Ancestral Herb Hall

　　The Ancestral Herb Hall is located within the national forest park scenic area of Lao Ding Mountain (formerly known as Baigu Mountain) in the eastern part of Changzhi City — the site where the Yan Emperor tasted hundreds of herbs. It lies 5 kilometers from the city center, at an altitude of 1,150 meters, with a forest coverage rate of 80%. Covering an area of 120 mu and utilizing a total area of 500 mu, it is a mountainous park. It is the world’s first park designed using a comprehensive integration of I Ching studies, mathematics, the Five Elements theory, medicine, tourism, horticulture, psychology, and mysticism. Its theme is “Shennong’s Medical Culture and Wellness,” and it is divided into sightseeing areas, ancestral worship areas, and lifestyle experience areas. The site includes nine flower gardens, nine tree zones, and major structures such as the Shennong Grand Hall, Council Chamber, Plow House, Eight Trigrams and Five Elements Diagram, White Sand Tent, Green Bamboo Tower, Earth God Pavilion, Purple Herb Garden, Yellow Dragon Fortress, Herb-Seeking Pavilion, Breeze Fortress, Stone Bridge Valley, Taiyi Star Pavilion, Water Mother Cave, Wellness Pavilion, and Balance Stone. Its main functions are sightseeing, ancestral worship, accommodation and recuperation, flower appreciation, and tea tasting. Facilities include fast food, bathing, beauty salons, hairdressing, lodging, tea tasting, picnicking, and ceremonial worship.

　　The Shennong Grand Hall follows the contour of the mountain range and is oriented according to the principles of feng shui, facing southeast (Qian Mountain Xun Direction). It is situated at the center of the Ancestral Herb Hall, built on three trapezoidal platforms, facing north and south, and surrounded by green pines and cypresses. The northern platform is 25 meters wide, while the southern one is 30 meters wide — numbers that symbolize the harmony of heaven and earth. The length from north to south is 64 meters, representing the 64 hexagrams. The hall is 18 meters long from east to west, a multiple of the revered number “9,” symbolizing the sun, and 8 meters wide from north to south, representing the greater feminine number. This achieves yin-yang balance. The corridor is 1.5 meters wide, corresponding to the sum of the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal numbers in the Eight Trigrams formation. The total height is 12.5 meters, combining the supreme celestial number “nine-five” with the number “three,” which signifies “ruling as king.” The grand hall features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, with a wooden exterior. The outer pillars are made of dragon cypress, the inner ones of dragon locust, the beams of dragon jujube, the lower roof of dragon mulberry, the upper roof of dragon willow, and the walls of ginkgo. The base of the hall is a one-meter-high Nine Regions Divine Altar Platform, constructed with 530 stones, symbolizing the 530-year reign of the Yan Emperor’s dynasty. The throne platform uses 120 stones, representing the 120 years of the Yan Emperor’s rule. The total number of stone bricks used in the platform is 960, symbolizing China’s 9.6 million square kilometers. The Council Chamber was where Shennong met envoys and discussed important matters. It is located beneath the Seven Stars House and above the Exchange Field. This hip-and-gable roofed hall has a stone-topped structure, with green stone pillars and a body built from Chinese scholar trees, giving it a yellowish appearance that conveys solemnity, majesty, and strength — a symbol of imperial power. The Plow House is positioned according to the Li Zhen Mars star of the Big Dipper and is made entirely of red wood. It has two levels: the upper level serves as living quarters, while the lower level is for tool-making and storage. The surrounding area is overgrown with bitter-flavored flowers and plants, making it suitable for those suffering from heart, small intestine, tongue, or pulse issues, heat-related illnesses, excessive laughter, lung, large intestine, nose, skin, or fur ailments, as well as anxiety and restlessness.

　　The Yellow Dragon Fortress is positioned according to the Lu Cun Earth Star of the Big Dipper and is built entirely from earth, colored yellow. Both the interior and exterior are surrounded by sweet-flavored flowers and plants, making it suitable for those with spleen, stomach, bladder, ear, bone, fear, or cold-related conditions.

　　The White Sand Tent is positioned according to the Wu Qu Metal Star of the Big Dipper. The accommodations are modeled after sheepskin. Outside the tent, sand dunes rise, and pungent-flavored flowers and plants abound. It is suitable for those with lung, large intestine, nose, or skin issues, restlessness, anxiety, liver, eye, tendon, anger, or wind-related conditions.

　　The Green Bamboo Tower is positioned according to the Wen Qu Star of the Big Dipper and is made entirely of bamboo. Since bamboo grows near water, it symbolizes water. The tower is surrounded by water, with bamboo and lotus growing around it. It is suitable for those with kidney, bladder, or ear issues, cold illnesses, or fear, as well as those with heart, small intestine, tongue, pulse, joy, or heat-related conditions. The Breeze Fortress is positioned according to the Tan Lang Wood Star of the Big Dipper and is constructed purely from wood, colored green. The fortress is covered inside and out with acidic-flavored flowers and plants, making it suitable for those with liver, gallbladder, eye, or tendon issues, as well as those suffering from wind illness, irritability, or spleen, stomach, mouth, muscle, or dampness-related conditions.

　　The Tea Herb Garden is positioned according to the Po Jun Metal Star of the Big Dipper and is built with white stones and yellow wood. Pungent-flavored flowers and plants grow outside the garden, making it suitable for those with lung, large intestine, nose, or skin issues, dry illnesses, anxiety, or liver, gallbladder, eye, tendon, anger, or wind-related conditions.

　　The Stone Bridge Valley is positioned according to the Ju Men Earth Star of the Big Dipper and is built entirely from stone, colored yellow. Both the valley’s interior and exterior are surrounded by sweet-flavored flowers and plants, making it suitable for those with spleen, stomach, mouth, or muscle issues, as well as those with damp illnesses, overthinking, kidney, bladder, ear, bone, fear, or cold-related conditions.

　　The Eight Trigrams Qi Transformation Diagram is located to the lower left of the White Sand Tent. It is created based on the principles of the Eight Trigrams to illustrate the laws of the movement and transformation of yin-yang energies between heaven and earth and their interconnected principles.

　　The Taiyi Star Pavilion is positioned according to the North Star and serves as the support for the Seven Stars House. The pavilion is built with yellow jade stones, shining golden, representing the position of the Yellow Emperor. The Herb-Seeking Pavilion is a stone-and-wood structure, formed by a massive boulder that landed in a curious shape, with a hollow below and a flat surface above.

　　The Water Mother Cave is the source of the park’s water supply. The mountain is 3.6 zhang high (approx. 12 meters) and 7.2 zhang in diameter (approx. 24 meters). At the top of the mountain is a heavenly pool, which stores water. Water pours down from the mountaintop from west to east, forming a waterfall 3.6 zhang high (approx. 12 meters) and 9 chi wide (approx. 3 meters). Behind the waterfall is a water curtain cave, inside which a statue of the Water Mother is placed. The Fuxi and Nuwa Diagram is a stone-carved pattern located at the northwest corner of the Ancestral Herb Hall.

　　In addition, the Ancestral Herb Hall also features horticultural areas such as a peony garden, rose garden, and chrysanthemum garden.