Sima Qian - Sima Qian Temple

Sima Qian Temple provides you an ideal location to enjoy the marvelous scenes of great rivers and mountains and some great historical sites of China.Originally built in the Yongjia 4th year of Western Jin (310), Sima Qian Temple is located on the escarpment of Hanyi Slope in Zhichuan County, ten kilometers south of Hancheng city. In February 1982, it was listed as the National Important Preserved Culture Units by the Chiese State Department.

 

Sima Qian Temple has a really ideal location as it learns close to the mountain, and surrounded by mountains and rivers. From its top, you can see the Yellow River to the east, lofty Mt. Liang to the west, the ancient Great Wall of Wei to the south, and the River Zhi to the north. The spectacular natural surroundings and beautiful views reflect the builder's nobe-minded personality and outstanding achievements.

 

Sima Qian

 

Sima Qian, a famous historiographer and litterateur, was born in Xiayang in the Western Han Dynasty. He wrote Shi Ji (the record of the Great Historian), which has 130 articles and more than 520,000 characters. It was the first general history in China, and it has far-reaching infuence on the development of the historiography and literary in later ages.

 

Mr. Lu Xun who is a famous contemporary Chinese writer, had highly praised Shi Ji as the peak of poetic perfection in historiography, and rhymeless Li Sao (The Poem on Departure). After the death of Sima Qian, he was buried in his hometown, with the tomb facing the Yellow River on the east, and learning against Liangshan Mountain on the west. The Jushui River rushes down to the north directly, and the Zhishui River surges eastwards. The two rivers both empty into the Yellow River.

 

Must see

 

Xian Palace(Xian Dian)

Xian Palace is a place for obeisance and sacrifice. It is the first part of the Sima Qian Temple where you can find many stone steles of the Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties inscribed with poems praising Sima Qian. These poems are delicate and refined, and the writings are bold and graceful.

 

Qing Gong (Memorial Hall)

Qing Gong (Memorial Hall) is behind the Xian Palace, which was set up in the Xuanghe 7th year of the North Song Dynasty (1125). There is a vivid sitting statue of Sima Qian, which has a serious and lofty quality.

 

Sima Qian Tomb

Built in the Western Jin (310), it is a brick tomb and still well preserved. Sima Qian Tomb is 2.15 meters high, with a girth of about 13 meters, and features 16 patterns of the Eight Diagrams and flowers. Above the tomb an old cypress spreads its dense branches like a vigorous dragon.