Group of Zhudingyuan Relic Sites

Group of Zhudingyuan Relic Sites

The Zhudingyuan Relic Site Cluster is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

The Yellow Emperor’s Zhuding Plateau is located in Yangping Town, Lingbao City, 80 kilometers from Sanmenxia City.

According to Records of the Grand Historian · The Fengshan Sacrificial Canon, in ancient times, the Jing Mountain area suffered from severe disasters. Upon hearing the news, the Yellow Emperor traveled from Kunlun Mountain to Jing Mountain to investigate. In order to smelt an elixir to cure the people’s illnesses, he collected copper from Shoushan Mountain, drew water from the lake, and cast a cauldron at the foot of Jing Mountain. Legend has it that after the Yellow Emperor finished casting the cauldron, when the yellow dragon came to escort him to heaven, the people pleaded desperately, refusing to let him go—some tugging at his robes, others clutching at his hands and feet—dragging off his golden boots, stripping off the dragon’s skin, and plucking out its whiskers. The people buried the Yellow Emperor’s boots where he had cast the cauldrons, and this place became a sacred site for ancestor worship.

The Yellow Emperor’s Mausoleum is 300 meters high and 5,000 meters long. At the western end of the ridge lies an earthen mound 6 meters high and 42.5 meters in circumference, said to be the tomb mound of the Yellow Emperor. To the southwest of the mausoleum lies Dragon Beard Gully, believed to be the spot where the dragon’s beard fell. A unique type of grass known as dragon beard grass grows here, said to have transformed from the dragon’s beard, and is not found elsewhere in the area.

As this area lies along the ancient Chang’an Road, between the two mighty passes of Hangu Pass and Tongguan Pass, it has been repeatedly ravaged by war, but has been repaired and rebuilt through the dynasties. The main restored relics now include: the Offering Hall, Ancestral Hall, Long Corridor, Tomb Mound, Meritorious Pillars, and Watchtower Gateways, along with the casting of three large bronze cauldrons symbolizing the gods of heaven, earth, and ancestors.

Source: Henan Provincial Tourism Administration

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units