Guide County overview 贵德

About Guide County

The Jade Emperor Pavilion complex gives a compact architectural focus, while the river explains why settlement and cultivation developed here. Some old-town gates and towers are reconstructions, so the current streetscape should be read as a mixture of surviving fabric and later restoration.

The county town's earthen walls and buildings were built between 1375 and 1380 and enlarged in 1590. After the founding of the People's Republic, the moats were filled in and the north and south gates, along with their towers, were pulled down; restoration of the gates and towers began in 2010.

Within the town, the Jade Emperor Pavilion group (玉皇阁), comprising a Confucian temple (文庙), the Guanyue Temple (关岳庙) and the Wanshou Temple or Jade Emperor Pavilion itself (万寿观), was originally built in the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty. It was destroyed amid military disturbance in the sixth year of the Tongzhi era, and was rebuilt in the second year of the Republic of China (1912). Guide is also known within Qinghai as a fruit-producing county, particularly for pear cultivation, owing to its relatively mild climate; the Laxiwa Dam in the county is also the largest hydropower station on the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

What to look for

• The Yellow River valley contrasts with the surrounding hills.
• The Jade Emperor Pavilion complex adds a historic architectural stop.
• Orchards and the county town reveal the valley’s agricultural character.

Location & getting there

Getting to Guide County

Use Heyin town, the Guide county seat, as the arrival base. The Jade Emperor Pavilion and the national geopark are different destinations; arrange a separate road connection for the geological area.