Town of Yehenara
The Town of Yehenara, which sits on a mountain to the east of the Zhuanshanhu Reservoir, was the birthplace of Empress Xiaocigao and an ancestral home of the Empress Dowager Cixi, giving it the name, "Home of empresses". There was an original town that was destroyed by Nurhaci during his last assault on the Yehe tribe in 1619, and the ancient town was never rebuilt in its original site, 10 kilometers from the current one and the land was used for farming, with only a mound of earth remaining to show the original site. The town we visit now was built in June 1994 in the style of an old castle, with the work being completed the following year, on a 10,000-square-meter space with a construction area of 7,000 square meters, and at a cost of 7 million yuan. There was a TV series, the Princess Yehenara, filmed here in 1998 for the outdoor scenes, giving it the nickname Film City.
The retro-antique town does have beautiful scenery, facing the reservoir on three sides, and with air that is refreshing. The Chinese pines on the plots of land are dark green and symbolize longevity and tranquility and make it an auspicious place to visit. The lake there became a reservoir for drinking water for the city of Siping, but the vegetation has been kept intact leaving a green mountains and clear water.
This is a site of Manchu culture with a beautiful landscape and an AAA scenic spot and key cultural unit under State protection. It is also a place where students from Jilin Normal University can learn about Manchu culture.
