Guangyuan

Guangyuan (广元; Gǔangyúan) is a city in northeastern Sichuan province. It is on the main route to Shaanxi.

Sculpture in Guangyuan

Understand

History

Guangyuan, with a long history and rich culture, is one of the important birthplaces of the Ba Shu civilization and created the Neutronic Fine Stoneware Culture more than 7000 years ago. It has a history of more than 2,300 years since the founding of the city, and is the centralized exhibition place of the pre-Qin ancient palisade culture and Shu Road culture, and the core corridor of the Three Kingdoms' history and culture. It is the birthplace of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history.

Topography

Guangyuan City is in the northern edge of Sichuan, the mountains to the basin transition zone, Motianling, Micangshan east-west across the city north, respectively, for the Sichuan-Gansu, Sichuan-Shaanxi border mountain; Longmen Mountain north-east of a south-south-west slanting inserted into the city's west; the city south of the north by the Jianshenshan, Dabanshan and other northern arc of the Sichuan mountain range covers a wide range. Terrain from north to southeast tilt, the ridge relative height difference of more than 3,200 meters. Motianling ridge elevation from the western end of the highest point of 3837 meters to the east down to 2784 meters, to the south is a sharp drop to 800 meters. Longmen Mountain receives Motianling resides in the whole Qingchuan and the western part of Lizhou District.

Climate

Guangyuan City belongs to the subtropical humid monsoon climate; located in the southern foothills of the Qinling Mountains, is the transition zone between the north and the south, both the south of the humid climate characteristics, but also the north of the sky high clouds, bright sunshine characteristics. In the low mountains in the south, it is cold in winter and hot in summer; in the middle mountains in the north, it is cold in winter and cool in summer, and cools down rapidly in fall. The average annual temperature is 16.1℃, 26.1℃ in July and 4.9℃ in January. The annual rainfall is 800-1000 millimeters, the number of sunshine is 1300-1400 hours, the frost-free period is 220-260 days, and the four seasons are clear, which is suitable for the biological prosperity. However, natural disasters, especially droughts and floods, are frequent.

Get in

The Chengdu to Xi'an high-speed rail has a stop in Guangyuan. The standard sleeper trains also stop here.

The long distance bus stop is underneath the plaza directly in front of the train station. Same-day tickets are available to regional centers.

• 1 Guangyuan Railway Station (广元站), Jinlun North Road, Lizhou District, ☏ +86 0839 12306. (updated Oct 2023)
• 2 Guangyuannan Railway Station (广元南站), West Lizhou Road, Hexi Street, Lizhou District, ☏ +86 0839 12306. (updated Oct 2023)

Get around

The train station is walking distance from the commercial center - cross the bridge and head south for a few minutes.

See

• 1 Ancient Town of Zhaohua (昭化古城), Zhaohua District, ☏ +86 839 8310270. Claimed to be the best preserved ancient town from the Three Kingdoms period. ¥52. (updated Dec 2017)
• 2 Jueyuan Temple (觉苑寺), Jueyuan street Jiange County Xiwulian Township. Jueyuan Temple was first built in the Tang Dynasty during the reign of Zhenguan, named Hongji Temple, and was given the name Jueyuan Temple during the reign of Yuanfeng in the Song Dynasty. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, part of the temple was destroyed. In 1457, the monk Jingzhi and his disciple Daofang came here to rebuild the temple, remodel the statue of Buddha, and paint the Buddhist scriptures on the four walls of the Maharajah's Hall, renaming it as the Puji Temple; and the temple was repaired and renamed the Jueyuan Temple in 1662. ¥10. (updated Nov 2023)
• 3 Huangze Temple Cliff Statue (皇泽寺摩崖造像), No.97, Huangze Road, Lizhou District. Huangze temple cliff statue was first chiseled in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, through the Northern Zhou, Sui, the early Tang Dynasty, the Sheng Tang Dynasty continued to carve, to the middle Tang Dynasty tended to decline, lasted more than 300 years. The highest place of Huangze Temple is the Big Buddha Building, under which is the Zetian Hall, and there are also Xiao Nanhai, Wangjiang Pavilion, Five Buddha Pavilion, Lvzu Pavilion and other buildings. ¥50. (updated Nov 2023)
• 4 Thousand-Buddha cliff statue (千佛崖摩崖造像), National Highway 108. Thousand-Buddha cliff statue, the total length of 388.8 meters, the cliff top height of 84 meters, the highest niche from the ground 45.5 meters, niches for multi-level arrangement, up to 13 layers, the existing 54 caves, 819 niches, the size of the statue of more than 7,000 carcasses. Covering an area of 7800 square meters, building area of 480 square meters. ¥50. (updated Nov 2023)
• 5 Jianmen Pass Scenic Area (剑门关风景区), No. 64, Hedong Street, Jiange County, ☏ +86 839 6750978. 8:00~16:30. Jianmen Pass resides in the interruption of the Great Sword Mountain, both sides of the cliffs, straight into the clouds, the peaks leaning sky like a sword, the cliffs break away from the two walls relative to each other, the shape of the door like, so it is called "Jianmen", "the world's most majestic pass," the name. Jianmen Pass Scenic Area consists of two neighboring scenic spots, Jianmen Pass and Cuiyun Lang. ¥105. (updated Dec 2023)
• 6 Guangyuan Museum (广元市博物馆), No. 586, Wenhua Road, Lizhou District, ☏ +86 839 3315559. 9:00~16:30. Guangyuan Museum display content set three exhibition halls 11 units, each exhibition hall highlights a theme. The first exhibition hall for the history exhibition hall, the second exhibition hall for painting and calligraphy exhibition hall, the third exhibition hall for the intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall. (updated Dec 2023)

Buy

• 1 Wanda piazza (广元万达广场), Wan Yuan No. 3 Road, Lizhou District. 9：00-21：00. (updated Dec 2023)

Eat

• 1 Tengji Vegetable Market Old Hot Pot (誊记菜市场老火锅), Wanda Plaza Guangyuan Lizhou Store, ☏ +86 839 3380777. 10:00~24:00. (updated Nov 2023)
• 2 Yingkesong Fresh Fish Restaurant (迎客松鲜鱼庄), NO.54 Lizhou east Road, ☏ +86 839 3363999. 10:00~22:00. (updated Nov 2023)
• 3 Nan Hotpot (楠火锅), Fazhi Plaza, Yinguo Road, Lizhou District, ☏ +86 18090268899. 10:30~02:00. (updated Dec 2023)

Sleep

• 1 Paibaiyun Hotel (派柏芸酒店), 1F, No.18, Building B, Section 1, Lizhou West Road, Lizhou District, ☏ +86 839 3508666. Check-in: After 12:00, check-out: Before 12:00. (updated Nov 2023)
• 2 Guangyuan Queen Hot Spring Hotel (广元女皇温泉酒店), 500 meters southeast of Gongnong Township People's Government on National Highway 108, ☏ +86 839 5571999. Check-in: After 14:00, check-out: Before 13:00. (updated Dec 2023)
• 3 Lavande Hotel (麗枫酒店), 416, Section 3, East Li Zhou Road, ☏ +86 839 3219555. Check-in: After 14:00, check-out: Before 12:00. (updated Dec 2023)

Learn

• 1 Sichuan Vocational College of Information Technolog (四川信息职业技术学院), NO.307 Benyue Road, ☏ +86 839 3350106. Sichuan Vocational College of Information Technolog is subordinate to the Sichuan Provincial Department of Economy and Informatization, which was founded in 1976 as Guangyuan Radio Technical School, and established as Sichuan Electronic Industry School in 1994. (updated Dec 2023)

Connect

• Area code: 0839
• Postal code：628017

Go next

• Chengdu is about 3 hours away on high speed rail
• Langzhong is just two railway stops to the south
• If you are heading north, Hanzhong is a scenic bus trip about 2 hours away