Related attractions in Qu Yuan’s hometown

Qu Yuan’s hometown is Lepingli, Sanlu Commune, Zigui County, located on the north bank of the Yangtze River between Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge, 566 kilometers away from Chongqing. There are many places of interest and legends about Qu Yuan here. The ancients once collected them as "Eight Scenes" and wrote a poem with the names of the sceneries: "The bells are falling, the tigers are roaring from the sky, the drums are ringing, and the drums are beating on the rocks. The wells are cold and the treacherous men are brave." "Li Sao Cai comes out of the Reading Cave. The corn grows in the hills and the pearls drop in the water. The three villages are the best in Penglai." Go down from the Reading Cave and go up the Xianggu River to Wangzhai Mountain. In front of me, I saw the newly restored Quyuan Temple located on the hillside. There are two "dragon eyes" under the temple with spring water flowing all year round. There are three paddy fields near this spring, which are said to be the land where Qu Yuan worked hard and are known as the "Three Corn Hills". This legend has a long history. It can be seen in writings such as "Qu Yuan's Biography" by Shen Yazhi of the Tang Dynasty. Shen Yun: After Qu Yuan was exiled, he recited poems and plowed the fields. Every time he thought about the fate of the Chu Kingdom, he became worried and sad. "The place where I shed my tears produced white rice like jade."

When walking around the Three Corn Hills, you can find that the cattle here do not wear nose ropes, but they know how to turn when plowing. They are called Quyuan's sacred cattle. It is said that when Qu Yuan returned to his hometown from the capital of Chu State (today's suburb of Jiangling County, Hubei Province), the waiter picked up 7 bundles of bamboo slips describing the sufferings of the people. When he was approaching the door of his home, the rope that bound the bamboo slips broke. The old farmer was so enthusiastic that he took off the nose rope and gave it to him. From then on, the cattle here no longer need nose ropes. This has been the case for more than two thousand years. Of course, there is no such thing as a sacred cow in the world. It's just that the farmers in Qu Yuan's hometown had different methods of domesticating cattle. However, this legend also reflects the Zigui people's respect and memory for this great historical figure.