Xiongyue Ancient Town

Xiongyue Ancient Town

Xiongyue Ancient Town is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Liaoning Province.

Xiongyue Ancient Town is located in Guanghua Community, Xiongyue Town, Bayuquan District. The ancient town largely retains the urban layout from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with discernible outlines of the city site and some remnants of the city walls still present. The town faces due north and south, slightly longer from north to south and slightly narrower from east to west. It has two city gates — one in the north named “Suide” and one in the south named “Yingxun.” Outside each gate there used to be a barbican.

The city walls were built on a foundation of large stone slabs, with blue bricks laid above them, using the standard Ming dynasty construction method of brick outer and inner walls with rammed earth in between. The walls are about 8.5 meters wide, with surviving parts reaching a maximum height of about 2.5 meters. The joints were sealed with white lime plaster, approximately 2 centimeters thick. The dimensions of the blue bricks are 40 cm in length, 19 cm in width, and 10 cm in thickness. The city measures 566 meters from north to south and 440 meters from east to west, covering an area of approximately 249,040 square meters. The north gate was renovated in 2001 and is currently well preserved as a municipal-level cultural heritage site. The south gate was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, with only remnants of stone slabs visible. Although the overall shape of the city is square, its four corners are slightly rounded inward. At the northern end of the western wall, about 8 meters of the wall remain, standing around 2 meters high, now incorporated into local residents' house walls. On the eastern wall, about 100 meters of wall survives, showing the blue brick structure, with the highest remaining section at about 2.5 meters. Some sections have been repurposed by locals as gable walls. Both the north and south walls have completely disappeared. Some residential houses have been directly built over surviving wall segments, making them slightly taller than the surrounding buildings.

There is an ancient north-south street running through Xiongyue Ancient Town, connecting the two city gates. This road was the main thoroughfare passing from north to south through the town during the Ming and Qing periods, and thus many shops lined both sides, including fabric and silk stores, noodle shops, taverns, fruit stalls, general stores, butcher shops, and grain shops. Some shops had large facades spanning seven bays, while others were very small, with just two bays — this was prime commercial real estate, truly worth its weight in gold. To this day, many historic buildings remain along this road, mostly constructed before or during the Republican era. They were originally part of these businesses, though some have since undergone renovations that changed their facades or were converted for residential use.

The ancient buildings within the town include both standalone structures and courtyard houses. There are distinctive dome-style roofs unique to southern Liaoning, as well as flush-gable roofs, all maintaining their original layouts and showcasing the architectural techniques of their time. These structures serve as important examples of traditional architecture, and such a large collection of well-preserved, authentic ancient buildings is now very rare nationwide, making them of great historical, artistic, and scientific value. The street layout of Xiongyue Ancient Town also has its own distinct characteristics. In addition to the main north-south road, there is only one small dirt path running straight through the center-south area from east to west; the rest are all T-junction roads, laid out in a well-organized, staggered fashion, with each T-junction spaced roughly 100 meters apart.

According to Liu Qian’s book *Examination of the Great Wall and Defensive Structures of Liaodong Town in the Ming Dynasty*, Xiongyue Post Town was located 30 kilometers south of present-day Gaixian County, now known as Xiongyue Town, and 7.5 kilometers west of Xiongyue Railway Station. The town was square-shaped, with north and south gates. The town has been destroyed, but the northern ruins remain, each side measuring about 400 meters. According to Volume 15 of *The Gazetteer of Shengjing*, under the entry “Gaiping County – Cities and Towns”: “Xiongyue Town is 60 li south of the county. The town wall is three li and ninety-nine paces in circumference, with north and south gates. According to the History of Liao, Luzhou governed Xiongyue County, which was transferred to Gaizhou in the Jin dynasty and later abolished in the Yuan dynasty. Currently, a deputy commander is stationed in the town.” These accounts are largely consistent with the current ruins (see the plan of “Xiongyue Post Town” shown in the right image).

Xiongyue Town was first established in the Han dynasty as Pingguo County under Liaodong Commandery. Its ruins are located in Wenquan Village to the east of Xiongyue Ancient Town, where a large cluster of Han tombs can also be found. During the Liao dynasty, it was the administrative seat of both the prefecture and county of Lüzhou Xiongyue. In the early Jin dynasty, the Nan-Nüzhen Kingdom’s Royal Court was set up here, and in the fourth year of the Mingchang era (1193), the Hesuguan Meng’an was established, along with the Bohai Army Muke stationed in Xiongyue. In the ninth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty (1376), Gaizhou Wei was created, overseeing five fortress towns including Xiongyue, as well as four courier stations including Xiongyue, which also assisted in coastal defense duties. The current Xiongyue Town was built around this time. According to *The Gazetteer of Shengjing*, Xiongyue Town was a brick-walled city “with a circumference of three li and ninety-nine paces,” featuring north and south gates. Initially, a City Defense Commander was stationed here. In the fifth year of the Yongzheng era (1727), a deputy commander from Shengjing was relocated here to govern, also taking charge of Fuzhou, Ninghai, Xiuyan, and Fenghuangcheng. The town was renovated again in the forty-third year of the Qianlong era (1778). The north gate tower has since been restored, and the location of the south gate is clear. The main north-south street within the city is believed to have been the primary thoroughfare. As the layout was not a cross-shaped intersection, aside from the area near the north gate, about 100 meters of the eastern wall still stands, preserving the original height and structure. Inside the city, the hall foundation and stone stele of the Ming dynasty Daolin Temple remain, with murals inside the hall still intact. Also preserved are the front hall of Laoye Temple and the large residential compounds of the Huang, Jiao, and Wang families. A significant number of foundational stoneworks, brick walls, and dome-roofed tile-roofed houses with southern Liaoning characteristics have also survived, most of which date to the Ming and Qing dynasties or earlier, reflecting strong period features. The town has almost no high-rise buildings.

The ancient buildings in the town are scattered throughout, often in contiguous clusters. Examples include the former sites of the Zhou Family Courtyard, Qiao Family Courtyard, Jiao Family Courtyard, Jiang Family Courtyard Gate, and others. These were once grand residences in Xiongyue Ancient Town, built with similar layouts but each with its own unique features. For instance, some courtyards feature gateways in the form of archways, as seen at the Zhou and Jiang family courtyards, while others use gatehouses for access, such as the Qiao and Ju’anzhi (Residence of Peace) family courtyards. In the main halls of the courtyard homes, some feature front eaves that extend outward, adding depth and grandeur to the structure, as seen in the Zhao Family Courtyard, while some individual buildings also employ this style, such as the former residence of the oil mill owner. The former site of the police station was originally owned by the oil mill proprietor and later converted into a police office. On December 19, 1946, Yang Yun was imprisoned here until his heroic execution on January 17, 1947. The former site of the Xiongyue Branch of the International Red Cross is situated prominently in the western part of the ancient town. The beams of the building bear visible red “?” marks. The structure is tall, with arched window eaves showcasing European architectural style, making it a fine example of Sino-Western fusion architecture. The town also has numerous temple buildings, including the surviving sites of Daolin Temple and Laoye Temple, as well as the former site of Yaowang Temple outside the southern gate. Daolin Temple is a Ming dynasty temple built with blue bricks and featuring murals, a rare example of its kind in the region from that period. The former site of the Moral Society, commonly known as the “Stone House,” was used as a police station during the puppet Manchukuo period and later became Shengli Primary School after liberation. It is exceptionally well preserved and is the only known all-stone building with open corridors in the region, holding significant architectural and artistic value. Architectural styles from Shanxi are also reflected in the town’s buildings, such as at the former pawnshop site and nearby street-front structures. Their arched windows and doors, combined with the southern Liaoning dome roofs, enhance the aesthetic appeal and reflect a unique architectural philosophy.

In addition, there are nearby Han dynasty city sites, Han dynasty tomb clusters, the Wang’ershan Brick Pagoda, the Immortal Island Beacon Tower, hot springs, the Baqi Village, and intangible cultural heritage such as the legends of Wang Tingyun and Wang’ershan. Such a well-preserved ancient town in southern Liaoning, integrating political, commercial, military, and transportation functions, is extremely rare and precious. It is seldom seen in northern China or even in Liaoning Province. The natural environment is outstanding: the Xiongyue River flows about 150 meters south of the ancient town from east to west into the Liaodong Bay of the Bohai Sea. The town is built along the river, surrounded by plains, with mountains to the east and sea to the west, nestled between the two. *The Gazetteer of Gaiping County* records eight scenic spots of Xiongyue, including the height of Wang’ershan and the fury of Rabbit Island’s tides. Xiongyue Hot Springs are world-renowned and a famous tourist and health resort destination.

In 2014, the People’s Government of Liaoning Province (Liaozhengfa [2014] No. 27) designated Xiongyue Ancient Town as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit.

Source: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, News, Radio, Television and Tourism. Contributor: Dong Wenjie

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