The Site of Bowang Slope

The Site of Bowang Slope

The Site of Bowang Slope is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located 30 kilometers southwest of Fangcheng County, it lies against the Funiu Mountains to the north, faces Yinshan Mountain to the south, and borders the Baihe River to the west. It is an undulating ridge extending from the Funiu Mountains here, featuring perilous terrain and serving as a thoroughfare of the ancient Xiang-Han strategic pass. It has long been a contested military stronghold. It has successively functioned as a feudal principality, a county, a shop, a post station, and a town. During the Western Han Dynasty, the diplomat and explorer Zhang Qian, who undertook two missions to the Western Regions with outstanding achievements, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Bowang here in the sixth year of Yuanshuo (123 BC) by Emperor Wu of Han, taking its name from the meaning of "broad vision and foresight." The name Bowang thus originated.

In 123 BC, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Bowang here, taking its name from the meaning of "broad vision and foresight." The name Bowang thus originated.

Legend has it that this was the ancient battlefield where Zhuge Liang, in the Three Kingdoms period, set fire to Bowang Slope in his first military campaign after leaving his thatched cottage. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms praises:

"At Bowang, they fought with fire,     Commanding with ease amid laughter.     It shattered Cao Cao’s courage,     Zhuge’s first feat after leaving his hut." The Records of the Three Kingdoms · Book of Shu by Chen Shou states: "After Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao, he marched south to attack the First Lord (Liu Bei). The First Lord sent Mi Zhu and Sun Qian to communicate with Liu Biao, who personally welcomed them at the outskirts and treated them as honored guests, reinforcing their troops... and had them resist Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin at Bowang. After some time, the First Lord set an ambush, then set fire to his own camp and pretended to flee. When Xiahou Dun and the others pursued, they were defeated by the ambush. Artifacts such as broken halberds and arrowheads, as well as ashes of scorched grains found in the soil layers, have been excavated here and identified as relics from the Three Kingdoms period. A 5.9-meter-high, 2.2-meter-thick zhe thorn tree still remains at the ancient battlefield site of Bowang, with twisted branches and exposed wood — said to be the sole survivor of the fire at Bowang Slope. Other relics include Liu Bei’s viewing platform, the watchtower built by Xiahou Dun when stationed troops, the Plum Grove Post where the anecdote of 'Cao Cao quenching his thirst by thinking of plums' originated, and the three-arch Jingde Bridge supervised and built by the Tang Dynasty general Yu Chijingde. Bowang Slope has been designated by the state as one of the Three Kingdoms tourist sites and is a county-level key cultural relic protection unit. The Cihai (Sea of Words) dictionary states: 'Bowang was an ancient county name, established in the Western Han Dynasty. It was the fief of Zhang Qian. Legend says it was once very prosperous, governing the 45-li-long Bowang Encampment. The ancient city was 1,300 meters long from east to west and 400 meters wide from north to south. The city walls have long vanished due to wind and rain erosion, leaving only the foundations. The underground cultural layer within the city reaches a depth of 1–7 meters, yielding a large number of Han bricks, tubular tiles, ironware, and more. In 1992, the National Cultural Relics Bureau invited experts and scholars to discuss Zhang Qian’s two missions to the Western Regions and proposed including Bowang as a national-level cultural relic protection site. Funds were allocated to restore an ancient bridge in the old city — simple yet magnificent. The bridge railing is inlaid with 36 imitation Han relief stone carvings, carved from Pu Hill green stone, depicting scenes from Zhang Qian’s life. To the west of the bridge stands a stone stele marking the fief of Marquis Zhang Qian of Bowang. It is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit."

Scenic Area Transportation

30 kilometers southwest of Fangcheng County