Ancestral Herbal Hall

Ancestral Herbal Hall

The Ancestral Herbal Hall is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

The Ancestral Herbal Hall is located within the national forest park scenic area of Laoding Mountain (formerly known as Baigu Mountain) in the eastern part of Changzhi City — the site where the Yan Emperor tasted hundreds of herbs. It is 5 kilometers from the city center, sits at an altitude of 1,150 meters, has a forest coverage rate of 80%, covers an area of 120 mu, with a total usable area of 500 mu, and is a mountain park. It is the world’s first park designed comprehensively using principles of I Ching, mathematics, the Five Elements, medicine, tourism, horticulture, psychology, and mysticism. Its theme is "Shennong’s Medical Culture and Wellness," and it is divided into sightseeing areas, ancestral worship areas, and lifestyle experience areas. There are nine flower gardens, nine tree zones, and main structures include: the Shennong Grand Hall, Council Hall, Ploughing House, Eight Trigrams and Five Elements Diagram, White Sand Tent, Green Bamboo Tower, Earth God Pavilion, Purple Herb Garden, Yellow Dragon Fortress, Herb-Seeking Pavilion, Breeze Fortress, Stone Bridge Valley, Taiyi Star Pavilion, Water Mother Cave, Wellness Tower, and Balance Stone. Its primary functions are sightseeing, ancestral worship, accommodation and recuperation, flower appreciation, and tea tasting. Facilities include fast food, showers, beauty salons, hair salons, lodging, tea tasting, picnicking, and ancestral worship sites.

The Shennong Grand Hall follows the mountain range’s orientation, aligns with the Mingtang’s shape, and is set to face Qian (Heaven) and Xun (Wind), situated at the center of the Herbal Hall on three trapezoidal platforms, facing north and south, and surrounded by green pines and cypresses. The northern platform is 25 meters wide, the southern 30 meters — numbers that combine to symbolize Heaven and Earth. The length from north to south is 64 meters, representing the 64 hexagrams. The hall is 18 meters long from east to west, a multiple of the revered number “9,” symbolizing the sun, and 8 meters wide from north to south, representing the greater number of Yin. This achieves a balance of Yin and Yang. The corridor is 1.5 meters wide, reflecting the sum of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal numbers in the Eight Trigrams generation diagram. The total height is 12.5 meters, the sum of the supreme number “nine-five” and the number “three” from the saying “uniting three is to be king.” The grand hall is a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof structure with a wooden exterior. The outer pillars are made of dragon cypress, the inner pillars of dragon locust, the beams of dragon jujube, the lower roof covering of dragon mulberry, the upper of dragon willow, and the walls of ginkgo. The base of the hall is a one-meter-high Nine Provinces Divine Altar Platform, built with 530 stones symbolizing the 530-year reign of the Yan Emperor’s dynasty. The throne platform uses 120 stones, representing the 120 years of the Yan Emperor’s rule. The total number of stone bricks used in the platform is 960, symbolizing China’s 9.6 million square kilometers. The Council Hall is where Shennong met envoys and discussed important affairs. It is located beneath the Seven Stars House and above the Exchange Field. A hip-and-gable roof structure, it appears as a stone-topped hall with bluestone foundation pillars and a body built from scholar trees, presenting a yellow color — dignified, majestic, and commanding — symbolizing royal authority. The Ploughing House is positioned according to the Li Zheng Mars star of the Big Dipper and is constructed from redwood. It has two levels: the upper level serves as living quarters, and the lower as a workspace and storage for tools. The surrounding area is overgrown with bitter-flavored plants, making it suitable for those with heart, small intestine, tongue, pulse discomfort, heatstroke, excessive laughter, lung, large intestine, nose, skin, fur, worry, or irritability seeking rest and healing.

The Yellow Dragon Fortress is positioned according to the Lu Cun Earth Star of the Big Dipper and is built purely of earth, colored yellow. Both inside and outside the fortress are sweet-flavored flowering plants, making it suitable for guests with spleen, stomach, bladder, ear, bone, fear, or cold-related ailments seeking recuperation.

The White Sand Tent is positioned according to the Wu Qu Metal Star of the Big Dipper, and its accommodations are modeled after sheepskin. Outside the tent, sand dunes rise, and pungent-flavored plants grow abundantly. It is suitable for those with lung, large intestine, nose, skin fur discomfort, irritability, worry, liver, eye, tendon, anger, or wind-related conditions seeking rest and healing.

The Green Bamboo Tower is positioned according to the Wen Qu Star of the Big Dipper and is constructed entirely of bamboo. Since bamboo grows by water, it symbolizes water. The tower is encircled by water, with bamboo and lotus growing around it, making it suitable for those with kidney, bladder, or ear discomfort, as well as those with cold conditions, fear, heart, small intestine, tongue, pulse, joy, or heat-related issues. The Qingfeng Fortress is positioned according to the Tan Lang Wood Star of the Big Dipper, built entirely of wood and colored green. Both inside and outside the fortress are filled with acidic-flavored plants, making it suitable for those with liver, gallbladder, eye, or tendon discomfort, those suffering from wind illness or anger, or those with spleen, stomach, mouth, muscle, or dampness-related conditions seeking healing.

The Tucha Herb Garden is positioned according to the Po Jun Metal Star of the Big Dipper and is built with white stones and yellow wood. Pungent-flavored plants grow around the garden, making it suitable for those with lung, large intestine, nose, or skin fur discomfort, as well as those with dryness-related illness, worry, liver, gallbladder, eye, tendon, anger, or wind-related conditions seeking healing.

The Stone Bridge Valley is positioned according to the Ju Men Earth Star of the Big Dipper and is built purely of stone, colored yellow. Inside and outside the valley are sweet-flavored plants, making it suitable for those with spleen, stomach, mouth, or muscle discomfort, as well as those with dampness-related illness, anxiety, kidney, bladder, ear, bone, fear, or cold-related conditions seeking healing.

The Eight Trigrams Qi Transformation Diagram is located below and to the left of the White Sand Tent. Based on the principles of the Eight Trigrams, it illustrates the movement and transformation patterns of the Qi of Heaven and Earth, as well as their interconnectedness.

The Taiyi Star Pavilion is positioned according to the North Star and serves as the support for the Seven Stars House. The pavilion is built with yellow jade stones, shining brilliantly golden, representing the position of the Yellow Emperor. The Herb-Seeking Pavilion is a stone-and-wood structure. A massive boulder landed here, forming a peculiar shape, with a hollow underneath and a flat surface on top.

The Water Mother Cave is the source of the park’s water supply. The mountain is 3.6 zhang (approximately 12 meters) high and 7.2 zhang (approximately 24 meters) in diameter. At the mountaintop is a heavenly pool, which stores water. Water cascades down from the peak from west to east, forming a 3.6-zhang-high (approximately 12 meters), 0.9-zhang-wide (approximately 3 meters) waterfall. Behind the waterfall is a water curtain cave, inside which a statue of the Water Mother is placed. The Fuxi and Nuwa Diagram is a stone-carved pattern located in the northwest corner of the Herbal Hall.

In addition, the Herbal Hall features horticultural areas such as a peony garden, chrysanthemum garden, and others.

Address: Ancestral Herbal Hall, Laoding Mountain Scenic Area, Changzhi City

Type: Theme Park

Rating: AA

Transportation

By Car: From downtown Changzhi, drive approximately 6.7 kilometers east along Taihang East Street to reach the Herbal Hall.

By Bus: Take Bus No. 2 directly to the site.

Admission

Ticket: 25 RMB