YuanYou Palace

　　Located in the southern part of Yingzhong Town, Zhongxiang, on the north bank of Mirror Moon Lake, YuanYou Palace was built under the decree of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty — Zhu Houcong. Construction started in the 27th year of the Jiajing era (1549) and was completed in the Wuwu year (1558), taking nine years in total. It has been over 430 years since then.

　　Zhu Houcong detailed the origin of the palace in the book “The Chronicles of Zhongxiang County,” stating that in a certain year, the emperor went hunting and arrived at this place. He noticed a group of elderly people playing chess and asked them, “Why do you look so carefree?” The elderly replied, “We are local elders.” The emperor then asked about their age, and they all answered over a hundred. The emperor was surprised and said, “You must be immortals!” He then summoned a Taoist priest to check their breath, and indeed, they were found to have no signs of aging. That evening, the emperor stayed here and dreamed that a deity instructed him to build a palace here. The next day, he told his ministers about the dream. They all agreed it was a divine message and thus began constructing the palace. After its completion, the emperor named it YuanYou Palace. The name means “Assisting the Emperor’s Longevity.”

　　YuanYou Palace is the third major project initiated by Zhu Houcong after ascending the throne and stabilizing the court, following the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Temple of Heaven. It covers an area of over 10,000 square meters, with a grand architectural style and majestic presence, resembling the Forbidden City in layout.

　　In the late Ming Dynasty, parts of YuanYou Palace were destroyed in wars. In the 14th year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1657), Taoist Chen Zhenyi raised over 30,000 taels of silver to renovate the palace. Later, it underwent multiple repairs in the 21st year of the Kangxi era, the 25th year of the Qianlong era, and the 4th year of the Tongzhi era. After the liberation, the Party and the people placed great emphasis on the protection of cultural relics, and special funds were allocated several times for renovation. This magnificent structure, after multiple restorations, still retains most of its original buildings, including the Glazed Qionghua Wall, Yanxi Wooden Memorial Archway, YuanYou Palace Gate, Bell and Drum Towers, YuanYou Treasure Hall, Jiangxiang Hall, the ruins of the Three Caves Pavilion, Xuanfa and Yanzhen Side Halls, as well as the Imperial Edict Stele. These largely maintain their original appearance, allowing the palace to regain its former glory.

　　YuanYou Palace features grand architecture and a spectacular layout, making it a rare and precious complex of ancient Ming and Qing buildings in central and southern China. In 1961, it was listed by the People's Government of Hubei Province as one of the first batch of key cultural relic protection units in the province. It now serves as the site of the Zhongxiang Museum. The museum houses a collection of over 6,000 cultural relics, reflecting the long history and cultural prosperity of Zhongxiang from various perspectives. Among these relics are those from the “Bianfan Culture,” which studies the jade, stone, and pottery artifacts left by humans in the middle to late primitive society in Zhongxiang; relics from merchants in Zhongxiang; and Chu artifacts, which are the most distinctive in the museum’s collection. Porcelain makes up a significant proportion of the collection, renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship. There are also over 700 ancient calligraphy and painting works that reflect the culture of the Ming and Qing periods, such as the “Mochou Ancient Ferry” from the late Ming and early Qing period, Zheng Banqiao’s “Orchid Painting,” calligraphy by Zhu Da, Yang Yanzhen’s “Hundred Longevity Painting,” and Huang Yunxuan’s “Nine Elders Returning Home.” A well-preserved female mummy from the Qing Dynasty is also part of the collection. Thirty-six pieces of Qing Dynasty clothing in the collection feature intricate embroidery and patterns, showcasing the exceptional needlework and aesthetic taste of women at the time. As a revolutionary base area, Zhongxiang also preserves valuable revolutionary relics such as ammunition, printed Zhongzhou currency, and printing lead used by proletarian revolutionaries like He Long, - , Deng Zihui, and Chen Shaomin. These provide important physical materials for revolutionary tradition education. These relics are displayed in the “Ancient Ceramics Gallery,” “Ancient Calligraphy and Painting Gallery,” “Bronze Gallery,” “Qing Dynasty Female Mummy Gallery,” and “Revolutionary Relics Gallery,” which are open to the public year-round. This treasure trove of relics, YuanYou Palace, is nestled against mountains and water, offering pleasant scenery and making it a truly remarkable destination for sightseeing.

　　Attraction Location

　　No. 5 YuanYou Road, Zhongxiang City, Jingmen