Sun Bin Tourist City

Sun Bin Tourist City

Sun Bin Tourist City is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Sun Bin Tourist City is located in Songlou Township, approximately 20 kilometers northeast of Juancheng County, covering an area of 978 acres.

The original attractions of Sun Bin Tourist City included Yicheng Temple, Sun Bin’s Tomb, the Joint Tomb of Yang Jiao and Zuo Botao, and Jing Ke’s Tomb.

Yicheng Temple: In his later years, Sun Bin lived in seclusion at Sun Garden (0.5 kilometers south of the temple). The King of Qi, recognizing his great contributions, often sent people to visit him. To accommodate his lodging and meals, a post town was built north of the village. After Sun Bin’s death, he was buried in front of the post town, which was then renamed “Yi Cheng” (Ceremonial Town). During the Wei and Jin dynasties, Buddhism was introduced to Juancheng. In the first year of the Huangjian era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (560 AD), a temple was built on the site of the old Yi Cheng town. It was named “Yicheng Temple” for its connotation of “peace and quiet.” Nearby were the joint tomb of the Spring and Autumn Period righteous men Yang Jiao’ai and Zuo Botao, as well as the tomb of Jing Ke. Due to their sense of righteousness, it was also called “Yicheng Temple” (Temple of Righteousness). In the 37th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1558 AD), the temple was renovated.

According to the “Record of the Renovation of Yicheng Temple,” the temple covered an area of 400 acres and included five major halls: the Great Buddha Hall, the Scripture Depository, the Patriarch Hall, the Sangharama Hall, and the Four Heavenly Kings Hall. There were over ten thousand Buddha statues and more than a thousand monks. The temple was renovated again in 1929, but was demolished during the land reform in 1946. Today, only its ruins remain.

Sun Bin’s Tomb: Sun Bin returned to his hometown and lived in seclusion at Sun Garden, where he was buried north of the village after his death. During the Ming Dynasty, the tomb was buried underground by silt from the Yellow River. In 1990, a tombstone from the 37th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1558 AD), which recorded the renovation of Yicheng Temple, was unearthed on the east bank of the Xiangyang River north of the village. It bore the inscription “Sun Bin’s Tomb lies deep below.” After expert research and verification, it was confirmed that this was the site of Sun Bin’s tomb. Members of the Sun family renovated the grave mound, which has a diameter of 8 meters, a height of 5 meters, and is surrounded by stone walls. A stone stele inscribed with “Sun Bin’s Tomb” in seal script stands in front of the tomb, along with a stone incense burner. The tomb site covers an area of 600 square meters, enclosed by a 1-meter-high blue brick flower wall, with 12 cypress trees planted inside.

Joint Tomb of Yang Jiao and Zuo Botao: The tomb mound has a diameter of 3 meters and a height of 2 meters, and the structure of the tomb chamber is unknown. In front of the tomb is a stele erected in the 14th year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1809 AD), inscribed “Ancient Righteous Tomb Stele of Zuo Botao of Fan County.” The stele is 170 cm tall, 46 cm wide, and 20 cm thick, with square edges and rounded corners. The back of the stele is blank, while the front contains inscriptions detailing the time and background of the stele’s erection, as well as the story of the deep friendship between Yang Jiao and Zuo Botao. Legend has it that during the Warring States period, Yang Jiao’ai and Zuo Botao, both from the State of Yan, traveled together to the State of Chu in search of official positions. When they reached Juanyi, they were caught in a snowstorm and ran out of money—enough to sustain only one of them. Zuo Botao gave his food and money to Yang Jiao’ai so he could continue to Chu, while he stayed behind. Yang eventually became a high-ranking official in Chu and later returned to Juanyi to look for Zuo, only to find that Zuo had died of cold and hunger in a tree hollow. Yang then committed suicide with his sword, and the two were buried together in a single tomb. The story of their deep friendship has been widely passed down through folklore for centuries.

In October 1995, the foundation-laying ceremony for Sun Bin Tourist City was officially held. To date, foundational infrastructure projects such as perimeter walls, undulating terrain, road hardening, and partial greening have been completed. Successively, the Yuantong Bridge and Yuantong Lake were built, and the main structures of the Heavenly King Hall, Yuantong Hall, the Liberation Pond, and the Sun Bin Memorial Hall were completed. The Medicine Buddha Hall is currently under construction.

Yuantong Bridge: Located at the entrance of the tourist city, it spans the Xiangyang River. It is a reinforced concrete structure, running southwest to northeast, with a total length of 158 meters and a width of 12 meters.

Yuantong Lake: Located in the central area of the tourist city, it consists of two water bodies to the east and west, connected by the Jade Belt Bridge, covering an area of 50 acres.

Heavenly King Hall: A five-bay, single-eave, hip-and-gable style ancient-style building, 21 meters long, 9 meters deep, and 9 meters high. It is one of the main structures of Yuantong Zen Temple.

Yuantong Hall: A five-bay, single-eave, hip-and-gable style ancient-style building, and one of the main structures of Yuantong Zen Temple.

Liberation Pond: Located directly in front of Yuantong Zen Temple, it is a semi-circular pool covering an area of 300 square meters.

Sun Bin Memorial Hall: Located in the western part of the tourist city, this hall features a double-eave, spire-roof architectural style, measuring 30 meters in both length and width, and 20 meters in height. It has upturned eaves, half-arches, and a green glazed tile roof, serving as the main structure of the Sun Bin Memorial Area.

Yicheng Temple