Must-Visit Attractions in Mangdang Mountain

Located in Henan, Mangdang Mountain Tourist Area is known as the “Museum of Han Culture”. It is a tourist destination in eastern Henan Province that combines mountains, rivers, humanities, and folk customs. It features beautiful scenery, a tranquil environment, and fresh air. It is also an ideal destination for leisure sightseeing and vacations.

Liu Bang’s Snake-Slaying Site

Liu Bang’s Snake-Slaying Site is a stele erected by later generations to commemorate the Han Gaozu Liu Bang’s uprising by slaying a snake. It is located at the southern foot of the main peak of Mangdang Mountain. It was built during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han and rebuilt many times. The existing one is a replica of a Ming Dynasty stone stele. It is 2.39 meters high. The inscription on the stele reads “Sun and Moon” and “Where Han Gao Slew the Snake”. The pedestal is a huge Bixi. At night, the light illuminates the stele, revealing a majestic and heroic illusion of Liu Bang, known as a “spectacle of the world”.

Queen’s Tomb

The Queen’s Tomb is located at the north peak of Baoshan Mountain in Mangdang Mountain. It faces east, about 200 meters south of Liang Xiaowang’s Tomb. It has two tomb passages, each about 80 meters long and 5.5 meters wide. There are 34 side chambers and corridors. The internal floor area of the tomb is 16,000 square meters, with a volume of about 6,500 cubic meters. Its grand scale and complex structure make it the largest stone-chamber tomb discovered in China to date, known as the “No. 1 Stone-Chamber Tomb in the World”. Inside the tomb, there are China’s earliest refrigerators, flush toilets, and the mysterious “Path of Love”. In 1991, the Queen’s Tomb was named one of the “Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 1991”.

Liang Xiaowang’s Tomb

Liang Xiaowang’s Tomb is the tomb of Liu Wu, the King of Liang. The north peak is the tomb of Li, the wife of Liu Wu, the Queen of Liang. It is a joint burial of husband and wife, with different graves but in the same underground palace. Liang Xiaowang’s Tomb is built by cutting through the mountain and making an enclosure, with a total length of 96 meters, a maximum width of 32 meters, and an area of about 700 square meters. It was named one of the “Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of the Eighth Five-Year Plan” in 1994, and was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1996.

Liang Gongwang’s Tomb

Liang Gongwang’s Tomb, the tomb of Liu Mai, the King of Liang, is located southeast of Liang Xiaowang’s Tomb. During the excavation, a large number of chariot and horse artifacts, pottery figurines, weapons, and 2,250,000 copper coins weighing 5.5 tons, flush toilets, and the “Oriental Venus” maid figurines were unearthed from the tomb passage and the underground palace. In the front hall of the underground palace, there are national treasures – the “Four Gods and Cloud Patterns” paintings. This painting represents the pinnacle of Western Han painting art and is known as “the Dunhuang before Dunhuang, the Dunhuang beyond Dunhuang”. Liang Gongwang’s Tomb is a major archaeological discovery of the tombs of the Kings of Liang during the Han Dynasty in Mangdang Mountain. It was named one of the “Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 1994”.

Chen Sheng’s Tomb

Chen Sheng’s Tomb is located at the southwestern foot of the main peak of Mangdang Mountain. It faces south and is a stone-arch earth mound. The existing tomb mound is 2.6 meters high and has a circumference of about 27.3 meters. It is surrounded by a bluestone wall, and there is a tall stone stele in front of the tomb. The inscription “Tomb of Chen Sheng, the Leader of the Peasant Uprising at the End of the Qin Dynasty” was written by Guo Moruo. The tomb mound is nestled among the mountains, surrounded by pines and cypresses. After Liu Bang became emperor, he sent 30 families to guard the tomb. Even today, the local people still acknowledge themselves as descendants of the tomb guardians.

Han Dynasty Heroic Spirit

Han Dynasty Heroic Spirit is located on the main peak of Mangdang Mountain, the Red Emperor Peak. It was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Liu Bang’s founding of the Han Dynasty after his uprising at Mangdang Mountain. The statue is 29.9 meters tall, with a base of 11 meters, making it 40.9 meters tall in total. It is the largest historical figure statue in Asia. Visitors can take an elevator to the observation platform located on the shoulder of the statue, where they can enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding area within 80 miles of Mangdang Mountain. Visitors will truly experience the feeling of “Standing on the Peak of the World, Looking Down upon All Mountains”.

Confucius Cliff

Confucius Cliff, also known as Confucius’s Rain Shelter, is located on the southern slope of Confucius Mountain and is a natural rock cave. Legend has it that during the late Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius led his disciples to travel around the kingdoms, passing through Mangdang Mountain on their way to Cao and Song. A heavy rain fell, and Confucius and his disciples took shelter in this cave and taught there. The cave is about 8 meters north-south, 10 meters east-west, and 2 meters high. The four walls are neat, and the bottom of the cave is smooth. There is a statue of Confucius in the cave, with his hands clasped, his head bowed, and his knees crossed. The statue is 1 meter tall and is meticulously carved, looking lifelike. The “Dripping Green Stone Cliff” here is one of the Eight Sights of Yongcheng.

Confucius Temple

Confucius Temple, also known as the Temple of Literature, is located at the southern foot of Confucius Mountain in Mangdang Mountain. Confucius Mountain is named after Confucius, who once took shelter from the rain, sunned his books, and lectured here while traveling around the kingdoms. Later generations, in commemoration, built a Confucian Temple and erected a stele here to worship Confucius. The Confucius Temple was built at an unknown time and was destroyed by fire during the late Ming Dynasty. The existing Confucian Temple is a Qing Dynasty building, facing south. It consists of the Qisheng Hall, the east and west wings, and the Dacheng Gate. In the middle of the courtyard, there are three stone steles under the moon platform, nestled among the shade of two thousand-year-old ancient cypresses.

Geological Park

Mangdang Mountain Geological Park covers an area of about 50 square kilometers. It is divided into two areas, Mangdang Mountain and Yushan Mountain, and five scenic areas, Baoshan Mountain, Mangdang Mountain, Confucius Mountain, Xishan Mountain, and Yushan Mountain. The currently developed and open area is located in the Baoshan Mountain Scenic Area. The main attractions include the Mangdang Mountain Geological Museum, the Geological Culture Square, the Cambrian Lake, the Cambrian Culture Corridor, the Cambrian Ecological Park, the Twelve Zodiac Park, and ecological gardening and greening. The park is home to a variety of typical geological landform relics, which are unique to eastern Henan and rarely seen in Henan Province.