One of China's Seven Wonders, Yet Overlooked and Unvisited
Lead: One of the Seven Wonders of China, yet overlooked and rarely visited.
On this vast land of China, many beautiful scenic spots have gained high popularity, attracting many foreign tourists. However, popularity takes time to accumulate and mature. Many Chinese scenic spots are often ignored, which is worth reflecting on. In recent years, many foreign travelers have been attracted to China's culture and come from afar to explore this unknown area, discovering many places that Chinese people often ignore.
Do you remember seeing a documentary about exploring China on television, where they ranked the Seven Wonders of China, surprisingly, Shibaoshan was included. If it weren’t for that program, we ourselves might not even know that there was such a place in Chongqing, and it was rated as one of the Seven Wonders by foreign media. Later, it gradually became popular in the foreign world. It's probably the only place that became popular abroad and then returned to China, and I also went there myself, which really opened my eyes. I always feel that there are more places waiting to be discovered.
Shibaoshan is a very ancient building. Its name is quite magical. According to legend, when Nüwa was patching the sky, a five-colored stone fell into the Yangtze River. After that, a ten-foot-high stone stood on the riverbank, which was regarded as a treasure by the locals, and became known as Shibaoshan. In the late Ming Dynasty, Tan Hong used it as a base for an uprising, and it was then called Shibaoshan. Because it is located near the Yangtze River, it also has the reputation of ‘Yushan Mingzhu’ (Yushan Mingzhu - Yushan Mingzhu). Because it has been continuously maintained for a long time, it has preserved its original appearance today.
During the Qing Dynasty, a temple was built on the top of the mountain. In order to break the traditional way of using ropes to climb up, they built a nine-story pavilion for collective wisdom and benefit. As people climbed the pavilion step by step, it was both convenient and safe. After continuous reinforcement and construction, the pavilion had reached twelve stories. Standing on the pavilion, overlooking the Yangtze River, it was truly like a small paradise in everyone's eyes. If there is fog, it looks like a fairyland.
The greatest honor of this ancient village was that its appearance appeared on the currency of the Republic of China. It is indeed a key cultural relic in China. However, it has also suffered serious damage. In the early 2000s, in order to rescue it, a huge embankment was built around it. This did not affect tourists to appreciate it. The ticket price here is very cheap, only fifty yuan. I think spending a few tens of yuan to climb to the top and see the mighty Yangtze River is also very worthwhile.
