Huangling Temple

Huangling Temple, on the south bank of the Yangtze River, within the Xiling Gorge and 7 kilometers away from the Three Gorge Dam site, is one of the oldest ancient buildings in the three Gorges area.

The Huangling Temple is truly a splendid building with crimson walls and yellow roof. It was first built in the Spring and Autumn Periods over 2500 years ago. According to legend the temple was built to honor Yu the Great, who was believed as the first ruler of the Xia Dynasty(the first Chinese Dynasty to be described in ancient historical records), and is best remembered for teaching people methods to harass the raging Yangtze River.

The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt for several times. The remaining main building was built during the Ming Dynasty over 700 years ago and has been repaired in recent years.

After getting ashore, visitors have to climb up 36 steps before reaching the temple gate. The main hall, Hall of the Yu the Great looks magnificent. It is supported by 36 big pillars, each pillar inscribed with many valuable hydrology records of the Yangtze River region, including a flood submerging the temple 4 meters from the floor. It is not surprisingly that the temple survived that flood, given its sturdy pillars.  

It is supported by 36 big pillars and there are some old tablets inside, on which are written some characters about the hydrological data in ancient times.

The area surrounding the temple is a veritable orange orchard, which provides a beautiful setting for the temple.