Shimen National Water Conservancy Scenic Area

　　Shimen National Water Conservancy Scenic Area is located at the mouth of the Baogou Valley, 18 kilometers north of Hanzhong City. Built around the Shimen Reservoir, it boasts beautiful scenery and an abundance of historic sites. The “Baoxie Road, Shimen and Its Cliff Inscriptions,” which has been listed by the State Council as one of the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, is situated here.

　　The Baogou Valley features steep mountains, rugged rocks, verdant peaks, and a serene and elegant environment, with landscapes that vary beautifully across the four seasons. The Qing Dynasty literatus Wang Wanxiang summarized the area as the “Twenty-Four Scenic Spots of Shimen.” The completion of the Shimen Reservoir added even more charm to the Baogou Valley. The Shimen Reservoir is a large-scale water conservancy project primarily used for irrigation, with a water storage capacity of 105 million cubic meters, irrigating over 500,000 mu of farmland, and generating 40,500 kilowatts of electricity. The dam stands 88 meters high and stretches 260 meters in length as a double-curvature arch dam, showcasing elegant and magnificent architecture. The high gorges and calm lake, with rippling blue waves, offer picturesque views as sightseeing boats and speedboats glide through the 17-kilometer-long artificial lake. The mountain streams murmur gently, clear springs bubble up, and mountain waterfalls tinkle. The area is rich in aquatic life and birds, with the giant salamander, Chinese softshell turtle, and egrets being among the most precious species.

　　The Baogou Shimen area is a natural three-dimensional museum of culture. Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, this has been a vital passageway connecting Central China, the Northwest, and the Southwest. Along the “Shu Road, harder to traverse than ascending to the blue sky,” plank roads were carved and bridges built, hailed as the “Ninth Wonder of the World.” Shimen is the most treacherous and spectacular part of these plank roads. Here, cultural relics and historic sites are gathered both above and below the water. Roads, water conservancy projects, and the Shimen Tunnel from ancient, modern, and contemporary times are all displayed here in an intertwined exhibition. A newly built imitation ancient plank road, uniquely designed, spans the steep cliffs, serving as a miniature version of the ancient Baoxie Road. The historical anecdote of Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moonlight and the strategy of “repairing the plank roads openly while secretly crossing Chen Cang” took place here. Zhuge Liang often passed through this area during his northern campaigns against Cao Wei. The Shimen Tunnel, carved during the Eastern Han Yongping era using the “fire-setting and water-hitting” method, is the world’s earliest artificially constructed traffic tunnel. Nearby Shimen features over a hundred cliff inscriptions left by literati since the Han Dynasty, with the most famous being the “Thirteen Stone Tablets of Shimen,” known as the “National Treasures.” They are revered by the Japanese calligraphy community as “Hanzhong Shimen, the teacher of Japan.” Among them are Cao Cao’s “Gunsnow”; Zhang Liang’s “Jade Basin”; and Zheng Zizhen’s “Stone Tiger,” all bold and vigorous with smooth brushwork. Especially notable are the “Inscription on the Shimen” and the “Eulogy on the Shimen,” which have since ancient times been regarded as models of Chinese calligraphy. The Lianyun Plank Road along the mountainside of Liancheng Mountain is lined with stone inscriptions, marking the footprints of our ancestors. The submerged Bao Si Pu, believed to be the hometown of Bao Si, the legendary beauty of the Western Zhou Bao State, lies beneath the waters.

　　The Shanhe Weir was built by Xiao He, the Chancellor of the Western Han Dynasty, and completed by Cao Can. For generations, it has irrigated the fertile lands of Hanzhong. In the 1940s, the Bao Hui Canal was constructed on the original site, and in the 1970s, the Shimen Reservoir was built. These water conservancy projects from three different eras have benefited the people of Hanzhong, forming a unique landscape of Hanzhong’s water culture and hydraulic engineering.

　　Throughout history, the chicken-head-like peak in the Baogou Valley stands tall, piercing the clouds, while the stone tiger guards the treasures of Shimen. There is an old saying: “Shimen faces the stone tiger, with untold millions in gold and silver; whoever can unlock the mystery can buy the entire Hanzhong Prefecture.” Shimen holds profound historical and cultural significance. Historic sites such as the ancient Bao State, the ancient Baoxie Plank Road, the ancient Lianyun Plank Road, the ancient Shimen, the ancient Shanhe Weir, the ancient Baocheng Post, and the new Shimen complement each other, making it a comprehensive natural historical museum for studying ancient and modern warfare, transportation, roads, economy, science and technology, water conservancy, calligraphy, and poetry in China. It is also a picturesque tourist destination in southern Shaanxi. With the development of the western region, the Shimen Water Conservancy Scenic Area has undergone comprehensive planning and has been further developed and utilized accordingly. We warmly welcome visitors from all over to tour, travel, relax, and vacation in the Shimen Scenic Area of Hanzhong.

　　Those who have visited Shimen—literati, officials, and others—have been moved and awed by its grandeur and arduous construction, often inscribing their thoughts and emotions on stones in the form of records and poems. Centered around Shimen, these inscriptions gradually formed a cliff inscription cluster starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty, totaling over a hundred pieces. Unfortunately, they can no longer be seen today. Those interested may visit the Han Tai Museum in the city center to view the relocated “Thirteen Stone Tablets of Shimen,” which provides a comprehensive understanding of the content and value of these carvings. All of them are national-level cultural relics.

　　From Chang’an to Chengdu, during the peak period of the plank roads, there were thousands of miles of plank pathways, with a post station every five li, a pavilion every ten li, and a post every thirty li. Their function was akin to today’s highways. Once the plank roads were built, they became inextricably linked with warfare, becoming a strategic location contested by military forces since ancient times. The anecdote of “repairing the plank roads openly while secretly crossing Chen Cang” originated here.

　　To recreate history and provide an immersive experience, during the “May Day” and “National Day” holidays, locals in Shimen dress in armor, wield weapons, beat drums, and form battle arrays, welcoming friends from all over the world with exciting historical reenactments.

　　Taking a boat to cruise the waters of Shimen is an immensely enjoyable experience. Gazing around, the breathtaking scenery is too beautiful to take in all at once, making you feel as if you are wandering through a painting. Visiting the hometown of Bao Si and reflecting on the ancient tales of “buying a smile for a thousand pieces of gold” and “playing with the feudal lords using beacon fires” will immerse you in reverie, sparking endless emotions. The scenic area has also added a thrilling high-altitude tightrope walking performance 100 meters above the ground, sure to refresh your senses.