The timeless masterpiece of Emperor Wu of Han has made this ancient tower famous for two thousand years
Besides the renowned Feiyun Tower, Wanrong also has another pavilion that rivals Feiyun Tower, which is Qiufeng Tower. It became famous worldwide because of Emperor Wu of Han’s timeless poem "Autumn Wind." However, Qiufeng Tower is not located in Wanrong city but in the Houtu Temple about 50 kilometers from the county seat. We drove all the way from Wanquan Confucian Temple to the high cliff by the Yellow River before finally seeing it.
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The so-called "Houtu" is the Mother Earth, the most primitive worship of agricultural civilization. Legend has it that since the time of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, people have "swept the ground to make an altar" here to worship Houtu, considered the "root of Chinese civilization." However, the historically verifiable beginning was in the first year of Emperor Wen of Han’s Houyuan era (163 BC) when the Fenyin Temple was built here. Later, Emperor Wu of Han visited many times, expanded the temple, established Houtu Temple as a national sacrificial center, and left the famous "Autumn Wind" poem. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, the temple reached its peak scale, comparable to a royal palace. Due to repeated Yellow River floods, the temple was destroyed and rebuilt many times until it was relocated in the 9th year of Tongzhi of Qing (1870) to a higher place north of Miao Qian Village.
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The current Wanrong Houtu Temple faces south and is strictly laid out symmetrically along the central axis in the traditional Chinese royal architectural style. It consists of the spirit way, mountain gate, pin-shaped platform, east and west five-tiger side halls, sacrificial altar, offering hall, incense pavilion, main hall, Qiufeng Tower, Zhang Yi Road, and more. Most existing buildings date from the late Qing dynasty, but early structures remain, such as the Yuan dynasty mountain gate and the Ming dynasty remnants of Qiufeng Tower.
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Climbing the high cliff, the first thing that catches the eye is the mountain gate, shaped like a "tiger head," with a beam-lifting structure and a double-eaved Xieshan-style roof, clearly showing the traditional Shanxi courtyard architectural style. Entering the mountain gate, the most striking feature is the three side-by-side opera stages arranged in a "pin" character shape, extremely rare. One can imagine the grand scene during sacrifices when all three stages performed simultaneously with drums and gongs ringing.
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Passing through the opera stages is the magnificent offering hall, divided into five rooms by 24 columns arranged in 4 rows and 6 columns, with a hard mountain roof. Beyond the offering hall is the main hall at the center of the entire complex’s central axis. The main hall has five rooms in width and three rooms in depth, with a hard mountain roof and eight-shaped shadow walls extending on both sides. This design helps sound transmission during sacrifices; the shadow walls and offering hall form an acoustic device so that even in ancient times, the officiant did not need to speak loudly for the sound to carry far. In the center of the main hall is the statue of Mother Houtu, flanked by the Medicine Bestowing Lady and the Child Sending Lady, who oversee health and family continuation, respectively.
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Passing through the main hall is the essence and climax of the entire Houtu Temple complex—Qiufeng Tower, named because it houses a stele engraved in the 8th year of Zhiyuan of the Yuan dynasty (1271) with Emperor Wu of Han’s "Autumn Wind" poem. Qiufeng Tower is three stories high, five rooms wide, surrounded by corridors, with a cross-shaped Xieshan roof. The front door plaque of Qiufeng Tower is embedded with stone carvings of "Emperor Wu of Han Obtaining the Cauldron" and "Emperor Zhenzong of Song Praying at the Temple," with smooth lines and delicate structure, elegant and refined. The overall style of Qiufeng Tower is grand and majestic yet exquisite. Unfortunately, it is no longer open to visitors, making it difficult to fully appreciate the vast poetic imagery of Emperor Wu’s "The autumn wind rises, white clouds fly; grass and trees yellow and fall, wild geese return south."
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The lower part of Qiufeng Tower is built with tall steps running east to west, each carved with a horizontal plaque: the east reads "Looking toward Lu," and the west reads "Gazing at Qin." Today, this is interpreted as the ancient Zhang Yi Road, an important passage for imperial sacrifices and a hub for trade between Shanxi and Shaanxi. Although only about 500 meters long, walking it gives a strong sense of time’s texture, making one feel small in the long river of history and proud to stand on this land that nurtured Chinese civilization.
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🏠Name | Wanrong Houtu Temple
🎫Ticket | 20 RMB
⛳Address | North of Miao Qian Village, Wanrong County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province