Huangling Temple

Brief Introduction of Huangling Temple

Huangling Temple, situated at Sandouping County, Yichang, used to be called Huangniu Temple or Huangniu memorial temple standing along Yangtze River. It is a well preserved ancient building complex which is in memory of Da Yu who subdued the flood for ancient Chinese. It covers an area of 20,980 square meters, consisting of Main Gate, Yu Wang (King Yu) Hall, Quyuan Hall and Foye (Buddha) Hall.

Importance of Huangling Temple

Huangling Temple is one of the important historical and cultural relics of Three Gorges area. It is one of the first protected relics announced by the government of Hubei Province in 1956. The old temple has been renovated. The temple witnessed Da Yu subdued the flood hundreds of years ago and will witness people continue the greatness of Da Yu in the future.

Role of Huangling Temple

There are a lot of precious hydrological information and materials perserved in Huangling Temple. It tells us more about huge floods of Yangtze River. In a way, it seems to be a hydrological database of Three Gorges. All these information and materials provide important foundation for building Three Gorges Dam.

Buildings of Huangling Temple

There are many buildings of Huangling Temple, but the most outstanding ones are the Main Gate and Yuwang Hall.

Main Gate

The main gate of Huangling Temple was built on the bank of riverside which is 75.56 meters higher than the sea level. There used to be 2 stone horses standing at the main gate during Song Dynasty. Then, the 2 stone horses lost in a flood in Qing Dynasty. 33 steps and 18 steps outside the main gate also remain the same which mean 33 floors of heaven and 18 levels of hell.

Yuwang Hall

This hall is the main body of the current building complex of Huangling Temple. It was built on the ground 19 meters higher than the main gate. And it was built in the memory of Dayu, an ancient hero who subdued the flood. The entire building is constructed with wood covering an area of 4000 square meters. In 1983, ancient architecture experts did survey and research to Yuwang Hall. The record said that the whole building was well-preserved and was not destroyed in the flood. And there are a lot of relics and hydrological inscriptions left in the hall. Yuwang Hall also plays an important role in the hydrological history of Yangtze River.