Legends of Zhang Fei Temple

Yunyang, a little county on the bank of Yangtze River, is over 1400 years old. This little county is not famous for itself, but the well-known Zhang Fei Temple which located on the opposite bank. Zhang Fei Temple is one of the historical relics on the south bank of Yangtze River. There are various things in the temple. The beautiful scenery of the Zhang Fei Temple attracts many visitors come and don't want to go back. At the same time, there are many legends about the Zhang Fei Temple.

Legends of Zhang Fei Temple – "Bury the head in Yunyang"

One night of the Three Kingdoms period, an old fisherman lived in the bank of Yangtze River made a strange dream: the great general of Shu Kingdom, Zhang Fei was killed by his two officers who were named Fan Jiang and Zhang Da. They cut off his head and wanted to turn to Wu Kingdom. On the way to Wu Kingdom, they heard Shu Kingdom has made peace with Wu Kingdom. So they threw the head into Yangtze River. Zhang Fei asked the fisherman to salvage his head up and buried it in the Feifeng (Fly Phoenix) Mountain. After waking, the fisherman came to Yangtze River and spread his subnet. He really salvaged Zhang Fei' head up. Later, local people built the original Zhang Fei Temple at the piedmont of Feifeng Mountain where Zhang Fei's head was picked up. This probably the lengend of Zhang Fei's body was buried in Langzhong and the head in Yunyang.

Legend is legend. There is no record in the history about when was Zhang Fei Temple built and why it was built in Yunyang. The earliest record about Zhang Fei Temple is the stele of Song Dynasty in Helpful Wind Pavilion.

Until now, Zhang Fei Temple has become a cultural relic and historical site on Yangtze River Three Gorges and thousands of visitors came to enjoy the scenery. Because of the Three Gorges Dam project, Zhang Fei Temple was removed to Long'an village in its original shape.

Legends of Zhang Fei Temple – "Helpful Wind"

There is a touching legend of Zhang Fei Temple. In Qing Dynasty, the Director of River Conservation, Zhang Penghe on his way home and passed by Zhang Fei Temple without doing worship. In the night, there began to blow head wind and the boat was blew back to the old Yunyang County. Zhang Penghe felt awed, so he well-prepared to pay homage to Zhang Fei. And later, his boat proceeded smoothly without a hitch.

Local color and custom value are the important reasons why Zhang Fei Temple listed as the important cultural relic sites under state-level protection by the Central Government. There are many red strings and red straps on the cypress trees in the temple, especially during the temple fair. People pray for good fortune by tying the red strings and straps on the trees.