Zhao Gu Garden Scenic Area in Jingxing

Zhao Gu Garden Scenic Area in Jingxing

Zhao Gu Garden is situated at the eastern foot of Zhao Gu Mountain in Beigu Village, Jingxing County, near the Cangyan Mountain tourist road. It marks the place where Cheng Ying, a friend of Zhao Dun (the prime minister of the Jin State during the Spring and Autumn Period), hid the orphan of the Zhao family. According to *Records of the Grand Historian: The House of Zhao*, in the third year of Duke Jing of Jin’s reign (597 BC), the powerful minister Tu’an Gu slaughtered the entire family of Zhao Shuo, son of Zhao Dun, and hunted for the infant Zhao Wu. Cheng Ying and Gongsun Chujiu, a retainer of Zhao Shuo, devised a plan to exchange the babies — Chujiu sacrificed himself, and Cheng Ying fled with Zhao Wu, hiding in the mountains for 15 years. Legend has it that Cheng Ying and Zhao Wu hid in caves by day and slept in ancient temples by night, enduring over a decade of hardship with the help and protection of local villagers. The site thus became known as “Gu Tai” (Orphan Platform), and from this the Zhao Gu Mountain (also called Gu Shan) and Zhao Gu Garden derived their names.

The entire Zhao Gu Garden Scenic Area covers an area of 380,000 square meters. It is a classical garden complex that integrates natural scenery, cultural landscapes, and historical legends, all centered around the theme of Cheng Ying hiding the orphan. The garden features over 20 attractions, including the Ancient Temple Where the Orphan Was Hidden, the bedroom ruins of Cheng Ying and Zhao Wu, Pangu Cave, Xuanyuan Cave, Enlightenment Garden, Cheng Ying Temple, North and South Orphan Hiding Caves, Wangdu Niches, Qiongyao Terrace, the Nine Palaces Array, and provincial-level protected cultural relics such as Song Dynasty murals. There are also precious relics like the stone mortar once used by Cheng Ying for husking rice.

The Ancient Temple Where the Orphan Was Hidden and Cheng Ying Temple were originally built during the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, respectively. All pavilions and halls are built along the mountain contours, nestled among lush pines and cypresses. Pangu Cave and Xuanyuan Cave form an underground corridor stretching 215 meters in length, with walls inlaid with nine stone statues depicting Pangu, the Three Sovereigns, and the Five Emperors, as well as various murals. In front of Cheng Ying Temple, there are 33 stone murals depicting the story of the Zhao Orphan, all based on *Records of the Grand Historian*. These vividly illustrated and exquisitely carved artworks are considered truly unique.