Baidi (白帝), also called Baidi City or Yong’an, was a fortress city on the upper Yangtze River controlling the approach from eastern Shu into the Sichuan Basin. Perched on a steep hill above the river, it formed a natural strongpoint and way-station on the route between Jing Province and the Shu heartland.
After his catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Yiling in 222, Liu Bei withdrew upriver and made Baidi his base while he recovered his strength. There, in the spring of 223, he fell mortally ill. He summoned Zhuge Liang from Chengdu and, in the famous ‘Entrusting the Orphan at Baidi’ (白帝托孤) scene, charged him with guarding the young Liu Shan and the state of Shu Han. Liu Bei died soon afterwards at Baidi and his body was returned to Chengdu for burial, making Baidi an important site in Shu Han history and later memory.
In later centuries the site became known as Baidicheng (白帝城, ‘White Emperor City’) and was celebrated in poetry for its scenery and its association with Liu Bei’s final days.