White Dragon Temple Scenic Area

White Dragon Temple Scenic Area is situated in Shangyu Township, Qibin District, Hebi City. According to legend, this place was where the white dragon bathed in ancient times, and it enjoys the laudatory name of "Nine Dragons Paying Homage to the Phoenix". The scenic area concentrates the finest works of nature and is famous for its mystery, wonder, renown and beauty. The mountains are green and forests lush, presenting extraordinary scenery. Historical relics can be found everywhere, and every step leads to a beautiful view. The landscape is picturesque all year round.

The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove once lived in seclusion at Bamboo Grove Temple in Bamboo Grove Village, composing poems and essays. Luo Guanzhong, the great literary master of the early Ming Dynasty, traveled around White Dragon Temple many times. He took this location as the prototype and adapted it into Chapter 44 of Water Margin: "Heroes of Liangshan Rob the Execution Ground; Heroes Gather Briefly at White Dragon Temple", which depicts the prosperous scene of White Dragon Temple in the Ming Dynasty in detail. Splendid historical and cultural heritage complements the graceful natural scenery, endowing mountains and rivers here with legendary charm and vitality. Integrating beautiful natural landscapes and primitive cultural sites, it is an ideal destination for folk custom and leisure tourism.

The cave stretches from the mountain summit all the way down to the Qi River. It is winding and deep with many branching caverns inside. Some narrow passages only allow one person to squeeze sideways through, while wider sections suddenly open up. Walking through the cave feels like wandering in fairyland. It forms a unique landscape combining rivers, pools, mountains, forests and grottoes.

Standing on the bank of the Qi River, White Dragon Temple is a key scenic spot along the Qi River Cultural Ecotourism Belt. First built in the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated repeatedly in subsequent dynasties, with events recorded on stone steles. Covering about 600 square metres, the temple complex consists of the mountain gate, multi-storey pavilion, main hall, worship hall and side rooms. It has been listed as a district-level cultural relic protection unit. Nearby attractions include White Dragon Waterfall, White Dragon Pool and White Dragon Cave, making this a perfect spot for spiritual relaxation and health recuperation.

The waterfall lies north of the village, right below a river dam that forms a wide reservoir covering 150,000 square metres. During rainy seasons, torrential water from the Qi River surges over the dam, creating a spectacular cascade with splashing sprays like flying pearls and jade.

The opera stage stands directly in front of the temple. It was originally constructed on the flat ground south of the temple in the 14th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1416), facing the main gate. Its foundation is built of bluestone, with a total width of 6.2 metres and a depth of 8.6 metres. The stage is divided into front performing area and backstage. The front has a curved roof, while the back is designed with a gable roof; the two roof sections are connected. The eave of the front roof is partially damaged, and four stone pillars support the eaves.

Four couplets are carved on the stone pillars:

This opera stage has been designated a district-level protected cultural relic.

Thunder Beach is located right below the dam, covered with boulders of all sizes. When the turbulent current of the Qi River rushes across the beach in rainy seasons, the roaring sound is just like thunder. The current alternates rapidly between fast and slow. The beach is scattered with grotesque rocks in vivid shapes. Legend holds that this was the dwelling place of the white dragon.

These glacial potholes are irregular in shape: circular, sub-circular, oval and petal-shaped, varying greatly in size and depth. According to field surveys, there are 41 potholes with a diameter over one metre, plus more than a thousand smaller ones below one metre across. Their depth ranges from half a metre to five metres. Some have fantastic nested structures with one hollow inside another, presenting an amazing sight.

Professor Han Tonglin, a leading national expert on glacial potholes from the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and the China Quaternary Glacier Exhibition Hall, points out that most discovered pothole clusters form on erosion-resistant granite due to special geological conditions. Limestone is highly vulnerable to weathering, so forming potholes in limestone is extremely difficult. The Qi River pothole group develops directly on limestone bedrock, marking the first discovery of such a formation in China.