Xirangkou is the exit of the Wu Gorge and has long been a strategic military location. There are more than seven hundred ancient tombs here. Based on unearthed artifacts, it is verified that...

　　Xirangkou is the exit of the Wu Gorge and has long been a strategic military location. There are more than seven hundred ancient tombs here. Based on unearthed artifacts, it is verified that there are ancient tomb complexes from various dynasties including the Shang, Zhou, Warring States, and Han. During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei stationed Zhang Fei here to guard the area, linking over seven hundred li of stockades and forts. Later, after the deaths of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Liu Bei mustered his entire army to attack the Kingdom of Wu but was ambushed by Lu Xun of Eastern Wu, who set fire to his camps stretching over seven hundred li. Defeated and in disarray, Liu Bei fled and took refuge here. According to the Badong County Annals: “The pursuing troops were closing in, so Liu Bei burned the mountain passes to block the route and thus managed to escape.” Hence, within the Wu Gorge lies a rock formation called Bingshiyan (Troop-Evading Rock), the place where Liu Bei hid from his pursuers. In 1984, archaeologists excavated four ancient tombs in the Lijiawan area of Xirangkou. Among the unearthed relics were weapons used by the Ba people, such as Ba spears, Ba swords, Ba halberds, and Ba shields. There is also a site known as the “Du Fu Thatched Cottage” ruins in Xirangkou, initially built during the Ming Dynasty. According to the Chronological Biography of Du Fu: “In the third year of the Dali era, Du Fu traveled east to Kuizhou and in March reported to Jiangling.” He stayed here briefly for three months and wrote a poem titled “Xirang Stream,” with “Fishing Fires on Rangxi Stream” later becoming one of the Eight Ancient Scenic Spots of Badong. Additionally, the Wu Gorge landscape seen in the background of Xirangkou remains the design pattern currently used on the reverse side of China’s 5-yuan banknote.