Thirty Li Temple Village

Thirty Li Temple Village

Thirty Li Temple Village is a cultural tourism attraction.

Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was from Feng County. The aura of his ascension to the throne wove countless splendid stories and magical legends for the area. Today’s Thirty Li Temple Village in Wanggou Town, Feng County, along with the nearby White Emperor River, owe their origins to these tales. The current Thirty Li Temple Village is located over 30 li west of the town government, bordering Shandong’s Shanxian County and Anhui’s Dangshan County. The village has 272 households, with around 1,100 residents from 12 different surnames living harmoniously. Surrounded by lush fields, the villagers enjoy a prosperous and peaceful life. However, over two thousand years ago during the late Qin and early Han dynasties, this area was a vast wilderness of barren marshland—known as Fengxi Marsh. As an ancient saying goes: “Desolate and dreary under the slanting sunset, withered grasses bleak with no crows in sight; paths broken, people sparse, wild smoke scarce, snakes and rabbits sharing the land as kin.”

In the late Qin Dynasty, the rule was tyrannical, and the people suffered immensely. At that time, Liu Bang, a low-ranking official known as the head of Sishui Pavilion, was ordered to escort laborers to Mount Li to build the mausoleum for Emperor Qin Shi Huang. On the journey from Pei County to Fengxi Marsh, just a hundred li away, many of the laborers escaped, their hearts filled with rebellion. According to Qin law, if any laborer escaped, the escort would be executed. So Liu Bang decided not to proceed further and instead allowed everyone to rest and drink. That night, he released the prisoners, announcing that he would go into hiding and gather followers to rebel against the Qin. Leading a dozen or so volunteers, Liu Bang advanced under the moonlight but encountered a giant snake blocking the path. He drew his sword and slew the serpent before continuing toward Mangdang Mountain. Suddenly, they met an old woman weeping by the roadside who blocked Liu Bang’s way and demanded his life in revenge. When Liu Bang asked why she was crying, she replied: “My son was the son of the White Emperor, and now he has been slain by the son of the Red Emperor. Give me back my son’s life, give me back my son’s life!” Surprised by her words, Liu Bang quickly said, “This is a desolate wilderness; how can I repay a life here? Let’s settle it on flat land.” After saying this, he promptly led his group southwest. Unbeknownst to him, his words would later become an omen of Wang Mang’s usurpation during the reign of Emperor Ping of Han. The Tang Dynasty poet Hu Zeng wrote: “The white snake was first severed, opening the path for travelers; the Han ancestor’s dragon sword dripped crimson blood. Had the capital of Xianyang not crumbled, how could the spirit have wept beneath the moon?”

In 206 BCE, after Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty and became emperor, people built a temple here in memory of his slaying of the snake, naming it the “Temple of the White Emperor’s Son.” The ditch where the snake was killed was called “Snake-Slaying Ditch.” This Temple of the White Emperor’s Son was situated just west of the county seat, beside the ancient road leading to Chang’an. It was precisely thirty-five li and eighteen steps from the county government office (now the location of the county’s military department), hence people also called it the “Thirty-Five Li Temple.” Because the name “Thirty-Five Li Temple” was cumbersome, it was later changed to “Thirty Li Temple.” The temple had three main halls, fronted by a corridor, surrounded by walls and a gate, with a stone stele erected at the entrance detailing the reasons, process, location, and significance of the temple’s construction. In the fifth year of the Jiajing era during the Ming Dynasty (1526 CE), flooding submerged the county seat, turning Fengxi into a vast expanse of water, and the Temple of the White Emperor’s Son collapsed, disappearing completely after the waters receded. Later, people built a “Temple of the Earth God” in front of the original temple site. In the first year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1796 CE), when the Yellow River burst its banks again near Pangjialin in Dangshan County, “Thirty Li Temple” bore the brunt of the disaster, and the village and temple were once again razed to the ground. From then on, no new temple was built, but the village name “Thirty Li Temple” has endured to this day.

Originally, there was no village at Thirty Li Temple—just a desolate, dried-up marsh. After the Temple of the White Emperor’s Son was built, people gradually came to burn incense and pray for blessings. Later, attractions such as Snake-Slaying Ditch and Fengxi Pavilion were developed, drawing a continuous stream of visitors—both tourists and worshippers. In those times, people held deep reverence for the “divine.” Word spread far and wide, attracting visitors from hundreds of li around. Soon, those selling ritual offerings, running food stalls, operating teahouses and taverns, performing storytelling and opera, as well as traveling performers, all gathered here, giving rise to a bustling temple fair. Gradually, some refugees, homeless wanderers, traveling merchants, and residents from neighboring villages settled here, either cultivating barren land or running small businesses. As the settlement grew, it was named “Thirty Li Temple” Village. Despite wars and floods over the centuries, the village name has never changed.

Over the long course of more than two thousand years, Thirty Li Temple has endured numerous hardships and trials but has stood tall with unyielding spirit on the ancient land of Fengxi Marsh. Generation after generation of people who cultivated this land fought tenaciously with unyielding will and firm faith, safeguarding the sacred soil pioneered by their ancestors. After the liberation, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the local people escaped poverty, emerged from the marshes, and transformed the former “Snake-Slaying Ditch” into the 50-meter-wide “White Emperor River,” turning the once-barren hills into production bases for premium agricultural and specialty products. With fervent revolutionary enthusiasm, they marched toward a brighter future along the glorious path charted by the Party. As the poem goes: “For ages, thunderstorms and dragons have heralded prosperity; why did the evil serpent dare challenge the blade? Wine-fueled rage sparked crimson lightning, blood sprayed the sands, staining them purple. That night, the fate of two emperors hung in balance, yet nothing rivals the Party’s new chapter. Now, revisiting this sacred land, one sees misty mulberry and hemp fields and shepherds tending their flocks.”

Wanggou Town: Located 10 km west of Feng County, Wanggou Town sits at the junction of Jiangsu, Shandong, and Anhui provinces, often referred to as the place “where the rooster’s crow is heard in three provinces.” Covering a total area of 112 square km, it has 120,101 mu of arable land and administers 31 administrative villages and 176 natural villages. By the end of 2003, the town had 23,241 households and a total population of 95,600, including 79,972 agricultural residents, with a population density of 854 people per square km. The town center is located in the eastern part of the town area, covering 3.94 square km, with a permanent population of 6,858, including 3,082 non-agricultural residents.

Wanggou… More details about Wanggou Town++