Self-Driving Tour to Handan, Hebei

During the holiday, I drove to Shanxi and Hebei for a tour, visiting Handan, Xingtai, and Dingzhou.\nHandan, a city under the jurisdiction of Hebei Province, is located in the southern part of Hebei, with the Taihang Mountains to the west and the North China Plain to the east, bordering Shanxi, Shandong, and Henan provinces.\nHandan is a national historical and cultural city. As early as 8,000 years ago, it gave birth to the Cishan culture of the early Neolithic period. During the Warring States period, Handan served as the capital of the Zhao state, and Wei County (a county under Handan) was the capital of the Wei state. In the Han dynasty, it shared the reputation of one of the "Five Great Metropolises" together with Luoyang, Linzi, Nanyang, and Chengdu. At the end of the Han dynasty, Cao Wei established its capital in Linzhang (Linzhang County, Handan), called Yecheng, which subsequently served as the capital of Cao Wei, Ran Wei, Former Yan, Eastern Wei, and Northern Qi. In the Northern Song dynasty, Daming Prefecture (Daming County, Handan) became the secondary capital. In the Qing dynasty, Daming Prefecture served as the first provincial capital of Zhili Province.\nThe name "Handan" first appeared in the ancient text *Bamboo Annals*. The origin of the name Handan is generally derived from the annotation of Zhang Yan, a native of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, in the *Book of Han: Geography*: "Handan Mountain lies east of the city; 'dan' means 'end,' and since the city walls follow the settlement, the character '邑' (city) is added." This means the name Handan originates from Handan Mountain, located east of the city. There is a mountain called Han Mountain, and 'dan' means the end of the mountain range; thus it was named Handan. Because the city walls follow the settlement, the character '邑' was added to 'dan' to form 'Handan.' The name Handan has been used unchanged for three thousand years, a special case in Chinese toponymic culture.\nThe settlement of Handan began in the Shang and Yin dynasties. During the early Shang dynasty, the capital was established at Xing (now Xingtai) and later moved to Yin (now Anyang). For several hundred years, Handan was a sub-capital region. The ancient *Bamboo Annals* record that the last Shang king, Zhou, built 'detached palaces and villas' in Handan. The name Handan had already appeared by the time of King Zhou, confirming that the ancient city of Handan has a history of over 3,100 years.\nDuring the Western Zhou dynasty, the Handan area belonged to the Wei state, and in the Spring and Autumn period, it was part of the Jin state. At the end of the Western Zhou, the Zhao clan moved from Zhou to Jin and gradually became high-ranking officials. In the late Spring and Autumn period, Zhao Yang (Zhao Jianzi), the chief minister of Jin, nominally served the Jin ruler but actually held real power. In the twelfth year of Duke Ding of Jin (500 BC), Zhao Yang brought Handan into his sphere of influence, and it became a hereditary territory of the Zhao clan. During the time of Zhao Xiangzi, the three houses partitioned Jin and established the Zhao state. In 403 BC, Zhao was enfeoffed as a vassal state by King Weilie of Zhou. In 386 BC, when Marquis Jing of Zhao ascended the throne, the capital was moved from Zhongmou (west of present-day Hebi, Henan) to Handan.\nAs the capital of Zhao, Handan enjoyed 158 years of prosperity under eight generations of rulers. Particularly, the brilliant King Wuling of Zhao pioneered reforms, implementing the military reform of "barbarian clothing and cavalry archery," strengthening the state and the army, and making Zhao one of the Seven Warring States, capable of contending with powerful Qin.\nThe Wuling Congtai, built during the Warring States period, was where King Wuling reviewed troops and enjoyed performances, with a history of over 2,000 years. The name Congtai comes from the many connected platforms piled up. It is said to have been built during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao (325-299 BC), hence the name Wuling Congtai.\nCongtai is located in Congtai Park on Zhonghua Street in Handan. The existing Wuling Congtai was rebuilt during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty (1862-1874). Admission to Congtai and Qixian Shrine is 5 yuan, free for seniors aged 70 and above.\nCongtai is a witness to the history of the Zhao capital and a symbol of the ancient city of Handan.\nA statue of King Wuling of Zhao in the exhibition hall on Congtai.\nThe "Jusheng Pavilion" at the top of Congtai was first built in the 13th year of Jiajing of Ming (1534) and rebuilt during the Tongzhi reign of Qing; the current pavilion was built in 1964.\nThe brilliant and dominant King Wuling of Zhao, however, died tragically in the internal strife of Zhao—the Shaqiu Palace Coup—starved to death in his own palace by his own son.\nKing Wuling's tragedy was determined by his own indecisive character. He doted on his concubine Wuwa, deposed the eldest son and established the youngest, passing the throne to Wuwa's son He, while he himself stepped back to focus on war against Qin. Having abdicated to King Huiwen of Zhao, King Wuling nevertheless took pity on his eldest son Zhang and planned to divide Zhao into two, making Prince Zhang and King Huiwen co-rulers. From Prince Zhang's perspective, he had been the crown prince and was inexplicably deposed, naturally angering him. King Huiwen, on the other hand, could not accept the division of his intact kingdom.\nCharacter determines fate; King Wuling's indecisiveness prompted Prince Zhang's rebellion. Prince Zhang failed in his revolt and fled to King Wuling's palace for refuge. The generals Gongzi Cheng and Li Dui, leading the suppression forces, surrounded King Wuling's palace, found Prince Zhang, and executed him. However, an unwritten rule in Zhao history stated that anyone who surrounded the king's palace with troops would be exterminated. Gongzi Cheng and Li Dui besieged King Wuling in the Shaqiu Palace, afraid to let him out, lest they face execution. Thus, the once-mighty King Wuling was starved to death in the palace.\nQixian Shrine, located opposite Congtai, was built to commemorate seven sages who made outstanding contributions to the founding and consolidation of the Zhao state during the Warring States period. Originally built during the Wanli reign of Ming, it was first called "Sanzhong Shrine" and "Sixian Shrine." The three loyalists are Han Jue, Cheng Ying, and Gongsun Chujiu, who saved the Zhao orphan; the four sages are Lian Po, Lin Xiangru, Zhao She, and Li Mu. Statues of the seven sages stand in the shrine.\nThe arrangement of the seven sages (from left to right) is: Han Jue, Gongsun Chujiu, Cheng Ying, Lian Po, Lin Xiangru, Zhao She, Li Mu.\nQixian Shrine also houses the Handan Stele Forest.\nThe epitaph of He Hongjing, the Wei-Bo military governor of the Tang dynasty, is the largest epitaph ever unearthed in China, extremely precious, and a national first-class cultural relic.\nA replica of He Hongjing's epitaph at the Handan Museum.\nA newly built attraction in Congtai Park: the Memorial Hall of Qin Shi Huang's Birthplace.\nQin Shi Huang's father, King Zhuangxiang of Qin, originally named Yiren, while a hostage in Zhao, fathered Ying Zheng with Zhao Ji, originally named Zhao Zheng. During the Warring States period, Qin and Zhao were mortal enemies. Zhao was one of Qin's strongest opponents, and it was only after destroying Zhao that Qin unified China. Surprisingly, Qin and Zhao shared a common ancestor. According to the memorial hall's exhibits, both had the same ancestor, who was an expert in horse-breeding and charioteering for the Shang and Zhou kings. The common ancestor of Qin and Zhao was Feilian. Qin's ancestor was Feilian's eldest son, Elai, while Zhao's ancestor was Feilian's younger son, Jisheng.\n*Records of the Grand Historian* states: "The Zhao family shares a common ancestor with Qin." "The great-granddaughter of Emperor Zhuanxu, named Nuxiu, gave birth to Daye." Daye passed down eight generations to Feilian, who had two sons, Elai and Jisheng. Elai was the ancestor of Qin, and Jisheng was the ancestor of Zhao. Qin Shi Huang was the 35th-generation descendant of Elai, an important minister of the Shang dynasty.\nA girl taking a costume photo at the Memorial Hall of Qin Shi Huang's Birthplace.\nQin Shi Huang was born in Handan and died in the Zhao region (Shaqiu, where he died during his fifth eastern tour, was an ancient place in Zhao territory, now in Guangzong, Xingtai, Hebei). The cycle of history: starting from the origin and returning to the origin, a form of leaves falling back to their roots.\nHandan, as the capital of Chinese idioms and allusions, has an unparalleled number, long transmission, wide application, and profound influence, rare among Chinese cities and unique among world cities. Idioms are a time tunnel connecting ancient and modern. "Barbarian clothing and cavalry archery," "Learning to walk in Handan," "Returning the jade intact to Zhao," "Bearing a rod and pleading guilty," "Golden Millet Dream"—these idioms, concise, profound, philosophical, interesting, and thought-provoking, are a unique gem in Chinese language art.\nThe Xuebu Bridge (Learning-to-Walk Bridge) was originally a wooden structure but was often damaged by floods, so it was replaced by a floating bridge. In the 45th year of Wanli of Ming (1617), it was built into a seven-arch stone bridge with three large arches and four small arches.\nWe all learned the allusion "Learning to walk in Handan" in elementary school. It is said that two thousand years ago, a young man from Shouling in the Yan state heard that the people of Handan walked gracefully. He hid from his family and traveled far to Handan to learn to walk. Upon arrival, he carefully observed the people in the Zhao capital, their strides, steps, hand swings, and even body movements. He observed meticulously and imitated earnestly, but could not learn. Frustrated, he sat by a small bridge north of the city and pondered. In the end, he forgot how he originally walked but still hadn't learned the Handan way. Zhuangzi said he eventually crawled back to Yan.\nThe Zhao people humorously called the bridge where he observed and practiced Xuebu Bridge, a name passed down for two thousand years.\nWe are all familiar with the story of "Reconciliation of the General and the Chancellor." The Huiche Lane (Turning-Around Lane) is said to be where Lin Xiangru, the senior minister of Zhao, once turned his carriage to yield the way to the general Lian Po during the Warring States period, hence the name "Lin Xiangru's Huiche Lane." Located in the southern section of Chuancheng Street in downtown Handan, it is about 75 meters long and 1.8 meters wide. It was renovated in 1981 with a stone pillar and stele pavilion.\nThe stele records the historical story of Lin Xiangru prioritizing national interest, repeatedly yielding the way to Lian Po, and striving for reconciliation between the general and the chancellor. I visited Handan once in 2018; at that time, this street was still a residential street, but now it has been rebuilt to tourist standards.\nHuiche Lane where Lin Xiangru turned his carriage to yield to Lian Po.\nLunch at the "Drawing Cakes to Satisfy Hunger" small eatery beside Huiche Lane: fried cake, fried bean sprouts, meatball soup—very special, delicious, and affordable.\nThe original Handan Museum was located opposite Congtai Park; now the new museum has moved to a new site, and the old one has become an art gallery. Handan Museum is a national first-class museum, featuring permanent exhibitions such as "Gandan Splendor—Handan Historical and Cultural Exhibition," "Entering the Capital of Idioms and Allusions," "Cizhou Kiln Porcelain Exhibition," "Handan Ancient Stone Carving Art Exhibition," and "Square World—Exhibition of Chinese Coins Through the Ages."\nCurrently, the annotation of Zhang Yan from the *Book of Han: Geography* is generally used to explain the origin of the name Handan. However, multiple theories coexist. Earlier, in the Shang dynasty, the name "Handan" originated from "Gandan." "Handan" (邯鄲) derived from "Gandan," meaning the region between "Gan" and "Dan." "Gan" was in present-day Linzhou City, and "Dan" in present-day Gaoping City. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, with the expansion of the Jin state and Zhao clan territories, the scope of "Gandan" evolved, leading to later Handan. The character "dan" (丹) evolved into "dan" (单) possibly to avoid the taboo of King Dan of Zhao. The earliest recorded appearance of the characters "Handan" in historical documents is in *Guoyu: Luyu* and *Chunqiu: Guliangzhuan*. Therefore, the Handan historical and cultural exhibition is called "Gandan Splendor."\nIn the central hall of Handan Museum, a group of bronze horse sculptures from the Zhao state stands.\nA statue of King Wuling of Zhao drawing a bow on horseback.\nBronze horses unearthed from the Warring States-period Zhao king's tomb.\nEastern Han silver-gilt wine vessel with a bird-shaped lid, entirely silver-plated with gilt decorations—this is the museum's treasure.\nEastern Han high-handled three-branch bronze lamp.\nHan dynasty phoenix-shaped bronze lamp.\nEastern Han graduated tianlu (mythical beast) stand bronze iron.\nWarring States plain duck-shaped pottery zun.\nWestern Jin "Marquis of Guanzhong" gold seal.\nVery distinctive stone carvings. Angry? Embarrassed? Smug?\nThe development of Buddhism in Yecheng began in the Sixteen Kingdoms period. With the successive establishment of capitals in Yecheng by Later Zhao, Ran Wei, and Former Yan, Buddhism gradually grew and flourished, and Buddhist sculpture art also developed. During the Northern Wei period, with the excavation of the Yungang and Longmen Grottoes, sculpture art further penetrated the folk, and a number of Northern Wei single statues appeared in Handan. During the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi periods, Buddhist sculpture art in Yecheng reached its peak, with the excavation of the Xiangtangshan Grottoes.\nThe Xiangtangshan Grottoes were first excavated during the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577 AD). They mainly represent the Buddhist sculpture art of the Northern Qi, the greatest artistic treasure left by the short-lived Northern Qi dynasty to later generations. The academic world praises Xiangtangshan's sculpture art as the "Northern Qi sculptural style." The grottoes are divided into northern and southern sections, about 15 km apart. Because the grottoes are situated on the mountainside, people's laughter, whispers, and movements produce resounding echoes, hence the name "Xiangtang" (Resounding Hall). The grottoes contain 16 caves, over 450 cliffside niches, more than 5,000 statues of various sizes, and a large number of carved scriptures and inscriptions. Xiangtangshan is the largest grotto discovered in Hebei Province, one of the first batch of national key cultural relic protection units announced by the State Council, a four-star forest park, and a national 4A scenic spot.\nThe facial expressions of the following Buddha statues are very interesting.\nLeaving Handan Museum, I went to the Huangliangmeng Lüxian Temple in the suburbs. Admission to the temple is 30 yuan, half price (15 yuan) for seniors aged 60-69, free for seniors aged 70 and above, and parking costs 10 yuan. I visited in 2018, and compared to last time, there were few changes.\nLüxian Temple is a Quanzhen Taoist temple based on the Tang dynasty legend *The Story of the Pillow*. It was first built in the early Northern Song dynasty, with the main structures dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is one of the largest and best-preserved Taoist temples in northern China.\nAbove is the mountain gate of Huangliangmeng Lüxian Temple, with a plaque reading "Handan Ancient Temple."\nThe screen wall below, inscribed with "Penglai Fairyland," is a Ming dynasty relic.\nAccording to folklore, this stone carving was made by an "immortal's brush." During the Jiajing reign of Ming, the court expanded the temple and prepared four green stones to invite a famous person to inscribe. Unexpectedly, a beggar came and daubed them with leftover vegetable juice using a broom. After the beggar was driven away, the words "Penglai Fairy" appeared on the stone, and people realized that Lü Dongbin (Lü Zu) had manifested. Since it was an "immortal's brush," no one dared to add the remaining character. It was not until the Qianlong Emperor of Qing, on his first southern tour, passed by the temple and added the character "jing" (境). The story is just a legend; its authenticity cannot be verified.\nThe Hall of Zhongli Quan, the Sovereign of Zhengyang. Zhongli Quan, commonly known as Han Zhongli, is one of the Eight Immortals of Taoism, a native of Xianyang, Jingzhao (now Shaanxi). Zhongli Quan was a general in the Five Dynasties period. After losing a battle against吐蕃 (Tibet), he lost his way in the deep mountains and met an immortal who gave him a red talisman and jade token, and he cultivated to become an immortal. Han Zhongli holds the highest status among the Eight Immortals, so his hall is placed first.\nThe Hall of Lü Dongbin, the Sovereign of Fuyou, enshrining Lü Dongbin. Lü Dongbin is said to be a Tang dynasty person. The Quanzhen sect of the Yuan dynasty regarded him as one of the "Five Northern Patriarchs," hence commonly called "Lü Zu." Because he was granted the title of Pure Yang Manifesting Governance and Enlightenment Sovereign of Fuyou, he is also called Lü Chunyang.\nThe Temple of Lu Sheng. Lu Sheng is the protagonist of the *Yellow Millet Dream*.\nLu Sheng is a character from the Tang dynasty legend *The Story of the Pillow*. After failing the imperial examinations repeatedly, he met a Daoist named Lü Weng (later said to be Lü Dongbin) at an inn in Handan. Lü gave him a ceramic pillow, and Lu Sheng had a dream in which he married a wealthy woman, passed the highest examinations, became a high official, enjoyed all human riches and honors, and lived to eighty before dying. When Lu Sheng woke up, the innkeeper's yellow millet was not yet cooked. Realizing that life is like a dream and one should not be misled by fame and fortune, he left home to pursue the Dao and eventually became an immortal.\nThe Lu Sheng Temple is a unique temple in China. Inside, a stone recumbent statue of Lu Sheng, made in the Ming dynasty, is said to cure illnesses when touched. It is unclear if the stone truly has miraculous effects or if it is psychological.\nThe Hall of the Moon Elder features the Two Immortals of Harmony and Unity.\nThe China Famous Dreams Hall displays famous dreams in Chinese history through murals.\nThe Zhuyun Pavilion at Lüxian Temple.\nFamous historical dreams displayed in the China Famous Dreams Hall include: Confucius Dreaming of the Duke of Zhou, Zhao Jianzi's Dream of Wandering in the Heavenly Music, Cao Zhi's Dream of the Luo River Goddess, The Golden Millet Dream, The Southern Branch Dream, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dreaming of Yang Guifei, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dreaming of Visiting the Moon Palace, Li Bai Dreaming of Mount Tianmu, Bao Zheng's Three Inquiries into the Butterfly Dream, and The Peony Pavilion (Dream Startling the Garden).\nThe lotus flowers in Congtai Park were in full bloom, very pleasing to the eye.\nLeaving Handan, heading to Xingtai.