History of Huangling Temple

History of Huangling Temple – Three Kingdoms Period

According to legends, Zhuge Liang leaded army into Shu in Three Kingdoms Period. When he passed by Huangniu (Common Ox) Gorge, he saw a damaged temple. So he organized to repair it and wrote a Huangniu Temple Record. Yu Wang Hall, Wu Hou Ancestor Hall in the temple were rebuilt in forty-sixth of Wanli in Ming Dynasty (1618).

History of Huangling Temple – Song Dynasty

In Song Dynasty, there are two stone horses before the gate. When Ouyang Xiu came to Yiling (today's Yichang County) as county magistrate, he ever wrote Huangniu Gorge Temple. The sixth year of Qiandao in Song Dynasty (1170), Lu You ever recorded his experience in Huangling Temple in his works. In 1986, when people were repairing the twelve stone steps before Yu Wang Hall, they found a horse head in elephant's left eye. The head only with head top, eyes, nose, mouth, neck and the bell on it, the other parts has been chiseled into rectangle smooth surface as the elephant eye putting on one side of the steps. The stone horse with face toward into the inner side; we can sure that the horse is which Ouyang Xiu saw before the temple.

When Ouyang Xiu who is great writer in Song Dynasty as county magistrate in Yiling, he only believe Yu opened the mountain to harness flood, but don't believe ox knock rock, so he renamed "Huangniu Temple" as "Huangling Temple". For this reason, he wrote Huangniu Gorge Temple. Su Dongpo was agreed with Ouyang Xiu, he also wrote a poem to express his idea. With spreading of poems, the name of Huangling Temple was widely spread.

History of Huangling Temple – Modern Times

In 1985, Yu Wang Hall was repaired in large scale; and unearthed several relics of stone poles in lotus petal shape of Tang Dynasty. At the same time, unearthed two piece of complete lotus petal shape stone poles. Specialists have proved that the relics which were built in Tang Dynasty are remains of Yu Wang Hall.

There are marks of twice highest water level of Yangtze River since 851 on nanmu pole in Yu Wang Hall. The first time is in Gengshen of Qing Dynasty (1860); the second time is in Gengwu of Qing Dynasty (1870). There are tens marks about the flood in hundreds years. The marks of flood offered important data for Gezhouba Dam and Three Gorges Dam.

The remaining buildings in Huangling Temple were rebuilt in 46th of Wanli in Ming Dynasty. In recent years, they were repaired and built some ancillary facilities.

Huangling Temple is important historical relics in Three Gorges area. In 1956, Bubei Province government announced it as the first series of important historical relics.

In May 25th, 2006, Huangling Temple as ancient building of Ming Dynasty was listed as national cultural historical relic protection site. The damaged temple was repaired into its new image, become a resplendent and magnificent cultural place.