[2025 Handan Attraction] Travel guide for Qin Shi Huang's Birthplace Memorial Hall (updated Dec)

Autumn and winter at Congtai❄️, a romantic journey through a 3,000-year-old ancient city! Ladies! Who says autumn and winter are only for binge-watching at home? The autumn and winter at Handan’s Congtai Ancient City are a “hidden gem”! As an ancient city that has “waited for you for three thousand years,” it offers fewer crowds and beautiful scenery in autumn and winter. Red leaves frame the ancient terrace, snow decorates the city walls. As a “history buff” who has visited three times, I’m sharing this exclusive guide to guarantee you’ll capture cinematic photos and unlock a bunch of idiom stories! 📸 🌟 Four must-go reasons for autumn and winter 1. Red leaves and the ancient terrace in one frame, instantly creating stunning shots. In autumn and winter, Congtai Park’s ginkgo trees turn golden and maple leaves blaze red, set against the Wuling Congtai from the Warring States period. It’s like traveling back to the era of King Wuling of Zhao’s “Hu clothing and mounted archery”! I crouched under the ginkgo tree beside the Seven Sages Shrine for a low-angle shot, with falling leaves swirling around the majestic terrace—my social feed exploded with questions 🍁 (Photo tip: after 3 PM, the slanting sun shines beautifully on the terrace, creating perfect light and shadow!). 2. Snow scenes + light shows, a winter-only romance. If it snows, Congtai transforms into a “Warring States Ice and Snow Wonderland”! The ancient terrace covered in snow, vermilion corridor pillars dotted around, and at night, ice-blue lake lights create a fairyland atmosphere. Even better, the courtyard of the Qin Shi Huang Birthplace Memorial Hall in the park has scheduled “snowfall” events (from late November to mid-December, Friday to Sunday evenings). Put on a Hanfu and spin in the snow to capture a “till death do us part” vibe ⛄️! 3. Free admission! Best value for money. Congtai Park has free entry; only climbing the Congtai terrace costs 5 yuan (combined ticket includes the Seven Sages Shrine). What a deal! The park condenses Zhao Kingdom history, with vivid stories of the “Zhao dream team” like Lin Xiangru and Lian Po in the Seven Sages Shrine. You can learn idioms on the spot (like “carrying a thorn to ask for punishment”), a hit with families! 4. Full cultural experience, touching millennia of history. At the Zhao King City Ruins Park (near Congtai), you can feel the texture of the Warring States rammed earth walls or stroll through Huiche Alley, the site of the “General and Minister in Harmony” story. It really feels like stepping into a history book! I almost got lost in the alley but met a folk heritage clay figurine master at the corner and made a little Hu clothing mounted archer clay figure for 20 yuan—totally worth it! 🚡 Tested lazy one-day itinerary - Morning: Enter Congtai Park from the east gate → Seven Sages Shrine (check out the colorful statues of Zhao’s wise ministers) → climb Wuling Congtai (5 yuan for panoramic ancient city views) → take autumn photos on Ginkgo Avenue - Noon: Try Handan’s Minjie near the park (coarse grain noodles with lamb stew, 25 yuan per person fills you up!) or go to Huiche Alley for Ermao Roast Chicken (a century-old brand, the bones are tender) - Afternoon: Zhao King City Ruins Park (feel the ancient Warring States city walls) → Huiche Alley historic cultural district (buy folk clay figurines, drink big bowls of tea) - Evening: Congtai night light show → Meile City Night Market for a bowl of Weixian big pot stew, warming heart and stomach! 📸 Popular photo spots + hidden activities Location Must-do Tips & Warnings Wuling Congtai top floor Use a wide-angle lens to capture the terrace and city skyline together Windy! Hold your phone tight; my scarf once flew away with the wind... Seven Sages Shrine red wall Wear Hanfu and shoot backlit red leaves Before 9 AM fewer people, soft light for great shots Wangzhuxie waterside Crouch by the lake for perfect symmetrical reflections Stones by the lake are slippery, watch your step (don’t ask me how I know) 🍲 Taste of Congtai: food tips to avoid pitfalls - Must-eat: - Yongnian donkey meat sausage: a Ming Dynasty recipe, paired with baked flatbread, fragrant but not greasy! - Linzhang braised rabbit: rich sauce, firm meat. Rabbits are cute... but also delicious! - Avoid: overpriced snacks inside the scenic area; better to eat in the old town outside the park. 💡 Tested practical tips summary 1. Dressing formula: big temperature difference in autumn and winter! Wear thermal underwear + windproof jacket (the terrace is very windy), and wear non-slip shoes for snow and fallen leaves. 2. Off-peak tip: travel groups gather after 10 AM on weekends; better to rush in at 8 AM when the park opens or shoot backlit photos after 3 PM! 3. Hidden perks: the park has a moral model theme park and a marriage registration office; if lucky, you might catch a Han-style group wedding! After 3,000 years of waiting, Congtai Ancient City quietly tells the ambition of King Wuling of Zhao through red leaves, white snow, and rammed earth walls. This autumn and winter, avoid the crowds and come to this “City of Idioms” to feel the romance of time and space crossing! Save this guide and don’t forget to tap ❤️🌟～

The Memorial Hall of Qin Shi Huang's Birthplace in Handan is located within Congtai Park in Handan City. It vividly showcases Qin Shi Huang's childhood years in Handan and the cultural background of the Zhao state through various forms such as relief sculptures and woodblock paintings. Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, was born in Handan, the capital of the Zhao state (present-day Handan City, Hebei Province). His father was a hostage prince of the Qin state, and his mother was Lady Zhao. Qin Shi Huang spent eight years of his childhood in Handan. This experience had a certain influence on the formation of his character and political views. To commemorate this historical connection, Handan City established a memorial hall near Qin Shi Huang's birthplace. The memorial hall uses a "narrative through paintings" approach, combining architectural landscapes with indoor exhibitions to tell historical stories in different sections. The exhibition area is divided into four parts: the West Exhibition Hall (foyer), the East Exhibition Hall (core exhibition area), the courtyard and garden, and the Qin-Zhao Imagination Zone. Outside the hall, there is a pavilion in the Ming and Qing architectural style, where visitors can climb up to enjoy a panoramic view of the beautiful lake scenery in Congtai Park. Qin Shi Huang was born in Handan and died in Zhao territory. His birth is full of legendary stories, and his death remains a mystery. This city has an inseparable connection with Qin Shi Huang and influenced him throughout his life. It is a cultural ancient city with a history spanning more than 3,100 years. Handan is the memory of Qin Shi Huang...

The Qin Shi Huang Birthplace Memorial Hall is located in the area of the Warming Palace ruins and the former hostage residence in the Zhao capital Handan Kuocheng from the Warring States period. It is situated around Zhujiagang Street in Congtai District, Handan City, Hebei Province, in the southwest part of Congtai Park. The main buildings of the memorial hall include a residential area, an exhibition area, and classical garden landscapes. The residential area contains the main house, annex rooms, stables, wells, and other living scenes, recreating the appearance of the hostage residence during the Warring States period. The exhibition area uses mortise and tenon structures and tall pillars to construct a Qin dynasty palace style, with interior exhibition wall texts in Warring States seal script. The garden is designed as a classical garden with small bridges and flowing water, preserving original facilities such as the Hui Liang Pavilion. The hall mainly exhibits Warring States period artifacts unearthed in the Handan area, historical materials related to Qin Shi Huang, academic papers, and literary works. It also showcases Qin Shi Huang’s growth journey in Handan through artistic reliefs, woodblock prints, and other forms.

“To understand the present, learn from the past. Without the past, there is no present.” 📍Hebei Handan, a city that has not changed its name for 3,000 years, and Congtai Park is one of Handan's most famous parks. It is a large park centered on Wuling Congtai. Congtai was built during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao in the Warring States Period (325 BC–299 BC). It was the place where King Wuling of Zhao reviewed his troops and watched singing and dancing. After King Wuling of Zhao ascended the throne, he implemented the reform of wearing nomadic clothing and learning to shoot from horseback, which made the State of Zhao one of the "Seven Heroes" in the Warring States Period. At that time, the place where the army drilled was around Wuling Congtai. Wuling Congtai is named Congtai because there are many pavilions and they are connected together. The stone inscription "The Fu River flows eastward, and the purple energy comes from the west" is embedded in the west city wall inside the south gate of Handan Wuling Congtai. It was inscribed by Hu Jingyi, a famous patriotic military strategist, in the eleventh year of the Republic of China (1922 AD). ⛩️Address: No. 159, Zhonghua North Street, Congtai West Street, Congtai District, Handan City. ⏰️Opening hours: 24 hours 📍Tickets: Free admission to the park, CNY 5 for a joint ticket to Wuling Congtai + Seven Sages Shrine Stele Forest 🚌Public transportation: There are buses in the urban area. Get off at Congtai Park Station or Handan First Hospital Station and walk to the park. ✅Tour route: Enter through the South Gate ➡️ Memorial Hall of Qin Shi Huang's Birthplace ➡️ Wuling Congtai ➡️ Seven Sages Shrine Stele Forest ➡️ Exit through the North Gate 🔶🔶🔶Great photos ▪Places suitable for taking Hanfu photos, especially Warring States robes: Lotus Pond, Memorial Hall of Qin Shi Huang's Birthplace, Wuling Congtai. ▪A corner of the park, waiting for you to discover.