Red Cliff is a 2009 film by John Woo that has already become a massive box-office hit in China. It focuses on the decisive battle during the Three Kingdoms era, a period of China’s long history that was romanticized in Romance of the The Kingdoms. This epic tale is one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, and nearly every Chinese home possesses a copy. For those who want to visit the locations that are relevant to the story, here is a short guide.

Wuhou Memorial Temple – a site in Chengdu that commemorates Zhuge Liang, the virtuous wuhou (premier) of the Kingdom of Shu, one of the three aforementioned kingdoms. Like many Chinese temples, this memorial is constructed along the north-south axis, with the main entrance facing south. 5 main buildings cover a huge area of around 37,000 square meters: the Front Gate, Second Gate, Zhuge Liang’s Hall,  Liu Bei’s Hall (Liu Bei was the emperor of Shu) and Liu Bei’s Tomb. There is also the Three Wonders Tablet, so-named because of its fine examples of calligraphy, carving and poetry. Visitors can fly to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, then take Bus No. 11 from Renmin Nan Lu.

Three Kingdoms City – located in th suburbs of Wuxi City, this 35-hectare area served as the setting for the TV drama Three Kingdoms. Several buildings were constructed here for shooting purposes, and are now popular attractions. These include the King of Wu’s Palace, Ganlu Temple and Seven Star Altar. On each side of the gate of King of Wu’s Palace stand 21-meter tall Quelou Towers, the highest structures in the city. Other interesting spots are the Peach Garden, the Eight Digrams Formation, and the Horse Race Course. Tourists can take a 90-minute train ride from Shanghai to Wuxi City, then ride bus Route 820 directly to the scenic area.

Tomb of Cao Cao – recently discovered by archeologists in Xigaoxue Village, Hunan Province, near Anyang, this site is suspected to be the final resting place of Cao Cao, one of the warlords involved in the Battle of Red Cliffs. Cao Cao is a renowned general and poet, though in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms he is portrayed as a cruel tyrant. Authorities plan to construct a cultural relic park around the 740-square meter tomb to boost the local economy; there are already makeshift stands where enterprising villagers sell souvenirs such as photo services and calligraphy of the warlord’s poetry. There are 5 high-speed trains which run between daily Beijing and Anyang.

Red Cliff - the widely accepted site of the famous battle, near Chibi City, Hubei. Here, the allied forces of the warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei defeated the soldiers of Cao Cao, frustating his attempts to conquer the lands south of the Yangtze River. At a critical moment, Cao Cao’s boats were set on fire, which turned the cliffs at the river’s southern banks red, giving rise to the name of the location. A large inscription, which has existed for 1,000 years, marks the site along the river. The Chi Bi battlefield is located  40 kilometers from downtown Chibi City. Nearby Nanping Mountain is also the site of Baifengtai (Platform for Worshipping the Wind), where Zhuge Liang prayed to the winds to direct of fire against Cao Cao’s ships; on the right side of Baifengtai is the Chibi Stele Corridor, where 25 steles are written with poems celebrating the victory. Visitors can take the bus to Hongji passenger station in Chibi City, after which they can reach the ancient sites by taxi.

Posted in Attractions, China

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 6:26 am and is filed under Attractions, China. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.