Atlas of China
Houtu Temple, Wanrong 万荣后土祠Wànróng Hòutǔ Cí
4A scenic area · National heritage site · Yuncheng, Shanxi
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Days to budget
- Half a day
- City
- Yuncheng
- Region
- Shanxi
- Type
- Heritage
- Listed as
- 4A scenic area, National heritage site
About Houtu Temple, Wanrong
This is the successor to the Han-dynasty shrine where emperors came to sacrifice to Houtu, goddess of the earth: Emperor Wu of Han made it the imperial site for the rite in the second century BC, and Tang and Song emperors also made offerings here. After Yellow River floods and shifts in its course the temple was moved more than once and settled on its present site in 1870; it covers about 25,000 square metres, with a Yuan-dynasty gate that doubles as a stage, an offering hall and main hall of the late Qing, and the Qiufeng Tower, a Ming-dynasty three-storey tower about 33 m high at the rear of the main axis. A ceremony honouring Houtu has been held here every year since 2003.
How to get to Houtu Temple, Wanrong
It stands in Miaoqian village beside the Yellow River, about 35 km west of Wanrong.
Nearby
- Hancheng Old Town and Dangjia Village 韩城古城·党家村 10 km
Ming temples in an old county town and a village of grey-brick Ming–Qing courtyard houses - Xiezhou Guandi Temple 解州关帝庙 60 km
Gateways, halls and towers honouring the deified general Guan Yu in his home district
Also within 20 km: Balong Temple Pagoda, Zhonglizhuang 中里庄八龙寺塔 (under 10 km), Beixin Sarira Pagoda 北辛舍利塔 (under 10 km), Temple and Tomb of Sima Qian 司马迁祠 (under 10 km), Temple of Yu the Great, Hancheng 韩城大禹庙 (20 km), Liangdai Village Rui State Site Museum 梁带村芮国遗址博物馆 (20 km).
On the map
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