Liubei Pond Park

Liubei Pond Park

Liubei Pond Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Liubei Pond Park is located at No. 4 Minjiang East Road, Yibin City, covering an area of 238.18 mu, and is a well-known historical and cultural park in Sichuan Province.

The park’s famous attraction, “Liubei Pond,” is said to have been built by the Northern Song Dynasty poet and calligrapher Huang Tingjian, inspired by the ambiance of Wang Xizhi’s “Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion.” Using a natural stone valley, he created the site, which boasts a history of more than 900 years. It is one of the well-preserved “Eight Ancient Scenic Spots of Yibin” and also one of the most intact cradles of wine culture still in existence. The name of the pond refers to the traditional “winding stream and floating cups” gathering. Over the centuries, it has attracted numerous literati and scholars who came to drink and compose poetry. From the Song Dynasty to the present, over 100 stone inscriptions and calligraphy works by historical figures such as Huang Tingjian and Yang Shen have been preserved on the surrounding cliffs, offering a breathtaking visual feast. Liubei Pond and its inscriptions have been designated as a Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Other attractions within the Liubei Pond scenic area include Fuweng Tower, Fu Stream, Fuweng Cave, Valley Resting Statue of Huang Tingjian, Weijian Pavilion, Lihong Pavilion, Miaomo Pavilion, Mingxiang Tower, Jingyuan Garden, and Diaohuang Tower.

The ancient site “Prime Minister’s Ancestral Hall” within the park was first built during the Song Dynasty to commemorate Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, who passed through Rongzhou (present-day Yibin) on his southern campaign against the Yi people in Yunnan. It has a history of over 900 years. The hall is a mock-ancient building modeled after the folk residential style of southern Sichuan during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, consisting of a front hall, main hall, side corridors, and rear hall. The rear hall, known as Guan Di Temple, is one of the more complete temples in the province dedicated to the worship of Guan Yu. In front of the front hall of the Prime Minister’s Ancestral Hall stands a huge Ming Dynasty stone inkstone with a diameter of over four meters, commonly known as the “Brush Pointing at the Cinnabar Pond.” It is one of the “Eight Ancient Scenic Spots of Yibin.” The Prime Minister’s Ancestral Hall scenic area also includes other historic sites such as the General Pointing Platform, Zhuge Well, and the Eight Trigrams Formation.

The park also features attractions such as Guanyin Pavilion, Hundred Buddhas Hall, Dragon-Raising Pond, and the Life-Releasing Boat. The park is fully equipped with various tourism service facilities and serves as a comprehensive destination that integrates historical culture, wine culture, Three Kingdoms culture, and Buddhist culture. It boasts profound cultural heritage, along with unique natural and human landscapes.

The pond is built in a valley surrounded by jagged peaks, with a strip of blue sky visible above. The stone walls on both sides of the pond feature over 90 stone inscriptions and calligraphy works by historical figures from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. The pond has a winding shape, stretching 52 meters in length and 0.5 meters in width. A small stream flows out from the valley, winding nine times before disappearing into crevices in the rocks. There are eight stone benches around the pond where visitors can sit in a circle to enjoy wine and floating cup games. To commemorate Huang Tingjian, later generations named the surrounding landforms Fuweng Ravine, Fuweng Cave, and Fuweng Rock, and built structures outside the pond such as Lihong Pavilion, Fuweng Tower, Fuweng Shrine, and Valley Gate. After the 1980s, 20 new stone inscriptions featuring calligraphy by masters such as Zhang Daqian, Zhang Aiping, Huang Binhong, and Bao Bichen were added. The area has now been developed into a park spanning 157,000 square meters. The “Winding Stream and Floating Cups” gathering is one of the “Eight Ancient Scenic Spots of Yibin.”