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Shibaozhai, Chongqing
The Shibaozhai means Stone Treasure Fortress, has been listed as a state-level key cultural relics protection units now. It is a 12-story, 18th century temple built on the northern bank of the Yangtze Rive of China, about 278kms away from Chongqing.
It has the legend that the stone was left behind by Nvwa, a goddess in Chinese myth, when she pieced up the sky with stones. As a matter of fact, Shibaozhai was erected by Emperor Qinalong on a large rock rising almost 100 feet out of the river.
Climbing the 12 stories is not as difficult as it sound because the wall inside Shibaozhai is blanketed by paintings and sculputures. Another highlight is the three groups of statu, feathured clear appearance and vivid expression, which reminde us of some stories taken place in a remote period.
On the top, there is a dam with the altitude of 230 meters and area of 1,200 square meters. It is the right place to have a bird’s eye. In front of the Grand Hall, there is a huge fresco describing the story of Nvwa Piecing Up the Sky. A small hole in the back hall where rice tickled out to feed the monks in the ancient legend. Unfortunately, when the monks got greeedy and enlarged the hole to make the rice flow quicker, the rice dried up altogether.
In order to protect the architecture from the destroy after the project of Three Gorges Dam, the Shibaozhai is lined all around. Seen from a long distance, Shibaozhai seems to be a large wheel berthed in the Yangtze River.
Travel Tips:
Transport: Shibaozhai is along Yangtze River Tour Route, so there are scheduled ships come and go. Scheduled buses from Shibaozhai to Zhongxian County are also available.
Snack; Xiao Xu town in front of Shibaozhai is well-known for its Sichuan-flavour snacks.
Shopping: Shibaozhai has simple folkway. The handicrafts here are various, but much cheaper.
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