and Huanghua City and Mountain with Heavenly Pool (Tianchishan).

Precious Stone Fortress (Shibaozhai)
Considered to be one of the world's top architectural buildings, Shibaozhai (Precious Stone Fortress) is situated in Zhongxian. Numerous tourists have visited this spot and marveled at its unique architecture style. Also, the fabled island 'Huanghuacheng Site' allows visitors to admire villages from the Qing Dynasty and ancient tombs from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Lord Bai’s Memorial Hall

Precious Stone Fortress

Located in the west of Zhongxian, Lord Bai’s Memorial Hall was built in honour of Bai Juyi. Bai was a well-known poet and influential minister of the Tang Dnasty (618-907). Framed by those corrupted officials he was degraded to a low official position in Zhongzhou. While he was in term, he served the local people heart and soul and wrote several hundred of realistic poems. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the memorial hall was built to honor him.

Lord Bai’s Memorial Hall is built against river and mountain. On its left is a high tree and on the right are almost upright steps. On the end of the steps, you can see the gate of Lord Bai’s Memorial Hall. It is very magnificent with delicately decorated archways. Moreover, two life-like stone lions sit on both sides . Passing through the gate, you are in Bai Garden. There are Ink Washing Pool and the Statue of Bai Juyi. The rooms, lying in the south of the garden, display the records of Bai’s official contributions. And the Drunk Poem Crying Pavilion attracts a large number of tourists with its complex construction.

Huanghua City
Huanghua City is located in the east of Zhongxian. Covering an area of 2.5 square kilometers (about 0.96 sq mi), it is about 142-272 m (about 466-892 ft) in altitude. Despite a single isle in the Yangtze River, Huanghua City has very beautiful scenery. The city has become a charming traveling spot with the site of the ancient Yamun and City Wall. Furthermore, people on the isle hold a traditional Chinese life style, attaching importance to agriculture and planting. Tourists can experience a real life of Ba people in the city. On the Ba Festival, people here hold diversified activities to celebrate the special day.

Heavenly Lake Mountain
Mountain with Heavenly Pool, a national forest park, is 27 km (about 16.8 mi) from Zhongxian. It is so named due to the two natural pools on the top of the mountain. The landscape of water and mountain as well as the exotic culture of Catholic Church here attracts a large number of tourists from many countries. The whole park includes five scenic areas: Heavenly Pool Scenic Area, Immortals’ Cave Scenic Area, Ancient Land Scenic Area, Taojiagou Scenic Area and Changshi Scenic Area.

Local Products: silk, preserved bean curd and preserved pickle.