Park of China
Overview
| Designation | National Park of China (eighth batch) |
| Province | Hebei |
| Name | Wahuang Palace |
| Highlights | Nuwa worship, cliff-side old buildings, Northern Qi sutra carvings |
| Top sights | Wahuanggong, cliff-face sutra carvings, Qingquan Temple, Phoenix Mountain |
| Location | Suobao Town, She County, Handan, Hebei |
| Nearby cities | Taiyuan, Zhengzhou, Shijiazhuang, Luoyang |
| Nearby sites | Yin Xu, Anyang 72km, Baquan Gorge 75km, Wangmang Ridge 107km, Baligou Scenic Area 115km, Ancient City of Pingyao 150km Search nearby |
| Mountains | Taihang Mountains |
| Latitude, longitude | 36.62, 113.72 Google Maps |
| Themes | Temple, Ancient Building, Inscription, Cliff, Cable Car |
About
Wahuang Palace (娲皇宫风景名胜区) is a national park of China (eighth batch, designated by the State Council in 2012), located in Suobao Town, She County, Handan, Hebei.
The scenic area lies in Suobao Town, northwest of She County in Handan, and centres on Wahuanggong, a temple complex built against the cliff halfway up Phoenix Mountain. It honours the goddess Nuwa, who in local tradition mended the sky here.
The main buildings date from the Northern Qi and were repaired through the dynasties; they include the mountain gate, Guangsheng Palace, Shuzhuang Tower and the Wahuang Pavilion, about 23 m high and held to the cliff by iron chains. Nearby cliff-face sutra carvings, also from the Northern Qi, are among the largest in China. A large temple fair is held from the first to the eighteenth day of the third lunar month.
Other places in China also honour Nuwa, such as Xihua in Henan and Qin'an in Gansu; the Wahuanggong in She County is the largest ancient complex of its kind.
Travel tips
About two hours from Handan city to She County, then half an hour to the site. There are steps and a cableway up the hillside; allow two to three hours. Spring and autumn are suitable; the temple fair draws crowds.
Photo credits: Wahuang Palace built into the cliff, She County, Hebei: Anagoria (CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Yin Xu, Anyang 72km, Ancient City of Pingyao 150km, The Old City of Luoyang in Han and Wei Dynasties 234km, Shaolin Temple 245km |
| National parks | Xiangtangshan Grottoes 47km, Taihang Grand Canyon 58km, Mount Linlü 58km, White Cloud Cave, Mount Kong 64km |
| Detailed guides | Wangmang Ridge 107km |
| AAAAA attractions | Red Flag Canal and Taihang Grand Canyon Tourist Area 30km, Baquan Gorge 75km, Yin Ruins 77km, Guangfu Ancient City Scenic Area 91km |
| AAAA attractions | Site of the 129th Division Headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, Shexian 9km, Licheng Huangyadong Culture Tourism Area 31km, Wu’an Chaoyanggou 34km, Wu’an Jingniang Lake Scenic Area 36km |
| Historic cities | Handan 69km, Anyang 81km |
| Historical sites | Mountain Gate of Chengtang Temple 2km, Site of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Border Region Government 9km, Site of the Eighth Route Army 129th Division Headquarters 9km, Wahuang Palace and Stone Carvings 10km |
| National geoparks | Hongqiqu-Linlüshan National Geopark 29km, Wu'an National Geopark 43km, Yushe Paleontological Fossil National Geopark 95km, Lincheng National Geopark 115km |
| Nature reserves | Qingyazhai National Nature Reserve 39km, Lingkongshan National Nature Reserve 141km |
| Historic towns | Guxin Town 16km, Yetao Town 19km, Boyan Town 41km, Dashe Town 47km |
| Historic villages | Shilidian Village 20km, Xiazhuang Village 29km, Beichakou Village 30km, Dongzhuang Village 31km |