Hubing Pond

Hubing Pond

Known as the "land of the Three Kingdoms," Hefei has retained numerous historical relics from that era due to the more than 30 years of contention between the Wei and Wu states. Among these, Hubing Pond is a shining jewel. This ancient Three Kingdoms site, also known as Zhan Tang or Liang Bing Tang, is located on the Tunxi Road Campus of Hefei University of Technology. Nestled in the southeast corner of the campus, it covers an area of about 6.7 hectares and has a history of over 1,700 years. Legend has it that during the Three Kingdoms period, when Cao Cao led his army to attack Eastern Wu and stationed troops in Hefei, the vast number of soldiers and horses made them impossible to count. To tally his forces, he ordered the digging of this dry pond as a means to measure the soldiers. Thus, the pond was named Hubing Pond (literally “Measuring Soldiers Pond”). This method of aggregating individual units into a measurable whole also directly inspired the famous tale of Cao Chong Weighing an Elephant. Today, Hubing Pond stands not only as a symbol of wisdom but also as one of the cultural icons of Hefei University of Technology.