Yuwang Palace in Huaiyuan

Yuwang Palace in Huaiyuan

Yuwang Palace in Huaiyuan is a cultural heritage site protected by Anhui Province.

Yuwang Palace is located atop Mount Tu in the southeastern part of Huaiyuan County, Anhui. Historical records state: “Yu the Great convened the feudal lords at Mount Tu,” which generally refers to this site.

Later generations built a temple here to commemorate Yu the Great’s achievements in flood control. The temple was first constructed before the Tang Dynasty, though the exact date is unknown. During the Yuandade era, Scholar Wu Wenkui wrote in the “Record of the Reconstruction of Yuwang Temple”: “The majestic presence of Mount Tu — Yu, with his divine virtues and meritorious deeds, has been worshipped on this mountain for ages. Even Di Renjie, the upright minister of the Tang Dynasty, destroyed over 2,700 unauthorized shrines, yet Yu’s temple stood firm and alone.”

The temple originally had three courtyards, but only two remain today. In the courtyard are two thousand-year-old ginkgo trees, several meters in circumference, rising majestically from the ground. To the northwest stands a watchtower; from its top one can view the surging waters of the Guo and Huai Rivers and the verdant peaks of Jing and Tu Mountains. To the southwest lies the Qimu Stone (also known as the Watching-Husband Stone), sitting solemnly as if a woman gazing into the distance — legend says it is the transformed form of Yu’s wife, Tushan-shi, who waited for her husband.

To the west lie the “Sacred Spring” and the “Spirit Spring,” both crystal clear and inexhaustible all year round. Historical figures and literati such as Di Renjie, Liu Zongyuan, Wu Wenkui, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Song Lian, and Deng Shiru have visited this site to pay their respects and left behind numerous poems, essays, and inscriptions. The stone tablet engraved with Su Shi’s poem “Seven Quatrains of Haozhou – Mount Tu” is now preserved within the temple walls; Deng Shiru’s cliff inscription “Kuanglan Pingcheng” is still clearly visible.

Address: Located within the Jing-Tu Mountain Scenic Area, Huaiyuan County, Bengbu City, Anhui Province