Handan Wa Palace Scenic Spot Travel Guide

Shexian County

Scenic spot introduction:

The Wa Palace is the largest and earliest ancient building in my country dedicated to the ancient goddess Nuwa. It is another palace built by Gao Yang, Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi Dynasty, who traveled from Yecheng to Jinyang. According to legend, this is the place where "Nu Wa made stones to mend the sky and kneaded earth to create humans." The local area uses 9 numbers to vividly summarize the characteristics of the Wa Palace: 1 hanging tower, 2 religions, 3 grottoes, and 4 groups of ancient buildings. , 5 kinds of engraved scriptures, 6 scriptures, 7 statues, 8 great achievements, 9 iron ropes. Today, most of the buildings in the scenic area date from the Ming and Qing dynasties, while only the grottoes and cliff-engraved scriptures remain from the Northern Qi Dynasty. It is the earliest and largest extant cliff-engraved scripture in China and can be called a treasure for studying Buddhism and Northern Qi culture.

Attractions distribution:

Wa Palace is located in Zhonghuang Mountain, Suobao Town, Shexian County, Handan City, Hebei Province, 6 kilometers away from the county seat. The scenic spot is located on the Neolithic Age site 10,000 years ago, covering an area of 5 square kilometers. It consists of five parts: the entrance area, Butian Garden, Butian Lake, Wa Palace and Butian Valley. There are existing Northern Qi stone carvings, Tang Dynasty inscriptions, There are ancient ruins such as brick walls from the Song Dynasty and buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as natural landscapes such as woodlands, valleys, gardens, and water systems. Among them, the cliff carvings of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the main building Wahuang Pavilion, and the Nuwa Festival are the three essences of the scenic spot. They are famous in the country for the honors of "the best wall scripture group in the world", "living building and hanging temple", and "national intangible cultural heritage" respectively. In addition, it is an important base for studying our country’s ancestral culture.

Scenic spot qualifications:

National 5A-level scenic spot, national key cultural relic protection unit

Scenic spot features:

Cliff carvings, peculiar ancient buildings, beautiful legends, religious monuments

Scenic spot map:

Scenic spot map

Transportation

Scenic spot location:

China>Hebei Province>Handan City>Shexian County

How to get there:

The Wa Palace is located in Shexian County, Handan. By car, you can get off at the Handan North Exit of the Beijing-Shenzhen Expressway, go west along National Highway 309 to Shexian County, then go northwest along Shezuo Kilometer, and go eastward up the mountain to Suobao Town. You can also take a long-distance bus from Handan to Shexian or Changzhi or take a train.

Scenic area map:

Click to expand the scenic area map

Tickets

Wa Palace ticket prices:

Adult ticket: 80 yuan, and you can enjoy a 15-20 yuan discount when booking online.

Discount ticket: 40 yuan

Scenic area opening hours:

8:00 – 17:00

Travel Tips

travelling guideline:

Every year from the first day of the third lunar month to the eighteenth day of the third lunar month, it is the birthday of Nuwa and the day of the Nuwa Festival. At this time, people from many places across the country and overseas Chinese came to worship the ancestor of the Chinese people. It is the largest, earliest and most influential historical and cultural relic in China to worship Nuwa. It is known as the "ancestor of the Chinese nation". Temple" is one of the most sacred places for ancestor worship in the country.