Yuhuang Pavilion 平罗玉皇阁

About Yuhuang Pavilion

Halls, galleries and upper pavilions create a dense roofscape, with the Eight Immortals Hall and Jade Emperor worship at its centre. Grey and glazed roof tiles also reflect different phases of building. It is distinct from the similarly named pavilion in central Yinchuan.

The site was a White Dragon Temple (白龙庙) built in the Ming Yongle era (永乐). After rain followed a severe drought in the early Guangxu era (光绪) of the Qing, local people credited prayers at the temple and rebuilt it as the Yuhuang Pavilion, adding an Eight Immortals Hall and a two-storey building. In 1934 forces of Ma Hongkui (马鸿逵) occupying the pavilion repelled an attack from Sun Dianying's (孙殿英) troops, and in 1939 Ma Hongkui had the complex expanded to commemorate the victory.

The complex stands on an earthen platform 98 metres long and 39 metres wide that rises from 1.6 metres at the south end to 10.2 metres at the north, with an overall height of 27 metres. Its main structures are a mountain-gate tower topped by a Guanyin Pavilion (观音阁), the Eight Immortals Hall, a two-storey building housing the Sanqing Hall (三清殿) and Doumu Palace (斗母宫), and a three-storey building at the rear linked to flanking pavilions by sky bridges.

The pavilion was listed as a Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region-Level Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected (宁夏回族自治区级重点文物保护单位) in 1963 and as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in 2013. After its 1939 expansion it hosted large temple fairs during the Qingming and Chongyang festivals.

What to look for

• Successive platforms create a rising sequence of halls and pavilions.
• Carved railings, roof details and contrasting tiles reward close inspection.

Location & getting there

Getting to Yuhuang Pavilion

Navigate to Yuhuang Pavilion on the west side of North Street in Pingluo county town. Use the southern visitor approach and check which upper levels are open; the historic layout includes substantial stairs.