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Wugu Terrace

Published: 2026-11-12 👁 101 views
Last updated 2026-11-12 — Huaiyang’s Wugu Terrace is where the Yan Emperor, Shennong, initially established his capital and began his undertakings. The area around Wugu Terrace boasts superior natural geographical conditions, and it was here that Shennong pioneered primitive agriculture, making it one of the central regions of activity for the ancestors of the Chinese nation. The "Chronicles of Emperors" by Huangfu Mi of the Western Jin Dynasty records: "The Yan Emperor Shennong first made Chen (now Huaiyang, Henan) his capital and began teaching the people to cultivate the Five Grains." The "Yanzhou Prefecture Records" contain a similar account: "He invented the plow and hoe, taught the people to sow the Five Grains, hence was called the Yan Emperor. He first made Chen his capital, then later Qufu." The "Huaiyang County Annals" further state: "Around the 30th century BCE, it is said that the Yan Emperor Shennong made Chen his capital, tasted hundreds of herbs to develop medicine, cultivated the Five Grains, and taught the people farming." It also notes: "Wugu Terrace is located five kilometers northeast of the city in Wugu Terrace Village, also called Wugu Camp, the place where Shennong taught the people to plant the Five Grains. Its site has now been destroyed." According to local folklore, the terrace was originally over ten feet high, covering an area of ten acres, with temples built on top and a statue of Shennong erected. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the birthday of Shennong, and the twenty-eighth day of the fourth lunar month, his birthday celebration, people would worship him. Local residents would flock here to pay homage and offer incense, praying for abundant harvests, peace, and health. Dignitaries from various dynasties also came to pay their respects. Cao Zhi, who once ruled over Chen, wrote the poem "Ode to Shennong," praising the virtues of the Yan Emperor Shennong:

Wugu Terrace

　　Huaiyang’s Wugu Terrace is where the Yan Emperor, Shennong, initially established his capital and began his undertakings. The area around Wugu Terrace boasts superior natural geographical conditions, and it was here that Shennong pioneered primitive agriculture, making it one of the central regions of activity for the ancestors of the Chinese nation. The "Chronicles of Emperors" by Huangfu Mi of the Western Jin Dynasty records: "The Yan Emperor Shennong first made Chen (now Huaiyang, Henan) his capital and began teaching the people to cultivate the Five Grains." The "Yanzhou Prefecture Records" contain a similar account: "He invented the plow and hoe, taught the people to sow the Five Grains, hence was called the Yan Emperor. He first made Chen his capital, then later Qufu." The "Huaiyang County Annals" further state: "Around the 30th century BCE, it is said that the Yan Emperor Shennong made Chen his capital, tasted hundreds of herbs to develop medicine, cultivated the Five Grains, and taught the people farming." It also notes: "Wugu Terrace is located five kilometers northeast of the city in Wugu Terrace Village, also called Wugu Camp, the place where Shennong taught the people to plant the Five Grains. Its site has now been destroyed." According to local folklore: The terrace was originally over ten feet high, covering an area of ten acres, with temples built on top and a statue of Shennong erected. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the birthday of Shennong, and the twenty-eighth day of the fourth lunar month, his birthday celebration, people would worship him. Local residents would flock here to pay homage and offer incense, praying for abundant harvests, peace, and health; dignitaries from various dynasties also came to pay their respects in an unending stream. Cao Zhi, who once ruled over Chen, wrote the poem "Praise of Shennong," extolling the achievements of the Yan Emperor Shennong:

　　A descendant of Shaodian, he mastered fire and turned it into growth;

　　He crafted the plow and hoe, guiding the people to sow grain.

　　He created refined zithers, to enrich the customs.

　　It is said that Wugu Terrace was once the second-largest temple in Huaiyang after the "Taihao Mausoleum," an important cultural and historical landmark, thus designated as one of the "Seven Terraces and Eight Scenic Spots of Huaiyang." It is also said that there were nine wells on the terrace, with the central one located beneath the base of the Shennong statue. Due to years of neglect and repeated flooding, the terrace gradually leveled out, and the Shennong Well became silted and buried, its location now unknown—a great pity.

　　The legend of the nine wells at Wugu Terrace in Huaiyang is supported by a note in "Records of the Grand Historian" stating "there is a Shennong Well in Chen land." Regarding the Shennong Well, historical texts record a magical legend: when Shennong was born, nine wells appeared on the ground, and when water was drawn from one well, the water in the other eight wells would ripple. This aligns with what is recorded in "Commentary on the Water Classic · Miu Water" and "Records of Jingzhou": "After Shennong was born, nine wells spontaneously formed; drawing water from one caused the others to move."

　　In the past, villagers at Wugu Terrace in Huaiyang had the custom of using ancestral secret recipes to brew medicinal wine for rheumatism. Also, the "Jiuligou Plasters" from nearby villages were widely renowned. All this attests to the record of Shennong establishing his capital in Chen and "tasting hundreds of herbs to develop medicine." Moreover, the Huaiyang folk toy known as "Nini Gou" (Clay Dog), hailed as a "living fossil of humanity," is mainly produced in Wugu Terrace and over ten nearby villages such as Jinzhuang, Wuying, Dinglou, and Chenying. The tradition of making Nini Gou continues to this day, becoming a highlight of Huaiyang’s folk customs.

　　Today, Wugu Terrace features a one-acre-high platform with nine temple structures housing a statue of the Yan Emperor Shennong. These were built in the 1980s by local residents voluntarily donating funds, gradually constructed on the ruins of part of the original terrace site. Its scale is far from reaching the grandeur of the historical landscape. Fortunately, responding to the county government’s call to "build Huaiyang into a cultural tourism city," local residents are determined to develop the former capital of the Yan Emperor, Shennong’s Wugu Terrace. The planned scenic area will cover 2,000 acres and include sections such as an Ancestral Worship Zone, Cultural Zone, Agronomy Garden, Herbal Garden, and Farming Tools Museum. It will become a comprehensive tourism and educational base integrating ancient and modern agricultural science and patriotic education.

　　(No images available currently, submissions welcome.)

　　Information source: Huaiyang Government Website

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