White Emperor City – “City of Poems” on Yangtze River

White Emperor City (白帝城) or Baidicheng is well-known for the story of Liu Bei (刘备) entrusting his sons to Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮), and is a very popular shore excursion for Yangtze River cruise travellers home and abroad. Situated on Baidi Hill at the west mouth of Qutang Gorge in the east Fengjie County in Chongqing, Baidi Cheng has long been a place of conflict in ancient China. Besides the famous historical event of Liu Bei, visitors can also enjoy other excellent painting and calligraphic to marvel at the brilliant culture in China, hear many interesting things happened in the past dynasties, know about the folk custom of hanging coffins and so forth. More importantly, White Emperor City is the best place to appreciate the Kui Gate, which is the mouth of Qutang Gorge of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze. The magnificent view of Kui Gate has also been captured on one side of the 10 RMB note. Bring one with you for a nice selfie to remember the beautiful moment!

Since according to the historical records, a lot of celebrities during ancient times have paid visits to the White Emperor City and left a large number of praised poems, this place is also reputed as “City of Poems”. And now, you can spend some hours there to enjoy the academic atmosphere and the natural landscapes.

White Emperor City was firstly called Ziyang City, and during the late West Han Dynasty, Gongsun Shu (公孙述) with ambition set up his separatist regime in Sichuan. After he came to the mouth of Qutang Gorge, he saw the white fog like a dragon flying up to the sky rising from a well there. Then, he built the city and called himself “White Emperor” and named the city “White Emperor City”. Later for the conflicts between small countries, White Emperor City was destroyed.

In 222 AD, Liu Bei who was the first king of Shu Kingdom, retreated in Baidi Cheng when attacking the Wu Kingdom, before he died there, he entrusted his whole country and two sons to his trusted prime minister Zhuge Liang. For nearly 2,000 years, White Emperor City has experienced a lot of changes and rebuilding, and at present, it is a place to know the inspiring history and admire the famous people in the ancient times.

Tuogu Hall (托孤堂) or Entrusting Orphan Hall is the most attractive place at White Emperor City. There you could see the vivid imitating scene of Liu Bei entrusting his son and whole country to his prime minister Zhuge Liang. The history has it that Liu Bei, the first king of the Shu Kingdom was defeated by the Wu Kingdome and retreated to White Emperor City. Since he became ill severely but his son named Liu Chan was too young to take over the state, he eagerly called Zhuge Liang to Baidi Cheng and entrusted Liu Chan and the whole country to Zhuge before his death. Later Zhuge didn’t rule the country as his own but educated and assisted Liu Chan sincerely, hoping his taking charge of the whole country from his father. That touching and famous story was told by generations of people and Zhuge Liang is always reputed with his loyalty and integrity.

Mingliang Palace

Mingliang Palace (明良殿) was originally built for memorizing Gongsun Shu who had brought good and peaceful life to local people during the chaos years. However, till the Ming dynasty, it turned to be the shrine for Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang. There in the spacious hall, you can see the colorful statues of those three historical celebrities in Shu Kingdom. However, during the Cultural Revolution period, the statue head parts of the four people were all destroyed, while those of the four eunuchs were kept well due to their exploited class. And during your visit in this palace, you could find the facial expressions of the four eunuchs are much lifelike that those of the four great persons, which tells the super outstanding carving skills of ancient Chinese people.

Guanxing Pavilion

Guanxing Pavilion (观星亭) or Observing Star Pavilion is at the yard outside of the Tuogu Hall, also in front of the Wuhou Temple at White Emperor City. Constructed with 6 cornices and 12 pillars, the pavilion looks extraordinary and imposing. According to the legend, When Zhuge Liang lead the army into Sichuan region, he usually observed the star image to figure out the strategy for using the military force. That’s why the pavilion got the name.

Stele Forest

In the two stele forests at White Emperor City, you could stroll to appreciate over 70 outstanding works of various calligraphic scripts. And among them, the most famous two are from the Sui dynasty, having a long history of more than 1,300 years. Besides, there are two extremely excellent steles. One is the poem from Tang dynasty hand written by the Emperor Kangxi (康熙) of Qing dynasty; another is a poem carving but looks like a painting of bamboos from afar. All those great works show the brilliant culture and high standard skills of Chinese people in the past centuries.

View of Kui Gate

It is regret if you visit White Emperor City but fail to see the Kui Gate (夔门). Situated at the mouth of Qutang Gorge, it is the best viewing place for appreciate the magnificent scenery of this gate. Besides, since on the back of the Chinese note of 10 RMB is the image of Kui Gate, you can take out it to have a picture of the real one with the image on the note.

2. Attractions nearby: Boosting stunning natural scenery of the Qutang Gorge and propserous culture background of ancient Chinese poetry and literature, Fengjie has more things to offer other than the White Emperor City.
♦ Three Gorge Summit (三峡之巅), also known as The Peak of Three Gorges or The Summit of Three Gorges, the significant symbol of the Three Gorges near the Kui gate, with an altitude of 1388 meters, is optimum for taking a panoramic view of the Yangtze River. Discover more >>
♦ The Poetic Trail (诗意栈道) is located on Chijia Mountain (赤甲山) and is about 2 kilometres long from Chijia Tower (赤甲楼) to Qutang Terrace (瞿塘台), which is suitable for leisure hiking. In late autumn, the hills are adorned with red leaves, raising picturesque views on both sides of the river. Occasional sightings of wild monkeys can be enjoyed on the way to the Ancient Fortress (古炮台).

— Chongqing(重庆) is known as the most essential starting point for a classic Yangtze River cruise. The city has gained international recognition in recent years for its unique tridimensional cityscape, 8D transportation system, and cyberpunk-style buildings and architecture, which have attracted a growing number of tourists to the city. Usually, a leisure landscape tour in Chongqing city requires 2~3 days. It’s recommended that you extend your journey to the surrounding UNESCO heritage sites like Wulong - the famous Karst Landscape in blockbuster Transformers (1-2 days) and Dazu - the last monumental works in the history of world grottoes art (1 day).

☛ 4 Days Chongqing Essence Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

Useful Links: 1~3 Days Chongqing Tours 2025 | How to Plan a Chongqing Tour >>

— Chengdu(成都), a 1~1.5-hour high-speed train from Chongqing, is known as the hometown of the Giant Pandas and  UNESCO’s City of Gastronomy. Take 1~2 days to meet these cuties and keep yourself in the “laid-back” living pace like a local while wandering around parks, museums, ancient pedestrian streets, and temples in the downtown area, you will probably understand why people say Chengdu is a city you don't want to leave. Moreover, Chengdu is the gateway to so many UNESCO world heritage sites, including Jiuzhaigou (3 days), Mount Emei (2 days), Leshan Giant Buddha (1 day), Dujiangyan (0.5-1 day), etc., and astonishing hidden plateau - Western Sichuan (3~7 days).

☛ 8 Days Best of Sichuan with Yangtze Cruise Tour (with Chengdu/Emeishan/Leshan)
☛ 8 Days Beauty Tour to Jiuzhaigou & Yangtze River

Useful Links: 1~7 Days Chengdu Tours 2025 | Top Sichuan Tours 2025 | How to Plan a Chengdu Tour >>

— Zhangjiajie(张家界), a 4.5-hour two-train transfer from Yichang, offers the most distinct and iconic landscape of the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. Let along adrenalin-pumping Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge and frightening skywalks and sharp zigzag driving roads at Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, the uncanny natural wonders in Zhangjiajie (3~5 Days) attracting countless adventurers and travel addicts from all over the world!

☛ 7 Days Nature Tour to Yangtze River & Zhangjiajie

Useful Links: 3~5 Days Zhangjiajie Tours 2025 | How to Plan a Zhangjiajie Tour >>

— Guilin(桂林), located 4-5 hours away by high-speed train from Chongqing, is renowned for its breathtaking scenery, making it a must-visit destination in China. Generally, Li River, Yangshuo County, and Longji Rice Terraces are the three most popular and separate destinations.  For most travelers to Guilin, 3-5 days is enough to cover the highlights by using a private car. 

☛ 7 Days Idyllic Guilin & Yangtze River Cruise Tour

Useful Links: 3~5 Days Guilin Tours 2025 | How to Plan a Guilin Tour >>

Guests who are visiting China for the first time probably would choose Beijing (the capital of China, recommended travel days: 3~4 days), Shanghai (the largest and most developed and populated city of China, recommended travel days: 2~4 days), Guangzhou (the third biggest city in China, recommended travel days: 2~3 days) or Hong Kong (a convenient transit hub with mainland China, recommended travel days: 2~3 days) as their first stop, as all these four destinations process excellent infrastructure and multi-dimensional transportation networks connecting the whole of China. How to arrange your travel route? Our top-pick China Yangtze Tour itineraries may bring you some inspiration!

☛ (Beijing/Xian/Chongqing/Yangtze Cruise/Yichang/Shanghai) 11 Days China Golden Triangle Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

☛ (Beijing/Xian/Chengdu/Yangtze Cruise/Zhangjiajie/Shanghai) 15 Days China Best Treasure Tour with Yangtze Cruise & Zhangjiajie Landscape

☛ (Hong Kong/Guilin/Chengdu/Chongqing/Yangtze Cruise/Yichang/Shanghai) 12 Days China Splendid Tour from Hong Kong

☛ (Shanghai/Yichang/Yangtze Cruise/Chongqing/Chengdu/Lhasa/Xian/Beijing) 17 Days China Yangtze Tour with Tibet & Giant Panda Visit

☛ (Hong Kong/Guilin/Chengdu/Yangtze Cruise/Zhangjiajie/Shanghai/Xian/Beijing) 21 Days China Holiday with Yangtze River Cruise Tour

Useful Links: Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Beijing | Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Shanghai | Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Hong Kong >>

Check more details about 2025 Top China Yangtze Tours >>