Yvnü Village

　　    Sunlight slides off the shoulders of the new rural homes and spills into the small pond in front of the houses, where the reflections of orchards, directional signs, stone carvings, and green trees cluster quietly at the bottom of the pool, gradually freezing into a picture. Suddenly, two kingfishers flutter intimately across the water’s surface, the image tearing apart from a single point as ripples dance across the pond...

　　    The legend of Yvnü Village in Lingjiang Town is tied to a beautiful woman. It is said that Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, and Empress Wu Zetian returned to Lizhou to visit family. Princess Ding’an, young and radiant as a flower, was captivated by the meandering natural scenery along the Jialing River. While traveling to a place called Hongwei, she caught a cold. The imperial physician who accompanied the royal entourage treated her with all his skill, but she did not recover. Emperor Li Zhi and Empress Wu were deeply worried. At this moment, Li Chunfeng, an official skilled in astronomy and the metaphysics of yin and yang, “revealed heavenly secrets” to the emperor: Princess Ding’an was destined to perish, and only by staying in this place to cultivate herself in tranquility could she prolong her life. Overcome with grief, Emperor Li Zhi and Empress Wu ordered the construction of the “Yvnü Temple.” From then on, Princess Ding’an began a long journey of spiritual practice, and her grace and beauty gradually seeped into the landscape.

　　    Years later, local people renamed “Hongwei” to “Yvnü” in memory of the beautiful princess.

　　    Today, strolling through the new Yvnü Village, you will surely visit the village’s Ecological Courtyard Economy Exhibition Hall. Every detail of the changing times, the laughter of visitors from near and far, and the many moments when the “Yvnü Spirit” has been shared beyond the village are all preserved here. In every household, in front of and behind the houses, the mountain village thrives with industry. Early-ripening pears and kiwifruit have become the “money trees” that bring prosperity to the villagers, with newly planted areas expanding by over a hundred acres each year.

　　    The spring scenery of Yvnü Village makes you pause and look back again and again. Perhaps what you can’t bear to leave behind is the pure simplicity as fresh as a maiden’s, and the unadorned beauty that extends far beyond...

　　    Source: Government Information Center