Zhaowen Terrace

Zhaowen Terrace

Zhaowen Terrace serves as a patriotic education base.

A gentle, lush hill sits in the northeast of Wendeng’s urban area, brimming with vitality and adding boundless charm to the bustling city center. This is the famous Wenshan Hill, historically known as Wenshandeng. Though it rises less than 100 meters, its refined beauty and unique charm, especially with Zhaowen Terrace standing atop it, naturally crown it as the finest landmark of the region.

Historical texts have extensively documented Wenshan Hill — “When Emperor Qin Shi Huang made his eastern tour, he summoned scholars to this hill to praise his virtues, hence the name.” To commemorate the First Emperor’s visit, a terrace was built here during the Qi and Song dynasties, named “Zhaowen” (Summoning Literature). During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, further large-scale construction took place, expanding its original structure on an unprecedented scale, giving rise to the saying, “No visit to Dengzhou Prefecture is complete without seeing Zhaowen Terrace.” In 1940, Zhaowen Terrace and other historic architectural complexes were completely destroyed by the invading Japanese forces — a great loss.

In 1992, significant investment was made to rebuild the terrace on its original site, restoring it as closely as possible to its former appearance, including the front and rear gates of Zhaowen Terrace, the stone memorial archway, the bell tower, and the Wenxing Stone Pavilion. New grand structures were also added, such as the “Wendeng Scholarship” Exhibition Hall and the Qin Shi Huang Wax Museum, reviving the ancient grandeur of the past. Tourists now flock here year-round, leaving thoroughly entertained and inspired, often expressing the sentiment, “A trip to Wendeng is incomplete without visiting Zhaowen Terrace.”