5.5 kilometres east of the reservoir. Records show that Italian missionaries built this grand Catholic church in 1893 with 200,000 taels of silver from the Qing government’s war reparations. Its scale and exquisite craftsmanship were unmatched across the five provinces of Northwest China. Workers levelled a hillside covering nearly 100 mu and built seven interconnected courtyards, including a chapel, monastery, priests’ quarters, old people’s home and orphanage. The Roman-style complex featured basements, gardens, vineyards, ponds, gate towers and enclosing walls, with elaborately painted beams and resplendent decorations. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, National Northwestern Institute of Technology relocated here. Parts of the buildings collapsed or were demolished over time, and only two courtyards survive today. The church reopened to the public on April 23, 1981.

Nestled in low hills 1 kilometre west of the reservoir. First built in the Tang Dynasty under the name Jinshan Temple, it was later renamed Songshan Temple. Facing east, the temple sits on terrain shaped like a phoenix spreading one wing.

In July 1991, the CPC Chenggu County Committee and the county government erected this monument on Zhongzui Hill in the western reservoir area. Constructed of granite with marble balustrades, the monument stands 18 metres high and covers 784 square metres. Inscriptions from revolutionary leaders and central cadres are carved on all four sides.

A 559-character stele essay stands before the monument, eulogizing 153 revolutionary martyrs from Chenggu County. It praises their dedication to the revolutionary cause, selfless public service, perseverance and hard work. The monument serves as a lasting spiritual inspiration for local people to build socialism and a vivid venue for revolutionary tradition education.

According to ancient legend, the master carpenter Lu Ban and his apprentices competed in craftsmanship with a skilled elderly woman from Tianming. They agreed that the woman would weave 90 feet of cloth, make 90 garments and weave 90 pairs of straw sandals overnight, while Lu Ban would build three temples within the same night. The first temple was finished at moonrise and named Yueqi Temple (Moonrise Temple). The second was completed at cockcrow and named Jiming Temple (Cockcrow Temple). The third was erected at dawn and named Tianming Temple (Dawn Temple). The three temples formed a triangular layout and once drew crowds of worshippers. The buildings are gone now, but the ruins remain in Yueqi Village, Zhangping Village and Tianming Village of Tianming Township.

Beneath the hilltop stockade east of the reservoir management office lies a stone cave. Folktales say the cave widened outward and narrowed inward, with constant seepage. Every dawn, monks from Huilong Temple would collect several grains of gold at the cave mouth, enough to cover all expenses regardless of the number of monks. Later, a greedy new abbot ordered his disciples to dig a larger cave to get more gold. After expansion, no more gold appeared, a punishment for human greed.

In primordial times, the whole world was submerged under floods. To save all living creatures, the Jade Emperor of Heaven ordered a yellow dragon to descend to earth and prop up the land with its tough skin and scales for human farming and reproduction. Tired of endless toil and loneliness, the dragon turned ferocious and harmed mortal beings. The benevolent Goddess of the Earth, blessed with divine power, answered the Jade Emperor’s summons. After three days and nights of fierce fighting, she subdued the dragon. The Jade Emperor made the yellow dragon her mount to ensure it would never wreak havoc again. Morality Square was built in Nansha Lake Scenic Area in memory of the Goddess of the Earth. It is a place for people to offer sacrifices, carry forward traditional morality and promote fine Chinese virtues.